How Hydrochloric Acid is Formed In The Stomach

Our stomach produces Hydrochloric Acid, which is very important in the process of digestion. some of the very important functions of Hcl include;

• The most important function of Hydrochloric acid is that it has a key role in the conversion of the inactive pepsin into Pepsinogen.
• It destroys aced harmful microbes in the ingested food.
• Due to its high acidic nature, it deactivates the action of Salivary amylase in the stomach.
• It dissolves the hard portions of the food making them softer

Do you really know how Hydrochloric Acid is really produced? Just ask yourself for a second, Hydrochloric Acid has a pH of about 2(Very acid) and yet it does not destroy the cells that produce it, neither does it destroy the stomach walls themselves. How is this possible?

Hcl is produced by the Parietal cells of the stomach. These cells are located on the walls of the stomach.

Water and carbon dioxide combine within the cytoplasm of the cell. The reaction between these two produces carbonic acid, which will then spontaneously dissociate into a hydrogen ion and a bicarbonate ion. The hydrogen ion formed is transported into the stomach lumen via the hydrogen potassium ATPase ion pump, which uses ATP as an energy source to exchange potassium ions into the parietal cells of the stomach with hydrogen ions.

Simultaneously, the bicarbonate ion is transported out of the cell and into the blood via a transporter protein called an anion exchanger, which transports bicarbonate out of the cell in exchange for chloride ion. This chloride ion is then transported, via a chloride channel, into the stomach lumen where it combines with the hydrogen ions present to form hydrochloric acid.

Clinical Application

Peptic Ulcer Disease

In some instances, the stomach may produce excessive HCL which leads to corrosion of the wall of the intestine. Some other causes may be due to the use of NSAIDs which inhibit the production of the mucus lining that is protecting the walls of the stomach. The excess in Hydrochloric acid causes the formation of ulcers which are painful.

Treatment of Peptic Ulcer Disease

The aim of treatment involves reducing the amount of HCl produced by the stomach by use of drugs like;

• Proton Pump Inhibitors e.g. Omeprazole.
• H2 Blockers e.g. Cimetidine

Note: check you country’s protocol as these may be outdated