Does the pancreas produce sodium bicarbonate?
1 Answer
Yes, the pancreas produces sodium bicarbonate.
Explanation:
99% of the pancreas contains exocrine cells that produce 1 L to 2 L of digestive juices per day.
This pancreatic juice contains powerful digestive enzymes along with water, sodium chloride, and sodium bicarbonate.
The juice flows from the pancreas through an excretory duct into the duodenum.
The sodium bicarbonate neutralizes the high acidity of the chyme (food plus stomach acid) and raises its pH to 7.1 - 8.2.
This stops the action of gastric pepsins and provides the proper pH for the digestive enzymes to do their job in the small intestine.
