To protect the pancreas, the acinar cells manufacture inactive forms of the enzymes called proenzymes, or zymogens.

为了保护胰腺，腺泡细胞会产生这些酶的无活性，为“酶原”。

Trypsin is a pancreatic digestive enzyme that is produced as the zymogen trypsinogen.

胰蛋白酶是种胰消化酶，以胰蛋白酶原产生。

These zymogens are normally activated by proteases which cleave off a polypeptide chain, which is kind of like pulling the pin on a grenade.

这些酶原通过蛋白酶激活，蛋白酶会将条多肽链切去，这有点像拉手榴弹的保险栓。

To digest a meal, these zymogens are released into the pancreatic duct, and delivered to the small intestine where they are activated by the protease trypsin.

当消化食物时，这些酶原释放入胰管，然后进入小肠，在那里胰蛋白酶激活。

With alcohol abuse it goes like this: alcohol increases zymogen secretion from acinar cells while decreasing fluid and bicarbonate production from the ductal epithelial cells.

酒精滥用是这样引发急性胰腺炎的：酒精增加腺泡细胞分泌酶原，同时让胰管上皮细胞减少生成水和碳酸氢盐。

For additional security, the zymogens are kept away from sensitive tissues in storage vesicles called zymogen granules, and are packaged with protease inhibitors that prevent enzymes from doing damage if they become prematurely active.

另外也是为了安全性，这些酶原安置在存储小泡中（为“酶原颗粒”）以远离敏感组织，并与蛋白酶抑制剂同包装，以防止提前激活造成损伤。

When the pancreatic acinar cells are damaged or the the pancreatic ducts are blocked, often because of alcohol abuse or gallstones, the inactive zymogens that the pancreas produces can be prematurely converted to active digestive enzymes.

通常由酒精滥用或胆结石导致的胰腺腺泡细胞受损或胰管阻塞时，胰腺产生的无活性酶原可过早转化为活性消化酶。