Chymotrypsinogen and trypsinogen are involved in the breakdown of which macromolecule?

Chymotrypsinogen and trypsinogen are enzymes that play a crucial role in protein digestion. Both of these are zymogens, which are inactive precursors of enzymes that must be activated to perform their digestive functions. Once they are activated, chymotrypsinogen is converted into chymotrypsin, and trypsinogen is converted into trypsin.

These activated enzymes are responsible for breaking down proteins into smaller peptides and amino acids in the small intestine. Proteins, which are large macromolecules made up of amino acids, require specific proteases like trypsin and chymotrypsin for their digestion. Therefore, the correct answer highlights their vital role in protein catabolism.

In contrast, fats, sugars, and vitamins are not broken down by these enzymes; rather, they have specific enzymes and processes dedicated to their digestion and absorption. For instance, fats are primarily processed by lipases, sugars by amylases and other enzymes, and vitamins typically do not require enzymatic breakdown for absorption.