Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 4, 2025

Extraction and Visualization of Protein Aggregates after Treatment of Escherichia coli with a Proteotoxic Stressor
Published on: June 29, 2021
How the Magenstrasse is formed after meals: Protein aggregation hypothesis
Ryosuke Sakai1, Yoshiyuki Shirasaka1, Taiyo Takagi1
1Faculty of Pharmacy, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan.
None:
Magenstrasse (stomach road) is reported to potentially influence the absorption of orally administered drugs by facilitating a gastric emptying of ingested water under postprandial condition. We hypothesized the Magenstrasse is a consequence of the formation of protein aggregates due to the decrease in gastric pH associated with stimulated gastric acid secretion. The formation mechanism of the Magenstrasse was examined in vitro using a gastric chamber system which reproduces postprandial conditions in the stomach. Oral liquid meals containing different amounts of proteins were mixed with simulated gastric fluid containing pepsin in the gastric chamber. When a high-protein liquid meal was used, infusion of gastric acid caused protein denaturation, generating semisolid aggregates. Then, to evaluate the impact of the aggregates, fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran 4000 (FD-4) solution was added. The presence of protein aggregates facilitated the elution of FD-4 from the gastric chamber, indicating that the semisolid aggregates suppressed mixing of FD-4 solution with meals. In addition, formation of the same type of protein aggregates was observed in vivo in rat stomach after ingesting a high-protein liquid meal. These in vitro and in vivo results support the idea that protein aggregation of liquid meals in the stomach contributes the formation of the Magenstrasse.
Related Concept Videos
Protein Digestion
Protein Absorption
Gastric Phase of Digestion
When food enters the stomach, it stretches the stomach walls and activates stretch receptors. This triggers local reflexes of the enteric nervous system, mediated through the myenteric plexus. These...
Overview of Protein Metabolism
Amino acids play various roles in the body once they are absorbed into cells. They are restructured...
Gastritis-II: Pathophysiology
In acute gastritis, the gastric mucosa becomes swollen and red and undergoes superficial erosion. Superficial ulceration may lead to bleeding.
In chronic gastritis, persistent or repeated insults lead to chronic inflammatory changes and, eventually, thinning or atrophy of the gastric tissue.
Gastritis can stem from various causes, each...
Metabolic States of the Body: The Absorptive State

