Sunday, October 25, 2009
If medicine is in capsule form, how does the body digest the outside part?
Answer:
A very large majority of capsules are made form some form of gelatin. Gelatin is a protein and is first broken down in the gastrointestinal system by enzymes specific for cleaving peptide bonds. (Proteins are compiled of peptide chains.) These enzymes include pepsinogen, pepsin, trypsinogen, and others. The resulting peptide fragments are easily absorbed in the small intestine given the large surface area, and then are taken up into circulation.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment