Digestion Flashcards
Omnivore digestion is more similar to…
Carnivores
Give the types of herbivore
- Monogastric
- Ruminants
Microbial digestion in monogastric herbivores occurs…
In the distal section of the gastrointestinal canal
In the rabbit, microbial digestion primarily occurs in the…
Caecum
In the rabbit, microbial vitamins and proteins are not entirely lost, this is due to…
Pseudo-faeces intake
Which grouping is considered to have the highest level of evolution in terms of digestive physiology
Ruminants
Which composites of food are absorbed in the abomasum + small intestines of ruminants?
- Volatile fatty acids
- Proteins of microflora origin
Describe pseudocopraphagia
- At night
- Rabbits expel soft-faeces
- Faeces are then eaten
Microbial digestion in ruminants occurs in the…
Forestomachs
Microbial digestion in monogastric herbivores occurs in…
- Caecum
- Colon
Give the body length: Digestive canal ratio: Horse
1:12
Give the body length: Digestive canal ratio: Cattle
1:20
Give the body length: Digestive canal ratio: Pig
1:14
Give the body length: Digestive canal ratio: Dog
1:6
Give the capacity of the digestive tract in horse
211 L
Give the capacity of the digestive tract in cattle
356 L
Give the capacity of the digestive tract in pigs
27.5 L
Give the capacity of the digestive tract in dogs
7 L
The average length of the GI tract in Horse
30m
The average length of the GI tract in cattle
57m
The average length of the GI tract in pigs
23.5m
The average length of the GI tract in dogs
4.8m
Passage time in: Horse
1 Day
Passage time in: Cattle
1-2 days
Passage time in: Sheep
14-19 hours
Passage time in: Pig
11-13 hours
Peaking at 12-24 hours
Passage time in: Dog
12-15 hours
The point where the animal changes from milk to dry food
Ablactation
Volume of the rumen in the first 3 weeks of life
0.7L
The volume of the fundus in the first 3 weeks of life
1.5L
Rumen and reticulum originate from the…
Fundus (Next to the cardia)
Omasum originates from…
The terminal part of the fundus
How many phases of postnatal forestomach development are there?
3
Postnatal forestomachs development: Phase 1
- Ruminoreticulum doesn’t function
- Animal lives on mother’s milk
- Carbohydrate metabolism is similar to a monogastric animal
Postnatal forestomach development: Phase 2
- Early ruminous stadium
- From 3-8 weeks since birth
- Increased volume of rumen + reticulum
- Animal interested in rougher fodder
- Decreased blood glucose
- Volatile fatty acids increase
Postnatal forestomach development: Phase 3
- Forestomachs completely developed
- Rumen at largest volume
- Food enters rumen via the cardia
- Growth and thyroid gland hormones may play a role
Formation of the reticular groove is a result of…
- Reflex mechanism
- Stimulation of pharyngeal receptors:
- From milk
- From suckling mechanism
How can the reticular groove reflex be performed experimentally?
Copper-salt CuSO4 solution orally
Give the effect of curdled milk in the abomasum
- Antrum becomes slightly stretched
- Fundus region becomes relaxed (Vagovagal reflex)
- Antrum becomes relaxed by an adrenergic effect
- Inhibits motility of the abomasum
Enzymes in the digestive system are produced by…
- Accessory glands related to the alimentary canal
- Epithelial cells
Why is the catabolism of amylase practically negligible in newborn pigs?
- Its secretion is low
- Increasing with age and then decreasing after 2-3 weeks
Give the enzyme activity of lactase from birth
Give the enzyme activity of pepsin from birth
Why is pepsin at such low levels in the first 2 weeks from birth?
So as to not degrade the immunoglobulin content of the colostrum
Give the enzyme activity of trypsin from birth
Explain the prevalence of trypsin from birth
- Increased enzyme secretion from the pancreas
- Change in feedstuff components
Give the enzyme activity of chymotrypsin from birth
Explain the decrease in lactase activity from birth
Young require milk less and less in the transition from milk → solid food
How can immunity be transferred to offspring?
Via:
- Colostrum
- Fetal circulation
When would immunity by colostrum be found?
