The pancreas is one of the main organs in our body that is used for digestion of food1. The exocrine function of the pancreas is responsible for secreting digestive enzymes that are then used to digest the food we eat, leading to uptake of nutrients from the food, by the body1. Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency is a defect in those digestive enzymes1. This defect leads to the inability to break down food and therefore, difficulty absorbing the nutrients from food1. When the body is not able to break down the food the patient eats, the patient can develop weight loss, steatorrhoea, abdominal discomfort, and creatorrhea1,3. Creon is a drug that is used to treat this insufficiency2. Creon was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in
…show more content…
Creon is a member of a type of therapy called pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy1. Therefore, does not cure Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency but treats the symptoms of the disease. Pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy is basically where the patient will take the enzymes that are needed for digestion orally, in some sort of tablet or capsule3. Creon is administered in the form of an enteric-coated, delayed-release capsule2. The enteric-coating is meant to diminish destruction or inactivation from the acids in the stomach and gastrointestinal tract2. It is made up of a combination of porcine-derived enzymes, particularly, porcine-derived lipases, proteases, and amylases taken from a pig pancreas2. Once ingested, Creon, breaks food down in multiple ways depending on the type of food it is. Regarding fats and glycerols, Creon will catalyze the hydrolysis of the fat into monoglyceride and the glycerols into free fatty acids2. Creon will also catalyze the hydrolysis of proteins into peptides and amino acids2. Finally, Creon will take any starches and will do the same thing; catalyze the hydrolysis of the starch into dextrins and other short-chain sugars2. All of the catalyzation of these molecules takes place in the duodenum and proximal small intestine, simulating the digestive enzymes that would be physiologically
Creon is a member of a type of therapy called pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy1. Therefore, does not cure Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency but treats the symptoms of the disease. Pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy is basically where the patient will take the enzymes that are needed for digestion orally, in some sort of tablet or capsule3. Creon is administered in the form of an enteric-coated, delayed-release capsule2. The enteric-coating is meant to diminish destruction or inactivation from the acids in the stomach and gastrointestinal tract2. It is made up of a combination of porcine-derived enzymes, particularly, porcine-derived lipases, proteases, and amylases taken from a pig pancreas2. Once ingested, Creon, breaks food down in multiple ways depending on the type of food it is. Regarding fats and glycerols, Creon will catalyze the hydrolysis of the fat into monoglyceride and the glycerols into free fatty acids2. Creon will also catalyze the hydrolysis of proteins into peptides and amino acids2. Finally, Creon will take any starches and will do the same thing; catalyze the hydrolysis of the starch into dextrins and other short-chain sugars2. All of the catalyzation of these molecules takes place in the duodenum and proximal small intestine, simulating the digestive enzymes that would be physiologically