3.3.3 digestion and absorption Flashcards
give some examples of large biological molecules
starch, proteins
can large biological molecules cross the cell membrane and what does this mean can’t happen
large biological molecules in food are too big to cross cell membranes so they can’t be absorbed from the gut into the blood
what happens to these larger molecules during digestion
during digestion, these larger molecules are broken down into smaller molecules (e.g. glucose, amino acids)
can these smaller molecules move across cell membranes and what does this allow to happen
smaller molecules can move across cell membranes so they can be easily absorbed from the gut into the blood
what happens after these smaller molecules are absorbed from the gut into the blood
they can be transported around the body for use by the body cells
what are most large biological molecules
polymers
what are these larger molecules/polymers broken down into and by what process
broken down into smaller molecules (monomers) using hydrolysis reactions
what happens in a hydrolysis reaction (simplified)
hydrolysis reactions break bonds by adding water
during hydrolysis, what are carbohydrates broken down into
disaccharides then monosaccharides
during hydrolysis, what are fats broken down into
fatty acids and monoglycerides
during hydrolysis, what are proteins broken down into
amino acids
what are digestive enzymes used for?
digestive enzymes are used to break down biological molecules in food
where can digestive enzymes be produced
variety of digestive enzymes are produced by specialised cells in the digestive systems of mammals
what do these digestive enzymes mix with?
food
do different enzymes work with different food molecules?
enzymes only work with specific substrates so different enzymes are need to catalyse the breakdown of different food molecules
DIGESTION OF CARBOHYDRATES
what enzyme catalyses the breakdown of starch
amylase is the digestive enzyme that catalyses the breakdown of starch
DIGESTION OF CARBOHYDRATES
what is starch made of
starch is a mixture of 2 polysaccharides, each made from long chains of alpha glucose molecules
DIGESTION OF CARBOHYDRATES
how does amylase work
amylase works by catalysing hydrolysis reactions that break the glycosidic bonds in starch to produce maltose (disaccharide)
DIGESTION OF CARBOHYDRATES
where is amylase produced
amylase is produced by the salivary glands and the pancreas
DIGESTION OF CARBOHYDRATES
as a result of where amylase is produced, where is it released into
- the mouth
- the small intestine
DIGESTION OF CARBOHYDRATES
what are membrane-bound disaccharides
membrane bound disaccharides are enzymes that are attached to the cell membranes of epithelial cells lining the ileum (final part of small intestine)
DIGESTION OF CARBOHYDRATES
what do membrane-bound disaccharides help to do
they help to break down disaccharides into monosaccharides (involves hydrolysis of glycosidic bonds)
DIGESTION OF CARBOHYDRATES
examples of membrane bound disaccharides
- sucrase
- maltase
- lactase
DIGESTION OF CARBOHYDRATES
disaccharide sucrose
sucrose (disaccharide) is broken down by sucrase into glucose and fructose (monosaccharides)
DIGESTION OF CARBOHYDRATES
disaccharide maltose
maltose (disaccharide) is broken down by maltase into glucose and glucose (monosaccharides)
DIGESTION OF CARBOHYDRATES
disaccharide lactose
lactose (disaccharide) is broken down by lactase into glucose and galactose (monosaccharides)
DIGESTION OF CARBOHYDRATES
what happens to the monosaccharides
monosaccharides can be transported across the epithelial cell membranes in the ileum via specific transporter proteins
DIGESTION OF LIPIDS
what enzyme catalyses the breakdown of lipids
lipase enzymes catalyse the breakdown of lipids
DIGESTION OF LIPIDS
what are lipids broken down into
monoglycerides and fatty acids
DIGESTION OF LIPIDS
what does the breakdown of lipids involve
involves the hydrolysis of the ester bonds in lipids
DIGESTION OF LIPIDS
where is lipase made
lipases are mainly made in the pancreas
DIGESTION OF LIPIDS
where are lipases secreted
they are then secreted into the small intestine where they act
DIGESTION OF LIPIDS
what do bile salts do
bile salts emulsify lipids - cause the lipids to form small droplets
DIGESTION OF LIPIDS
what are bile salts produced by
bile salts are produced by the liver
DIGESTION OF LIPIDS
are bile salts enzymes
no
DIGESTION OF LIPIDS
how do bile salts affect surface area
several small lipid droplets have a bigger surface area than a single large droplet
DIGESTION OF LIPIDS
how does increased surface area as a result of bile salts give an advantage
formation of small droplets increases the surface area of lipid that’s available for lipases to work on
DIGESTION OF LIPIDS
micelles
once lipid has been broken down by lipase, the monoglycerides and fatty acids stick with the bile salts to form tiny structures called micelles
DIGESTION OF LIPIDS
what do micelles help do
micelles help the products of lipid digestion to be absorbed
DIGESTION OF PROTEINS
what are proteins broken down by
proteins are broken down by a combination of different peptidases
DIGESTION OF PROTEINS
what are peptidases
enzymes that catalyse the conversion of proteins into amino acids by hydrolysing the peptide bonds between amino acids
DIGESTION OF PROTEINS
what peptidases do you need to know about
endopeptidases and exopeptidases (including dipeptidases)
DIGESTION OF PROTEINS
what do endopeptidases do?
