Pepsinogen interacts with hydrochloric acid to convert into which active enzyme?

Pepsinogen is an inactive zymogen produced by the gastric chief cells in the stomach. When it comes into contact with hydrochloric acid, which is secreted by parietal cells, the acidic environment facilitates the conversion of pepsinogen into its active form, pepsin. Pepsin is an important digestive enzyme that specifically breaks down proteins into smaller peptides in the stomach. The activation of pepsinogen is a crucial step in the digestion of dietary proteins, highlighting the significance of the acidic environment created by hydrochloric acid.