If for some reason the parietal cells of the gut epithelium become partially non-functional, what is likely to happed?

Options

A. The pancreatic enzymes and specially the trypsin and lipase will not work efficiently.
B. The pH of stomach will fall abruptly.
C. Steapsin will be more effective.
D. Proteins will not be adequately hydrolysed by pepsin into proteoses and peptones.

Answer

To answer the question about the consequences of partially non-functional parietal cells in the gut epithelium, we can follow these steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Identify the Role of Parietal Cells**:
- Parietal cells are located in the stomach lining and are responsible for secreting hydrochloric acid (HCl) and intrinsic factor. HCl maintains the acidic environment of the stomach, which is crucial for digestion.

2. **Understand the Function of HCl**:
- HCl not only helps in maintaining the acidic pH of the stomach but also activates pepsinogen (an inactive enzyme) into pepsin (the active enzyme). Pepsin is essential for the digestion of proteins.

3. **Consequences of Non-Functional Parietal Cells**:
- If the parietal cells become partially non-functional, they will produce less HCl. This will lead to a decrease in the acidic environment of the stomach.
- With insufficient HCl, pepsinogen will not be effectively converted into pepsin. As a result, protein digestion will be impaired.

4. **Impact on Protein Digestion**:
- Without adequate pepsin, proteins will not be hydrolyzed into smaller peptides (proteoses and peptones). This means that the digestion of proteins will be significantly reduced.

5. **Conclusion**:
- Therefore, the most likely outcome of the parietal cells being partially non-functional is that proteins will not be adequately hydrolyzed by pepsin into proteoses and peptones.

### Final Answer:
If the parietal cells of the gut epithelium become partially non-functional, proteins will not be adequately hydrolyzed by the pepsins into proteoses and peptones.

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