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digestion Flashcards

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Biology 101 flashcards
1
Q

Where does swallowed food enter?

A

Gastrointestinal tract (GI tract)

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2
Q

What is in the GI tract?

A

Esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine

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3
Q

What is the gut?

A

The portion of the GI tract running from the stomach to the anus

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4
Q

Where does digestion primarily take place?

A

In the Lumen of the gut

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5
Q

Along the way, secretions are added to ingested food by…

A

Secretory epithelial cells and accessory glandular organs (e.g. salivary glands, the liver, the gallbladder, and the pancreas)

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6
Q

What is the soupy mixture of food and secretions known as?

A

Chyme

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7
Q

What is the GI tract?

A

A long tube with muscular walls lined by secretory and transporting epithelium.

At intervals along the tract, rings of muscle function as sphincters to separate the tube into segments with distinct functions

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8
Q

What are the main digestive organs?

A

Oral cavity (mouth)

Pharynx (back of throat) and oesophagus (straight tube)

Stomach

Small intestine (duodenum, jejunum, ileum)

Large intestine (starts at caecum then goes to ascending colon, then transverse colon, descending colon, sigmoid colon)

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9
Q

What are the accessory digestive organs?

A

Do various things to help in process of digestion and absorption

  1. Teeth, tongue
  2. Salivary glands
  3. Peritoneum and Mesenteries (connective tissue that hold everything together)
  4. Liver (allows to detoxify and has own biliary system)
  5. gallbladder
  6. pancreas
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10
Q

Whats the general structure of the digestive tract

A
  1. Central point - lumen (highly variable diameter)
  2. surrounding lumen - mucosa (filled with loose connective tissue like lamina propria, muscularis mucosa)
  3. submucosa (majority of nerves, blood vessels, and glands are located here)
  4. Muscularis externa ( smooth muscle layer - two or three layers)
  5. Adventitia serosa (connective tissue, holds everything in place)
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11
Q

Mucosa

A

Epithelial lining

lymph vessels

lamina propria of loose connective tissues rich in blood

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12
Q

Submucosa

A

Dense connective tissues with blood and lymph vessels

specialized nerve plexi (e.g Meissner plexus)

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13
Q

Muscle (muscularis)

A

contains smooth muscle cells

Divides into 2 layers; internal (circular) and external (longitudinal) - could be 3 layers but it’ll complicate the system

Nerve plexi in this layer too (stimulates the muscles) - myenteric Auerbach’s plexus

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14
Q

Serosa (or adventitia)

A

Thin layer of loose connective tissue rich in blood and lymph vessels

Adipose and single squamous epithelium (mesothelium)

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15
Q

What is mastication

A

The manual breakdown of things in your mouth

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16
Q

salivary glands structure

A
  1. parotid gland (largest) - has serous cells (cell type that secretes a protein which helps break down carbohydrates)
  2. Submandibular gland - mucous (to help with lubrication) and serous
  3. Sublingual gland - mucous and serous

They all secrete saliva

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17
Q

What does saliva do?

A
  1. Begin digestion of starches/carbs
  2. keep mouth moist
  3. lubricates food
  4. helps prevent tooth decay
  5. controls bacterial flora of mouth
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18
Q

Oesophagus

A

Muscular tube (~25cm long in adult) that transports food and fluid from the pharynx through the throax and diaphragm to the stomach

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19
Q

What state is the lumen usually in in the oesophagus?

A

Usually collapsed except when swallowing food/liquid

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20
Q

What is at the lower part of the esophagus?

A

Cardiac gland
Provides rich source of mucous to provide a barrier between the acid and the lower part of the esophagus

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21
Q

Stomach structure

A

A distensible sac (highly flexible wall) that holds food while it is digested.

Acidifies food during digestion and contains mucous secreting cells to protect the mucosal surface.

Three layers of smooth muscle are found within the muscularis layer; inner oblique, middle circular, outer longitudinal layer

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22
Q

What are rugae?

A

Valleys and hills, a rough wall inside the stomach
help to increase surface area inside stomach

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23
Q

Where does stomach acid come from?

A

from Gastric glands in sub-mucosa.
The parietal cells in these gastric glands produce hydrochloric acid that gets funneled into the inside of the stomach.

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24
Q

Why do the walls of the small intestine have a huge absorptive surface area?

