The key difference between salivary amylase and pancreatic amylase is that the salivary glands produce salivary amylase into the mouth and initiates the carbohydrate digestion while the pancreas produces pancreatic amylase into the small intestine and completes carbohydrate digestion.
Amylase, protease, and lipase are three kinds of enzymes that help to digest our foods. Proteases hydrolyze proteins into amino acids while lipases break lipids into glycerol and fatty acids. Amylases are the enzymes that catalyze the breakdown of carbohydrate polymers mainly starch into simple sugars. Amylases cleave glycosidic bonds present in starch and glycogen. Moreover, amylases can be α-amylase, β-amylase, and glucoamylase, and salivary glands and the pancreas produce them.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Salivary Amylase
3. What is Pancreatic Amylase
4. Similarities Between Salivary Amylase and Pancreatic Amylase
5. Side by Side Comparison – Salivary Amylase vs Pancreatic Amylase in Tabular Form
6. Summary
What is Salivary Amylase?
Among the two places where amylase is made, salivary glands produce salivary amylases. Salivary amylases present in saliva and mix with the foods we consume. Therefore, salivary amylases act on raw forms of carbohydrates and initiate the carbohydrate digestion.
Figure 01: Salivary Amylase
Partial digestion occurs in your mouth. When you chew the consumed food, you will feel a sweet taste. It is because of the salivary amylase action. When this enzyme hydrolyzes carbohydrates into maltose, you will feel a sweet taste.
What is Pancreatic Amylase?
Pancreatic amylase is the second type of amylase which acts on carbohydrates. As the name mentions, pancreas produces the pancreatic amylase. Pancreas secretes pancreatic amylases into stomach and small intestine to digest partially digested carbohydrates. These amylases complete the carbohydrate digestion.
Figure 02: Pancreatic Amylase
Carbohydrates convert into glucose which is the basic unit of carbohydrates. When glucose is made, it is easy to absorb into your bloodstream.
What are the Similarities Between Salivary Amylase and Pancreatic Amylase?
- Both are enzymes and proteins.
- Both enzymes act on carbohydrates.
- They help digestion of our foods.
- They cleave glycosidic bonds between sugar molecules.
- Both are able to convert carbohydrate polymers into simple sugars.
What is the Difference Between Salivary Amylase and Pancreatic Amylase?
Salivary Amylase and Pancreatic Amylase are two types of amylases. Salivary gland produces and secretes salivary amylases into the mouth and initiates the carbohydrate digestion. Pancreas secretes pancreatic amylases into the small intestine and completes carbohydrate digestion within the stomach and small intestine.
Summary – Salivary Amylase vs Pancreatic Amylase
Enzymes are biological catalysts of chemical reactions. They are proteins. Three main types of enzymes in our body are amylases, lipases and proteases. Amylases hydrolyze starch and other carbohydrate polymers into simple sugars. Salivary glands secrete amylase to initiate the digestion, and these amylases are salivary amylases. Salivary amylase acts on the raw form of carbohydrates inside the mouth. Pancreas produces amylases, and they are pancreatic amylase. These amylases act on complex carbohydrates and complete the hydrolysis of carbohydrates. This is the difference between salivary amylase and pancreatic amylase.
Reference:
1.“Amylase.” Egyptian Journal of Medical Human Genetics, Elsevier. Available here
2.“Amylase.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 23 July 2018. Available here
Image Courtesy:
1.’Salivary alpha-amylase 1SMD’By Own work. – From PDB entry 1SMD., (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
2.’Pancreatic alpha-amylase 1HNY’By Own work. – From PDB entry 1HNY.,(Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
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