The main components of gastric juice are water, hydrochloric acid, digestive enzymes, mucus, internal factors and other electrolytes.
Gastric juice is a general term for gastric secretion, which is a liquid substance in the stomach, the main components of which are water, hydrochloric acid, which is also known as gastric acid, which is responsible for the maintenance of the acidic environment in the stomach, as well as pepsinogen and pepsin, which play a role in digestion. In addition, there is mucus secreted by the epithelial cells on the surface of the gastric mucosa, the mucous cells of the acid glands in the fundus of the stomach, and the cardia and pyloric glands, the main component of which is glycoprotein, which lubricates and protects the gastric mucosa.
Endofactor, a glycoprotein secreted by the cells of the gastric lining, binds to ingested vitamin B12 and facilitates the absorption of vitamin B₁₂ by the ileal epithelium, in addition to other types of electrolytes in the gastric juice, such as sodium chloride.