A

Due to microvilli; villi; plicae circularis (circular folds)

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25
Q

Small intestine: duodenum

A

Brunner’s glands (submucosa) - alkaline secretion to protect small intestine from stomach acid

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26
Q

Small intestine: Jejunum

A

More characteristic microvilli and villi. Absorption happens here.

Goblet cells - mucous secreting to get effective absorption

Paneth cells - antibacterial properties

Lacteals - lymphatic capillaries to digest fats

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27
Q

Small intestine: ileum

A

More lymphatic tissue (come in the form of Peyer’s patches)

Villi and microvilli present but are shorter because of transition into large intestine

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28
Q

Where can lipid breakdown happen?

A

Small intestine and liver

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29
Q

Where acn peptide breakdown happen?

A

Pancreas and small intestine

30
Q

Where can carbohydrate breakdown happen

A

Small intestine

31
Q

Large intestine functions

A

Functions to absorb fluid (water and electrolytes) to dry out chyme and create/store faeces

The mucosal lining is specialised to absorb water and electrolytes

32
Q

Large intestine structure

A

Mucosa; crypts of Lieberkuhn (lines the mucosa) and goblet cells BUT absence of villi (not specialised for absorption of nutrients)

Muscle; circular and longitudinal layer come together to form muscular layer. Nerve (meisnners) plexus found between the 2 muscle layers

Serosa (outer); Appendices epiploicae (fat patches that hang off, they’re like jewels of fat due to excess fat in system)

33
Q

Rectum and anal canal

A

“Rectum” - straight tube that directs faeces out of the body

Transitions from smooth muscle to skeletal muscle because of voluntary control

Junction between rectum and anal there are two sphincters (internal and external)

34
Q

Internal anal sphincter

A

Involuntary control because built of smooth muscle

35
Q

Is smooth muscle voluntary or involuntary, and where is it found?

A

Involuntary; found in digestive tract, blood vessel walls, uterus

36
Q

Is smooth muscle striated?

A

No, not organised in any way. It has one central nuclei (as opposed to skeletal muscle which has many)

37
Q

Does smooth muscle have sarcomeres and what does this mean?

A

No sarcomeres. It means they have to get their energy in different ways because of the poorly developed sarcoplasmic reticulum.

Instead of the sarcoplasmic reticulum, they have “dense bodies”

Has spindle shaped fibres

38
Q

Do smooth muscle contain gap junctions and what do these do?

A

Yes. For communicating with surrounding cells; transfer of ions across membrane

39
Q

Why is the smooth muscle ideal for the GI tract?

walls

A

Allows to be flexible with the wall to allow different diameters for chyme etc. to move forward

40
Q

How can the smooth muscle operate as one

A

Provides “syncytial” movement - when one cell is activated the next one is also activated

Rhythmically active

Fewer nerve endings are required in order to contract

41
Q

Types of contractions in the gut

A

Phasic contractions and Tonic contractions

42
Q

What is a phasic contraction in the gut?

A

Works in phases (e.g relaxation and contraction phase)

useful because don’t want to contract the entire GI tract at once.

Phasic contractions work to move bolus through.

Slow wave because don’t have to react quickly to do peristalsis.

43
Q

What is a tonic contraction in the gut?

A

Contracted for a long period of time (E.g sphincters)

44
Q

Motility in the digestive system

A

Motility moves chyme along the tract & mixes food (exposure to digestive enzymes)

45
Q

What is smooth muscle controlled by?

A

The nervous system and paracrine signals

46
Q

What is the order of food - faeces

A
  1. Food + saliva = bolus
  2. Bolus + acid = chyme
  3. Chyme > faeces
47
Q

Where does the enteric nervous system exist in the digestive system?

A

The GI tract. It doesn’t work in isolation (e.g. CNS input that can effect it). Digestion on its own is largely effected by autonomic nervous system and the enteric nervous system

47
Q

Patterns of contraction

A

Peristalsis (waves) - how we can move chyme throughout gut (2-25cm/sec)

Segmentation - helps to mix chyme in the gut (through contractions, no net forward movement)

Convolution - how small intestine opens up villial folds to increase surface area of absorption

Mass movement - Large intestine; includes mixing. Stores faeces in rectum. 3-4/day

48
Q

What does submucosal plexus do

A

> Known as meissner plexus
Give stimuli of pain to signal
myenteric plexus sits within muscular layers (box plexus). drives the motility

49
Q

Where do short reflexes originate from?