When the species has a multi-layered placenta
Maternal immunity is split into…
- Group I
- Group II
- Group III
Group I maternal immunity
- Primates + Rabbits
- Immunoglobulins (IgG) from the placenta reach the fetus
- Mothers milk:
- Low IgG
- High IgA
Group II maternal immunity
- Rodents, dog, cat
- Immunoglobulins from the placenta and colostrum
Group III maternal immunity
- Most domestic farm animals
- IgG immunoglobulins from the colostrum
- Immunoglobulins absorbed into the small intestine only within the first 2 hours of life
- Important that colostrum is supplied quickly after birth
How are immunoglobulins absorbed into the body in young?
- Specific cell structures
- Transport through enterocytes to the lymphatic pathways
Villi
Lymph node
Give the components of the small intestine wall
from inside to outside
- Mucosa
- Submucosa
- Stratum ciliare
- Stratum longitudinale
- Serosa
- Smooth muscle layer
Which layer of the intestinal wall contains lymph nodes
Submucosa (interstitial tissue)
Lymph nodes of the digestive tract take part in both…
Immune responses
- Local cellular
- Humoral
Location of lymphatic vessels in the villi
In the centre
What is shown?
Electric activity of gastrointestinal smooth muscle cells
Slow waves
Spike potential
Slow waves
Spikes
Depolarisation
Resting potential
Hyperpolarisation
Tonus contraction of the GI smooth muscle cells
The sum of the electric activity generated by the slow waves is known as the
Basic electrical rhythm
Basic electrical rhythm waves are not considered to be…
Action potentials
The value of potential changes formed in slow waves ranges between…
5-15mV
The frequency of slow waves along the GI tract fluctuates between which values?
3-12 waves per minute
Spike potential
Action potential of the gastrointestinal smooth muscle cells.
Give the steps towards spike potential stimulation?
- Resting potential becomes positive (due to slow waves)
- Hyperpolarisation reaches threshold level (40mV)
- Spike potential stimulation
The more the extent with which the potential overshoots 40 mV…
…the higher the frequency of the “onbuilt” spikes
The frequency of spike potential ranges between…
1-10 per second
Slow spike potentials are generated by…
Slow Ca2+ influx
Action potentials of nerve fibres are generated by…
Fast Na+ influx
Why are muscle contractions not generated by slow waves?
Slow waves → Na+ migration
Spike potentials → Ca2+ migration
Give the resting potential of the muscle cells
50-60mV
Depolarisation of the cell membrane can be initiated by which factors?
- Stretching of muscle cell
- Acetylcholine
- Parasympathomimetics
- GI hormones
Hyperpolarisation of the cell membrane can be initiated by…
- Adrenaline
- Noradrenaline
- GI hormones
What are the suspected reasons for tonus contraction on GI SM cells?
- GI Hormones
- The permanent influx of Ca2+ with no change in membrane potential
The nervous and hormonal system of the alimentary canal synchronises…
- Motor function
- Digestive function
- Absorptive function
The initial and terminal tract is under control by…
The CNS
The GI tract from the stomach to the rectum is under control by…
Local regulation
Influenced by the CNS
Amygdala + Prefrontal cortex
Hypothalamus
Lateral nucleus
Ventromedial nucleus
Brain stem
The mechanics of food intake
Give the physiological function of ventromedial nucleus stimulation/lesion
- Stimulation → Aphagia
- Lesion → Hyperphagia
Appetite
Hunger complex directing food selection
Give the theories of hunger
- Nutritional regulatory signals (Slow regulation)
- Effects arising from the gastrointestinal canal (Fast regulation)
Give the effects acting as nutritional regulatory signals
- Glucostatic effect
- Aminostatic effect
- Volatile fatty acid effect
Give the effects rising from the gastro-intestinal canal
- Gastric and intestinal filling
- Hormonal factors
Give the ‘other’ hunger theories
- Temperature
- Estrogens
- Volemia
- Density of population
- Hierarchy
- Night-day cycle
What can cause a decrease/stop of fodder intake in the rumen
A large amount of indigestible polypropylene fibres
Food intake is influenced by hormones by which mechanism?
