Bio #9 Flashcards
what are the two types of digestion in the body?
intracellular digestion and extracellular digestion
intracellular digestion
part of metabolism, involves the oxidation of glucose and fatty acids for energy.
extracellular digestion
occurs within the lumen of the alimentary canal (runs from the mouth to the anus and is sectioned off by sphincters, circular smooth muscles around the canal that can contract to allow compartmentalization of function).
Technically outside the body
sphincters
circular smooth muscles around the canal that can contract to allow compartmentalization of function).
alimentary canal
runs from the mouth to the anus
what are the two roles of the human digestive tract?
digestion and absorption
digestion
involved the breakdown of food into its constituent organic molecules: starches and other carbohydrates into monosaccharides, lipids (fats) into free fatty acids and glycerol, and proteins into amino acids.
Mechanical digestion: the physical breakdown of large food particles into smaller food particles but does not involve breaking chemical bonds.
Chemical digestion: the enzymatic cleavage of chemical bonds, such as the peptide bonds of proteins or the glyosidic bonds of starches.
absorption
involves the transport of products of digestion from the digestive tract into the circulatory system for distribution to the body’s tissues and cells.
mechanical digestion
the physical breakdown of large food particles into smaller food particles but does not involve breaking chemical bonds.
chemical digestion
the enzymatic cleavage of chemical bonds, such as the peptide bonds of proteins or the glycosidic bonds of starches.
what are the steps of the digestive tract
o Begins with the oral cavity (mouth)
o Followed by the pharynx which is a shared pathway for food and air
o Food then enters the esophagus which transports it to the stomach.
o To small intestine and then large intestine.
o Waste products are stored in the rectum, until they are released.
what are the accessory organs to the digestive tract?
o Salivary glands
o Pancreas
o Liver
o Gallbladder
what is the enteric nervous system?
collection of neurons that govern the function of the GI system.
o Present in the walls of the digestive tract and trigger peristalsis, the rhythmic contractions of the gut tube, in order to move materials through the system.
o Can function independently of the brain and spinal cord but is influenced by the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.
Parasympathetic nervous system increases secretions from exocrine glands and promotes peristalsis.
ADH and aldosterone trigger ____
thirst
glucagon and ghrelin stimulate ____
hunger
leptin and cholecystokinin stimulate _____
satiety
the process of digestion spans ___
the oral cavity, esophagus, stomach, first part of the small intestine the duodenum
oral cavity has what types of digestion?
mechanical and chemical digestion
mechanical digestion in oral cavity
o Mechanical: teeth, tongue, and lips
Mastication: chewing
Increases the surface area to volume ratio of the food and reduces it in size so that it will not obstruct the beginning of the alimentary canal.
saliva ==> moistening food
mastication
chewing
chemical digestion in oral cavity
o Chemical digestion relies on the enzymes from saliva produced by the three pairs of salivary glands.
Saliva also aids mechanical digestion by moistening and lubricating the food.
Salivary glands are innervated by the parasympathetic NS when there is food in the oral cavity (also by sight and smell)
Saliva contains:
• Salivary amylase: hydrolyzes starch into smaller sugars (maltose and dextrins)
• Lipase: hydrolysis of lipids.
Does not occur for long because the food is swallowed
salivary glands are innervated by the _____
parasympathetic NS
saliva contains ______
salivary amylase and lipase
salivary amylase
hydrolyzes starch into smaller sugars (maltose and dextrins)
Salivary amylase in the mouth has a higher specificity for rapidly soluble starches,
lipase
hydrolysis of lipids
Salivary amylase in the ____ has a higher specificity for ____, while pancreatic amylase (____) has a higher specificity for ______ starches.
mouth, rapidly soluble starches
small intestine, less soluble, more nonpolar
bolus
formed by the tongue, forced into the pharynx and swallowed
pharynx
leads from the mouth and posterior nasal cavity to the esophagus.
o Can be divided into 3 parts:
Nasopharynx: behind the nasal cavity
Oropharynx: at the back of the mouth
Laryngopharynx: above the vocal cords
o Epiglottis: prevents food from entering the larynx.
epiglottis
prevents food from entering the larynx.
esophagus
: a muscular tube that connects the pharynx to the stomach.
o Top 1/3 is skeletal muscle, bottom is smooth muscle, and middle is a mix of both.
