Toxicology question Chemical X is a stabilizing agent added

Toxicology question

Chemical X is a stabilizing agent added to a number of processed foods. Its molecular size is about 50nm and it does not bind to plasma proteins. Chemical X is a weak base with a pKa of 5.5. Assuming the pH of the stomach is 1, the pH of the blood is 7, and the pH of the small intestine is 8.5, describe/diagram how chemical X might be absorbed, distributed, stored, biotransformed and excreted following human exposure.

Solution

Digestion assays with simulated gastric fluid is introduced for characterization of food proteins to find the effect of stomach proteolysis on dietary compounds. By using these tests, dietary proteins can be categorized as digestion-resistant class 1 i.e. true allergens triggering direct oral sensitization or as labile class 2 allergens nonsensitizing elicitors.

Alterations in the gastric leumen are frequently experienced during a lifetime either physiologically in the very young age or as a result of gastrointestinal pathologies. Additionally, acid-suppression medications are frequently used for treatment of dyspeptic disorders. By increasing the gastric pH, they interfere substantially with the digestive function of the stomach, leading to persistence of labile food protein during gastric transit. Indeed, human studies reveal that antiulcer medication increases the risk of food allergy induction.

Gastric digestion substantially decreases the potential of food proteins to bind IgE, which increases the threshold dose of allergens required to elicit symptoms in patients with food allergy. Thus antiulcer agents impeding gastric protein digestion have a major effect on the sensitization and effector phase of food allergy.