Gastric pepsin is secreted by the chief cells of the gastric mucosa and breaks down dietary proteins into small peptides. It is commonly used in the differential diagnosis of neurogenic hypoacidity. Conditions such as chronic gastritis, chronic gastric dilatation, and chronic duodenitis may also lead to reduced pepsin secretion.
Determination Principle: Pepsin catalyzes the hydrolysis of hemoglobin, and the hydrolysis products react with Folin's reagent to produce a blue color. Within a certain range, the intensity of the color is proportional to pepsin activity.