Top is under somatic control while the rest is autonomic control
peristalsis
rhythmic contraction of smooth muscle that propels food toward the stomach (or toward the mouth during vomiting?
what type of muscle is the esophagus made out of
o Top 1/3 is skeletal muscle, bottom is smooth muscle, and middle is a mix of both.
Top is under somatic control while the rest is autonomic control
emesis
vomiting (peristalsis toward the mouth rather than the stomach)
upper esophageal sphincter
o Swallowing is initiated in the muscles of the oropharynx
muscles of the oropharynx (at the back of the mouth)
lower esophageal sphincter
also known as cardiac sphincter
: near the stomach, opens to allow food into the stomach.
esophagus and digestion
No digestion occurs in the esophagus other than what was initiated in the mouth (very little)
the stomach is highly _____
acidic/muscular
what are the 4 main divisions of the stomach?
Can be divided into 4 main divisions: the fundus and body, which contain gastric glands, and the antrum and pylorus, which contain pyloric glands.
gastric glands
stomach
Gastric glands: respond to signals from the vagus nerve of the parasympathetic system, which is activated by the brain in response to sight, taste, and smell of food. Have 3 different cell types:
• Mucous cells: produce the bicarbonate-rich mucous that protects the muscular wall from the harshly acidic (pH=2) and proteolytic environment of the stomach.
• Chief cells: secrete pepsinogen which is the inactive, zymogen form of pepsin, a proteolytic enzyme. Hydrogen ions do the cleavage.
o Pepsin: cleaves peptide bonds near aromatic amino acid, resulting in shorter peptide fragments. Operate best at low pH
• Parietal cells: releases hydrochloric acid, produces hydrogen ions
o Secrete intrinsic factor, a glycoprotein involved in proper absorption of vitamin B12.
• Gastric juice: a combination of secretions from chief cells and parietal cells.
• The stomach kills most harmful bacteria and the acidic environment helps to denature proteins.
pyloric glands
stomach
contain G-cells that secrete gastrin, a peptide hormone.
• Gastrin: induces parietal cells to secrete more HCl and causes the stomach to contract which mixes the contents.
• Chyme: semifluid mixture in the stomach as a result of digesting solid foods.
gastric glands are activated by the ____
vagus nerve of the parasympathetic system, which is activated by the brain in response to sight, taste, and smell of food. Have 3 different cell types:
mucous cells
stomach
gastric glands
: produce the bicarbonate-rich mucous that protects the muscular wall from the harshly acidic (pH=2) and proteolytic environment of the stomach.
chief cells
stomach
secrete pepsinogen which is the inactive, zymogen form of pepsin, a proteolytic enzyme. Hydrogen ions do the cleavage.
o Pepsin: cleaves peptide bonds near aromatic amino acid, resulting in shorter peptide fragments. Operate best at low pH
parietal cells
stomach
releases hydrochloric acid, produces hydrogen ions
o Secrete intrinsic factor, a glycoprotein involved in proper absorption of vitamin B12.
gastric juice
stomach
a combination of secretions from chief cells and parietal cells.
what does the acidic environment of the stomach do?
• The stomach kills most harmful bacteria and the acidic environment helps to denature proteins.
gastrin
stomach
induces parietal cells to secrete more HCl and causes the stomach to contract which mixes the contents.
chyme
semifluid mixture in the stomach as a result of digesting solid foods.
discuss the shape of the stomach
o Lesser curvature: inner curvature
o Greater curvature: outer curvature.
o Rugae: the folds in the lining of the stomach.
duodenum
part of the small intestine (can be up to 7 meters long) and is involved in digestion
pyloric sphincter
food goes from stomach to small intestine (duodenum)
brush-border enzymes
disaccharidases and dipeptidases: present on the luminal surface of cells lining the duodenum and break down dimers and trimers of biomolecules into absorbable monomers.