Enteropeptidase (肠肽酶)

Enteropeptidase is an enzyme produced by duodenal cells, which is involved in the digestive processes of humans and other animals and belongs to the serine protease family. Enteropeptidase can specifically cleave trypsinogen, converting it into active trypsin and initiating the protein digestion process. Enteropeptidase can also trigger a digestive enzyme cascade reaction, and the activated trypsin can further activate other digestive enzymes such as chymotrypsinogen. Enteropeptidase plays a crucial role in maintaining the homeostasis of the intestinal environment and ensuring the digestion and absorption of nutrients in the intestine. The deficiency, changes in expression and activity of enteropeptidase can lead to intestinal digestion disorders, exacerbate the inflammatory response in intestinal inflammatory diseases, and promote the proliferation and metastasis of tumor cells in colorectal cancer and other cancers^[1].