RT Book, Section A1 Sharkey, Keith A. A1 MacNaughton, Wallace K. A2 Brunton, Laurence L. A2 Knollmann, Björn C. SR Print(0) ID 1193237984 T1 Pharmacotherapy for Gastric Acidity, Peptic Ulcers, and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease T2 Goodman & Gilman's: The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, 14th Edition YR 2023 FD 2023 PB McGraw-Hill Education PP New York, NY SN 9781264258079 LK accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1193237984 RD 2024/03/28 AB The stomach has a number of critical functions in the processes of digestion: storage, digestion, and defense. The volume of the stomach is quite small at rest, but the gastric musculature can undergo receptive relaxation to accommodate a meal volume of 1 to 2 L. Food is broken down in the presence of acid by the grinding actions of the thick muscular coats of the stomach, and the contents then pass in a regulated manner into the duodenum. Gastric acid not only serves to facilitate digestion, but it also provides an effective antimicrobial milieu that facilitates defense against pathogens.