The exocrine pancreas synthesizes and secretes more protein per cell than any other
exocrine organ. Much of its protein secretion consists of digestive proenzymes, called
zymogens, that require cleavage of an activation peptide by a protease. After entering the
small intestine, the pancreatic zymogen trypsinogen is first processed to trypsin by the
intestinal protease, enterokinase. Trypsin then proteolytically processes the other pancreatic
zymogens to their active forms. Under physiologic conditions, pancreatic proteases remain …