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Activity of Carbonic Anhydrase in Relation to Gastric Secretion

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Abstract

IT has been shown recently by Davenport1 that the gastric mucosa of mammals is very rich in carbonic anhydrase, which seems to be localized in the parietal cells. According to Davenport, this observation together with some other considerations suggested the possibility that carbonic anhydrase takes part in the secretion of hydrochloric acid. According to this view, carbonic anhydrase catalyses the hydration of carbon dioxide to carbonic acid, which ionizes to H+ and HCO3- ions. The H+ ions are concentrated and secreted while HCO3- ions pass into the blood to replace the chloride ions which accompany hydrogen ions. “If carbonic anhydrase in the gastric mucosa were inhibited the chain of reactions would be interrupted, and the mucosa would be unable to secrete acid”2. This clearly suggests that the validity of this theory of gastric secretion can easily be tested by means of a suitable inhibitor of carbonic anhydrase.

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References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Physiological Laboratory, and Molteno Institute, University of Cambridge,

    W. FELDBERG, D. KEILIN & T. MANN

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  1. W. FELDBERG
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  2. D. KEILIN
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  3. T. MANN
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FELDBERG, W., KEILIN, D. & MANN, T. Activity of Carbonic Anhydrase in Relation to Gastric Secretion. Nature 146, 651–652 (1940). https://doi.org/10.1038/146651a0

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