Which gastric pit cell primarily secretes pepsinogen?

The cell that primarily secretes pepsinogen in the gastric pits is the chief cell. Chief cells, found in the gastric glands of the stomach, are specialized for the production and secretion of digestive enzymes, particularly pepsinogen, which is an inactive precursor of the enzyme pepsin.

Pepsinogen is secreted into the gastric lumen where it gets converted into the active form pepsin in the presence of hydrochloric acid, secreted by parietal cells. This activity is crucial for digestion, especially of proteins, as pepsin begins the process of breaking down protein structures into smaller peptides.

Other cells in the gastric pits serve different functions: neck cells primarily secrete mucus to protect the gastric epithelium, parietal cells are responsible for secreting hydrochloric acid and intrinsic factor, and G cells produce the hormone gastrin, which stimulates gastric acid secretion and gastric motility. Understanding the specific functions of these cell types helps connect their activities to the overall process of digestion in the stomach.