Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 4 complete abstracts (753 words), 10 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
The liquid secretion of the stomach mucosa consisting of hydrochloric acid (gastric acid); pepsinogens; intrinsic factor; gastrin; mucus; and the bicarbonate ion (bicarbonates). (From Best and Taylor's Physiological Basis of Medical Practice, 12th ed, p651)
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Gastric Juices; Juice, Gastric; Juices, Gastric.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Bodily Secretions
- Narrower topics
- Gastric Acid
- See also
- Achlorhydria; Pepsin A; Pepsinogens
Related concepts
- Gastric Acid
- Pepsinogens
- Intrinsic Factor
- Gastrin
- Mucus
- Bicarbonates
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 29,929 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Gastric Juice” (counts retrieved 2026-10-31). 484 of them (1.6%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is through 1999 with 24,597 records.
Reviews account for 2,414 records (8.1%) and meta-analyses for 28. Randomized controlled trials number 1,118 (3.7%) as a share of all records on the topic.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 24,597 |
| 2000-2009 | 2,922 |
| 2010-2019 | 1,926 |
| 2020 onward | 484 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 2,414 | 8.1% |
| Meta-analyses | 28 | 0.1% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 1,118 | 3.7% |
Method: PubMed query "Gastric Juice"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-31.
Reading the evidence in anatomy and physiology
Anatomy describes how body structures are built and physiology describes how they normally work, so most findings here are descriptive or mechanistic rather than evidence about treatment. Much of what is known comes from dissection, imaging, tissue studies and experiments in animals, and measurements in healthy volunteers can differ from those in people with disease or at different ages. Normal ranges vary between individuals and populations. Check whether a result was measured in people or in another species, the age and health of the participants, and the method used.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
The Evolution of Stomach Acidity and Its Relevance to the Human Microbiome [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Gastric acidity is likely a key factor shaping the diversity and composition of microbial communities found in the vertebrate gut.
- Closing excerpt
- Together these results highlight the importance of including measurements of gastric pH when investigating gut microbial dynamics within and across species.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (222 words)
Gastric acidity is likely a key factor shaping the diversity and composition of microbial communities found in the vertebrate gut. We conducted a systematic review to test the hypothesis that a key role of the vertebrate stomach is to maintain the gut microbial community by filtering out novel microbial taxa before they pass into the intestines. We propose that species feeding either on carrion or on organisms that are close phylogenetic relatives should require the most restrictive filter (measured as high stomach acidity) as protection from foreign microbes. Conversely, species feeding on a lower trophic level or on food that is distantly related to them (e.g. herbivores) should require the least restrictive filter, as the risk of pathogen exposure is lower. Comparisons of stomach acidity across trophic groups in mammal and bird taxa show that scavengers and carnivores have significantly higher stomach acidities compared to herbivores or carnivores feeding on phylogenetically distant prey such as insects or fish. In addition, we find when stomach acidity varies within species either naturally (with age) or in treatments such as bariatric surgery, the effects on gut bacterial pathogens and communities are in line with our hypothesis that the stomach acts as an ecological filter. Together these results highlight the importance of including measurements of gastric pH when investigating gut microbial dynamics within and across species.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 26222383 · DOI · PMC4519257
The Phylogeny and Biological Function of Gastric Juice-Microbiological Consequences of Removing Gastric Acid [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Gastric juice is a unique combination of hydrochloric acid (HCl), lipase, and pepsin.
- Closing excerpt
- We also discuss the impact of hypochlorhydria on the gut microbiome.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (176 words)
Gastric juice is a unique combination of hydrochloric acid (HCl), lipase, and pepsin. Acidic gastric juice is found in all vertebrates, and its main function is to inactivate microorganisms. The phylogenetic preservation of this energy-consuming and, at times, hazardous function (acid-related diseases) reflects its biological importance. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are one of the most widely used drugs in the world. Due to the reduced prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection as well as the increased use of inhibitors of gastric acid secretion, the latter has become the most important cause of gastric hypoacidity. In the present manuscript, we review the microbiological consequences of removing gastric acidity. The resulting susceptibility to infections has not been studied extensively, and focus has mainly been restricted to bacterial and parasitic agents only. The strongest evidence concerning the relationship between hypochlorhydria and predisposition to infections relates to bacterial infections affecting the gastrointestinal tract. However, several other clinical settings with increased susceptibility to infections due to inhibited gastric acidity are discussed. We also discuss the impact of hypochlorhydria on the gut microbiome.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 31795477 · DOI · PMC6928904
A highly acid-resistant novel strain of Lactobacillus johnsonii No. 1088 has antibacterial activity, including that against Helicobacter pylori, and inhibits gastrin-mediated acid production in mice [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- A novel strain of Lactobacillus johnsonii No.
