Which region of the stomach contains chief cells that secrete pepsinogen?

• A. Antrum.
• B. Cardia.
• C. Fundus and body.
• D. Pylorus.

Answer: (A)

Chief cells are the stomach’s enzyme-secreting cells and they produce pepsinogen, the inactive precursor of the protease pepsin. These cells are concentrated in the oxyntic mucosa of the stomach—in the fundus and body—where the main gastric glands reside. The antrum, by contrast, is rich in mucus cells and G cells that release gastrin, a hormone that stimulates acid production by parietal cells but does not house the chief cells that secrete pepsinogen. Because pepsinogen comes from chief cells, the region where it is secreted is the fundus and body, not the antrum.