NCIt definition : An alpha-pyridylmethylsulfinyl benzimidazole and a selective and irreversible proton
pump inhibitor with antisecretory property. Rabeprazole enters the parietal cell and
accumulates in the acidic secretory canaliculi where the agent is activated by a proton-catalyzed
process that results in the formation of a thiophilic sulfonamide or sulfenic acid.
The activated rabeprazole forms covalent bonds with the sulfhydryl amino acids cysteine
on the extracellular domain of the proton pump (H /K ATPase) at the secretory surface,
thereby inhibiting the transport of hydrogen ions, via exchange with potassium ions,
into the gastric lumen. Binding to cysteine 813, in particular, is essential for inhibition
of gastric acid production.;