- Closing excerpt
- pylori eradication as a side effect of PPI.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (218 words)
A novel strain of Lactobacillus johnsonii No. 1088 was isolated from the gastric juice of a healthy Japanese male volunteer, and characterized for its effectiveness in the stomach environment. Lactobacillus johnsonii No. 1088 was found to have the strongest acid resistance among several lactobacilli examined (>10% of cells survived at pH 1.0 after 2 h), and such a high acid resistance property was a specific characteristic of this strain of L. johnsonii. When cultured with various virulent bacteria, L. johnsonii No. 1088 inhibited the growth of Helicobacter pylori, Escherichia coli O-157, Salmonella Typhimurium, and Clostridium difficile, in which case its effectiveness was more potent than that of a type strain of L. johnsonii, JCM2012. In addition to its effect in vitro, L. johnsonii No. 1088 inhibited the growth of H. pylori in human intestinal microbiota-associated mice in both its live and lyophilized forms. Moreover, L. johnsonii No. 1088 suppressed gastric acid secretion in mice via decreasing the number of gastrin-positive cells in the stomach. These results taken together suggest that L. johnsonii No. 1088 is a unique lactobacillus having properties beneficial for supporting H. pylori eradication by triple therapy including the use of a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) and also for prophylaxis of gastroesophageal reflux disease possibly caused after H. pylori eradication as a side effect of PPI.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 25771812 · DOI · PMC4475388
Bitter Taste Receptor TAS2R43 Co-Regulates Mechanisms of Gastric Acid Secretion and Zinc Homeostasis [4]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- The essential micronutrient zinc is known to inhibit gastric acid secretion (GAS), where its homeostasis is strictly regulated.
- Closing excerpt
- Moreover, by regulating the zinc importer protein ZIP14, TAS2R43 proved to perform a protective role against excessive zinc accumulation in immortalized parietal cells.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (137 words)
The essential micronutrient zinc is known to inhibit gastric acid secretion (GAS), where its homeostasis is strictly regulated. We hypothesized that the gastric bitter taste receptors, TAS2Rs, regulate the following: (i) zinc-modulated proton secretory activity (PSA) as a key mechanism of GAS and (ii) zinc homeostasis in immortalized parietal cells. To confirm this hypothesis, human gastric tumor cells (HGT-1) were exposed to 100-1000 µM of zinc salts for 30 min in order to quantitate their TAS2R-dependent PSA and intracellular zinc concentration using a fluorescence-based pH sensor and ICP-MS, respectively. Thereby, we identified TAS2R43 as a key player in parietal cell PSA and zinc homeostasis, with both conclusions being verified by a CRISPR-Cas9 knockout approach. Moreover, by regulating the zinc importer protein ZIP14, TAS2R43 proved to perform a protective role against excessive zinc accumulation in immortalized parietal cells.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 40649796 · DOI · PMC12249961
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Control of gastric acid secretion in health and disease [5]
- Research article Pathophysiology of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease [6]
- Research article The pharmacology of the gastric acid pump: the H+,K+ ATPase [7]
- Research article Gastric acid secretion [8]
- Research article Gastric juice: a barrier against infectious diseases [9]
- Research article Acid suppression: optimizing therapy for gastroduodenal ulcer healing, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and stress-related erosive syndrome [10]
References
- Beasley DE, Koltz AM, Lambert JE, Fierer N, Dunn RR. The Evolution of Stomach Acidity and Its Relevance to the Human Microbiome. . 2015. PMID 26222383 · DOI · PMC4519257
- Martinsen TC, Fossmark R, Waldum HL. The Phylogeny and Biological Function of Gastric Juice-Microbiological Consequences of Removing Gastric Acid. . 2019. PMID 31795477 · DOI · PMC6928904
- Aiba Y, Nakano Y, Koga Y, Takahashi K, Komatsu Y. A highly acid-resistant novel strain of Lactobacillus johnsonii No. 1088 has antibacterial activity, including that against Helicobacter pylori, and inhibits gastrin-mediated acid production in mice. . 2015. PMID 25771812 · DOI · PMC4475388
- Orth HN, Pirkwieser P, Benthin J, Koehler M, Sterneder S, Parlar E, et al.. Bitter Taste Receptor TAS2R43 Co-Regulates Mechanisms of Gastric Acid Secretion and Zinc Homeostasis. . 2025. PMID 40649796 · DOI · PMC12249961
- Schubert ML, Peura DA. Control of gastric acid secretion in health and disease. Gastroenterology. 2008. PMID 18474247 · DOI
- Tack J, Pandolfino JE. Pathophysiology of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease. Gastroenterology. 2018. PMID 29037470 · DOI
- Sachs G, Shin JM, Briving C, Wallmark B, Hersey S. The pharmacology of the gastric acid pump: the H+,K+ ATPase. Annu Rev Pharmacol Toxicol. 1995. PMID 7598495 · DOI
- Hersey SJ, Sachs G. Gastric acid secretion. Physiol Rev. 1995. PMID 7831396 · DOI
- Martinsen TC, Bergh K, Waldum HL. Gastric juice: a barrier against infectious diseases. Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol. 2005. PMID 15679471 · DOI
- Wolfe MM, Sachs G. Acid suppression: optimizing therapy for gastroduodenal ulcer healing, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and stress-related erosive syndrome. Gastroenterology. 2000. PMID 10868896 · DOI
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-10-31; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-10-31.
See how EvidenceLib is built. Spotted an error? Email support@evidencehelix.com.
Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.