pancreatic

Meaning: The card is probably a fragment of a longer term. The exocrine pancreas secretes pancreatic juice into the duodenum. It contains bicarbonate, which neutralizes acidic chyme so the enzymes work at near-neutral pH. It also contains pancreatic amylase (starch → maltose and short oligosaccharides), pancreatic lipase (triglycerides → fatty acids and monoglycerides) and proteases (trypsin, chymotrypsin, carboxypeptidase). The proteases are released as zymogens (trypsinogen, chymotrypsinogen, procarboxypeptidase), which protects the pancreas from digesting itself. Enteropeptidase on the intestinal lining converts trypsinogen to trypsin, and trypsin then activates the other zymogens. The endocrine pancreas (islets) makes insulin in β cells and glucagon in α cells, and releases them into the blood.

On the MCAT: Passages ask where an enzyme acts, what its products are, and what happens if the pancreatic duct is blocked (fat and protein digestion suffer most). They also test zymogen activation as a cascade, and pH optima: pepsin works in acid, while pancreatic enzymes work near neutral. Secretin triggers bicarbonate release, and cholecystokinin triggers enzyme release.

Common confusion: Bile is made by the liver and stored in the gallbladder, not made by the pancreas. It emulsifies fat and contains no digestive enzymes. Also, pepsin is gastric, and salivary amylase is a different enzyme from pancreatic amylase. Insulin and glucagon are pancreatic hormones, not digestive enzymes.