Role of Pancreas in Digestion

Pancreatic  juices  secreted from  the  pancreas  aid  in  digestion  of  the  food. About 600-800  ml  of  fluid  i.e.  the  pancreatic juice  is  secreted per day  by  pancreas. Pancreatic juice  is alkaline  in  nature (pH  about 8.0) and  contains both organic and inorganic  substances. The  enzyme  components  are  trypsin,  chymotrypsin, elastase 125 and  carboxypeptidase,  all of  which  are  secreted  as  inactive  precursors  c~  .3 zymogens.  The  other  enzymes  are  amylase,  lipase,  cholesteryl  ester hydrolase, phospholipase,  ribonucleases, deoxyribonucleases  and  phosphodiesterases. Sodium, chloride and  bicarbonate  are the major inorganic constituents. Before we proceed further, let us understand what we mean by  zymogens. Zymogen is actually the  enzyme molecule synthesized, but  in an inactive form