2007 Volume 24 Pages 56-58
Digestion is the process in which the bulk of ingested nutrients are broken down to oligomers or monomers in the mouth, stomach and intestine before they are absorbed and made available to all the cells of the body. Gastric juice is characterized by the presence of HCl, pepsin, mucus and an intrinsic factor. It is well established that the secretion of gastric juice is promoted by a type of amino acid and peptide. Oyster is a shellfish classified as Pelecypoda and is a nutritious food containing a great deal of zinc and taurine. Taurine has been reported to reduce myocardial damage and to have a beneficial effect on blood glucose and lipid levels. Thus, we investigated the effect of oyster extract on the gastric secretion in rats. Pylorus-ligated rats were sacrificed 6 h after the administration of oyster extract or taurine, and the gastric juice was collected and analyzed for volume, pH, acidity and pepsin activity. The results indicate that oyster extract may decrease pepsin activity and pepsin output; however, oyster extract significantly raised the acidity. Furthermore, it is suggested that the composition of oyster extract, excluding the taurine, may promote the secretion of HCl and organic acid because oyster extract more significantly raised acidity than taurine.
