Pepsin is an endopeptidase that breaks down proteins into smaller peptides and amino acids that can be easily absorbed in the small intestine[1]. Pepsin is stable at pH ranges as high as pH 6. Above this pH, pepsin is rapidly irreversibly inactivated and elevation of pH of the reaction mixture to pH 8 results in complete inactivation of pepsin[2]. Pepsin has been posited to be a reliable biological marker of EER. An immunologic pepsin assay of combined sputum and saliva was determined to be 100% sensitive and 89% specific for detection of EER (based on pH-metry), and an enzymatic test of nasal lavage fluid (100% sensitivity and 92.5% specificity) demonstrated an increased incidence of EER in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis[3]. Cultured hypopharyngeal epithelial (FaDu) cells were exposed to human pepsin (0.1 mg/mL) at pH 7.4 for either 1 hour or 12 hours at 37°C and both mitochondria and Golgi complexes were clearly damaged. This finding reveals a novel mechanism by which pepsin could cause cell damage, potentially even in nonacidic refluxate[4].
Atropine Oxide is a derivative of Atropine. Atropine is a medication to treat certain types of nerve agent and pesticide poisonings as well as some types of slow heart rate and to decrease saliva production during surgery. Atropine is a competitive antagonist of the muscarinic acetylcholine receptor types M1, M2, M3, M4 and M5. It is classified as an anticholinergic drug (parasympatholytic).
5α-Androst-16-en-3-one, a mammalian pheromone present in boar saliva, plays a crucial role in facilitating social and sexual interactions by acting as a volatile chemical cue. It is utilized to prime sows in estrus for mating or artificial insemination, underscoring its significance in reproductive behavior. Additionally, this compound is detected in human sweat and urine, where it is involved in studies concerning receptor-mediated odorant detection and the genetic foundations of anosmias, thereby broadening its scope of relevance beyond the animal kingdom.