endopeptidases act to hydrolyse peptide bonds within a protein
DIGESTION OF PROTEINS
examples of endopeptidases synthesised in the pancreas
trypsin and chymotrypsin, synthesised in the pancreas and secreted into the small intestine
DIGESTION OF PROTEINS
example of endopeptidase released into the stomach
pepsin, released into the stomach by cells in the stomach lining
DIGESTION OF PROTEINS
what conditions does pepsin work in
pepsin only works in acidic conditions (HCl in the stomach)
DIGESTION OF PROTEINS
what do exopeptidases do
exopeptidases act to hydrolyse peptide bonds at the ends of protein molecules
DIGESTION OF PROTEINS
what do exopeptidases remove
they remove single amino acids from proteins
DIGESTION OF PROTEINS
what are dipeptidases
dipeptidases are exopeptidases that work specifically on dipeptides
DIGESTION OF PROTEINS
how do dipeptidases act
they act to separate the 2 amino acids that make up a dipeptide by hydrolysing the peptide bond between them
DIGESTION OF PROTEINS
where are dipeptidases often located
dipeptidases are often located in the cell-surface membrane of epithelial cells in the small intestine
what are the products of digestion absorbed across?
products of digestion are absorbed across the ileum epithelium into the bloodstream
ABSORBTION OF THE PRODUCTS OF DIGESTION: MONOSACCHARIDES
how is glucose absorbed
glucose is absorbed by active transport with sodium ions via a co-transporter protein
ABSORBTION OF THE PRODUCTS OF DIGESTION: MONOSACCHARIDES
how is galactose absorbed
galactose is absorbed in the same way as glucose using the same co transporter protein
ABSORBTION OF THE PRODUCTS OF DIGESTION: MONOSACCHARIDES
how is fructose absorbed
fructose is absorbed via facilitated diffusion through a different transporter protein
ABSORBTION OF THE PRODUCTS OF DIGESTION: MONOGLYCERIDES AND FATTY ACIDS
what do micelles help to do
micelles help to move monoglycerides and fatty acids towards the epithelium
ABSORBTION OF THE PRODUCTS OF DIGESTION: MONOGLYCERIDES AND FATTY ACIDS
what do micelles constantly do which allow monoglycerides and fatty acids to be absorbed
as micelles constantly break up and reform they can ‘release’ monoglycerides and fatty acids, allowing them to be absorbed
ABSORBTION OF THE PRODUCTS OF DIGESTION: MONOGLYCERIDES AND FATTY ACIDS
are whole micelles taken up across the epithelium
whole micelles are not taken up across the epithelium
ABSORBTION OF THE PRODUCTS OF DIGESTION: MONOGLYCERIDES AND FATTY ACIDS
what do monoglycerides/fatty acids diffuse across
monoglycerides and fatty acids are lipid soluble, so they can diffuse directly across the epithelial cell membrane
ABSORBTION OF THE PRODUCTS OF DIGESTION: AMINO ACIDS
how are amino acids absorbed
amino acids are absorbed via co-transport, in a similar way to glucose/galactose
ABSORBTION OF THE PRODUCTS OF DIGESTION:
sodium ions step 1
sodium ions are actively transported out of the ileum epithelial cells into the blood which creates a sodium ion concentration gradient
ABSORBTION OF THE PRODUCTS OF DIGESTION:
sodium ions step 2
sodium ions can then diffuse from the lumen of the ileum into the epithelial cells through sodium dependent transporter proteins, carrying the amino acids with them