[Campbell Biology P.956] The stomach's lining is protected from being digested by its own ga... | Practice Question

The stomach's lining is protected from being digested by its own gastric juice primarily by which of the following?

  • A: The extremely low pH of the gastric juice.
  • B: Mucus secreted by mucous cells.
  • C: Rapid absorption of gastric juice components into the bloodstream.
  • D: Pepsin becoming inactive at body temperature.

Explanation

The text explicitly states, "Why don't HCl and pepsin eat through the lining of the stomach? For one thing, mucus secreted by cells in gastric glands protects against self-digestion." Mucous cells are one of the three types of cells in gastric glands and secrete mucus.