This simulator demonstrates how acetylcholine, gastrin, and histamine independently and synergistically stimulate the parietal cell's proton pump, and how rising acidity triggers somatostatin release that closes the feedback loop by suppressing gastrin.
Adjust the strength of the cephalic (acetylcholine), gastric (gastrin), and local (histamine) signals individually to see how each contributes to proton pump activity and falling luminal pH. Enable the somatostatin feedback toggle to watch the loop self-regulate, and apply a proton pump inhibitor to see how it overrides all three stimulatory pathways at once.
Sliders for acetylcholine (cephalic), gastrin (gastric phase), and histamine (local amplifier) strength; a somatostatin feedback on/off toggle; a proton pump inhibitor dose control; and a live readout of parietal cell proton pump activity and resulting luminal pH.
The cephalic phase, triggered purely by the sight and smell of food before a single bite is swallowed, can account for roughly a fifth to a third of total acid secreted during a meal, which is part of why eating slowly and mindfully can genuinely change how well a meal is digested.
This simulator demonstrates how acetylcholine, gastrin, and histamine independently and synergistically stimulate the parietal cell's proton pump, and how rising acidity triggers somatostatin release that closes the feedback loop by suppressing gastrin.
This simulator demonstrates how acetylcholine, gastrin, and histamine independently and synergistically stimulate the parietal cell's proton pump, and how rising acidity triggers somatostatin release that closes the feedback loop by suppressing gastrin.
Adjust the strength of the cephalic (acetylcholine), gastric (gastrin), and local (histamine) signals individually to see how each contributes to proton pump activity and falling luminal pH. Enable the somatostatin feedback toggle to watch the loop self-regulate, and apply a proton pump inhibitor to see how it overrides all three stimulatory pathways at once.
The cephalic phase, triggered purely by the sight and smell of food before a single bite is swallowed, can account for roughly a fifth to a third of total acid secreted during a meal, which is part of why eating slowly and mindfully can genuinely change how well a meal is digested.