A

Originate in the ENS and in the absence of CNS control.

Respond to things happening in the gut

50
Q

What are cephalic reflexes?

A

Long reflexes that originate in the CNS

51
Q

What does the ENS respond to?

A

Higher centre inputs (long reflexes)

Hormonal inputs (e.g secretin, motilin)

52
Q

Gi secretions; whats the point, what do they do/help with

A

When released in lumen, theyre gunna react with bolus or chyme to help with digestion

Also released into the blood to signal.

53
Q

Gastric secretions; mucous cells, parietal cells, chief cells, D cells, G cells

A

Mucous cells provide both mucous for lubrication as well as alkaline bicarbonate (buffers gastric acid to prevent damage to epithelium)

Mucus also provides physical barrier between lumen and epithelium - tonic secretion; irritation of mucosa releases this.

Parietal cells secrete gastric acid (digest proteins) which activates pepsin and kills bacteria

Chief cells secrete pepsin which digests proteins. It also secretes gastric lipase which digests fats

D cells secrete somatostatin which inhibits gastric acid secretion

G cells secrete Gastrin which stimulates gastric acid secretion.

54
Q

Pancreas secretes……which is a….for an enzyme

A

Zymogen - precursor for an enzyme

Enzymes - pepsin and pepsinogen type enzymes

Bicarbonate

55
Q

Liver structure; vein and arteries and gall bladder

A

> Excretes harmful substances as bile

Hepatic artery brings oxygenated blood from tissues to the liver

Hepatic portal vein carries blood from GI tract from the spleen to the liver (could be deoxygenated or not. It’s going to liver to be detoxified).

Gall bladder is storage site for bile

> common bile duct carries bile from gall bladder to intestine (duodenum)

56
Q

What is bile

A

High in bile salt which helps digest lipids

Filled with detergents and pigments

Can be secreted directly into duodenum to allow digest lipids

57
Q

Where does Carbohydrate absorption happen? What does it require?

A

> in small intestine

> requires transporters to cross from lumen into blood

> All the sugars have their own transporters

58
Q

What is GLUT2?

A

a hexose transporter

59
Q

What is SGLT?

A

Sodium-glucose 2A symporter

transports 2 things

60
Q

What is GLUT5?

A

Fructose transporter

61
Q

How can protein digestion happen if it’s a full chain of amino acids?

endopeptidases

A

> Proteins are chains of amino acids

> Enzymes need to break the peptide bonds between the amino acids

> Does this by Endopeptidases (cleave the peptide bonds using pepsin, trypsin, chymotrypsin) and Exopeptidases (e.g aminopeptidase)

62
Q

What is an endopeptidase?

A

Digests internal bonds between amino acids within long protein structure.

Breaking things into smaller peptides

63
Q

What is an exopeptidase?

A

Cleaving things into much smaller structures (e.g cleaving into amino acids and small peptides).

Digest terminal peptide bonds to release amino acids

64
Q

Protein absorption and how are they transported

Amino acids, Di/tripeptides, small peptides

A

Depending on the size, there’s different strategies for protein absorption

amino acids: reliant on co-transportation of sodium

Di/Tri-peptides: H+ cotransport

Small peptides: Endo/exocytosis transcytosis across cell membrane

65
Q

Lipid digestion

A

Triglycerides are cleaves to mono/diacylglycerides and free fatty acids.

Cholesterol esters cleaves to AA’s and cholesterol

Phospholipids cleaved by phospholipase A to fatty acids

66
Q

Why are bile salts needed for lipid emulsification?

A

To reduce surface tension of lipids and make them easier to digest

67
Q

What do lacteals do

A

They are lymph vessels in the small intestine and absorb lipids

68
Q

Iron absorption

A

Iron comes in the form of Fe2+

Requires specific transporters to get it into the extracellular fluid or blood.

69
Q

Calcium absorption

A

Need ATP to move calcium through the channels. 3 sodium’s required to take a calcium out the channel

70
Q

How does sodium enter the cell? How about water and potassium?

A
  1. through sodium channels
  2. cotransport with chloride
  3. through protein pumps

whereas water and potassium movement is paracellular (taken up and absorbed by the walls of the cells)

cell bio physiology (10 decks)

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