By changing the glucose uptake of the hypothalamic cells
List the mediators which decrease food intake
- Serotonin
- Cholecystokinin
- Glucagon
- Somatostatin
- VIP
- Neurotensin
List the major endocrine factors that increase food intake
- Hypothalamic neuropeptide Y
- Opioid peptides
- GABA
- Dopamine
Give the effect of increasing/decreasing blood temperature on the digestive system
Stimulation/blocking of satiety centres
Increase of environmental temperature causes…
Decrease of food intake
High oestrogen causes…
Hunger decrease
Dehydration of the GI causes…
Decreased food uptake
Leptin is produced by…
Adipocytes
Function of leptin
Reduces food intake when enough reserves have already been formed
1
- Feed intake increases insulin secretion
- Increasing LPL
2
Decreasing HSL
3
Activity of adipose cells
- Triglyceride uptake increase
- Fat synthesis increase
- Adipocytes grow
4
Adipocyte growth
5
Adipocyte division
6
More leptin produced
7
- Leptin enters hypothalamus (via blood)
- Increases local GLP-1 production
8
- Depression of the effect of feed uptake
- NPY stimulation
9
- An increasing amount of adipose tissue signals back
- Decreased feed intake
The most probable factor inducing obesity is…
Insensitivity of the hypothalamus towards leptin
Although, the gastrointestinal nervous system works independently, what can influence its activity
- Sympathetic nervous system
- Parasympathetic nervous system
Extrinsic regulation
Increase in the tone of the sympathetic nervous system causes…
Inhibition of the intestinal tract
What are the ways noradrenaline affects the intestinal tract
- Hyperpolarises the smooth muscle
- Decreases RMP of enteral plexus
Inhibits the passing of intestinal content
Location of postganglionic parasympathetic nerve cells
Enteral plexus
The increase of parasympathetic tone causes…
- Hyperpolarisation of almost all enteral nerve cells
- Increasing GI activities
- Increasing motility and secretion
Afferent nerves of the stomach/intestine are stimulated by…
- Excitation of the mucous membrane
- Vigorous dilation of the intestines
- Presence of specific substances
What is shown?
The enteral nervous system
Longitudinal muscle tract
Circular muscle tract
Plexus myentericus
Plexus submucosus
Functioning of the enteral nervous system is known as…
Intrinsic regulation
Which neurotransmitter excites intrinsic neural regulation?
Acetylcholine
Which neurotransmitters inhibit intrinsic neural regulation?
- Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP)
- Opoid peptides
Efferent neurones are located in the…
Plexus myentericus
Increased activity of the plexus myentericus causes…
- Increase in tone contraction
- Raise the intensity and frequency of rhythmic contractions
- Increase the spreading speed of the stimulus
- Increase speed of peristaltic waves
What is found in the plexus submucosus?
Receptors and afferent fibres of the local reflex arcs
The function of the receptors and afferent fibres of the local reflex arcs
Regulation of peristaltic movements
Plexus submucous regulates…
- Local circulation
- Secretion of GI juices
- Absorption
- Submucosa muscles defining the haustrum
List the GI reflexes:
Intestines - prevertebral ganglion - intestines
- Gastric-colon reflex
- Colon-gastric reflex
- Colon-ileum reflex
List the GI reflexes:
- Intestines-spinal cord
- Brainstem-Intestines
- Reflexes influencing gastric functions
- Nociceptive reflexes
- Defecation reflex
Give the groups of reflexes regulating the GI canal
- Autonomous (intrinsic)
- Prevertebral sympathetic ganglia reflexes
- Spinal cord and brain stem reflexes
Gastric-colon reflex
Colon empties by the effect of the fullness of the stomach
Colon-gastric reflex
Termination of:
- Colon dilation
- Gastric motor activity
- Secretion
Colon-ileum reflex
Fullness of the colon inhibits the emptying of the ileum towards the colon
Nociceptive reflexes cause
Paresis of the GI tract
Defecation reflex
Vigorous contractions of the colon, rectum and abdominal muscles
The body’s largest endocrine gland
The GI canal
Endocrine cells of the GI canal are known as…
Amine precursor uptake and decarboxylation (APUD) cells
The function of APUD cells
Synthesis of peptides and amines that are transmitted by adequate stimulus
Effects of GI peptides
- Hormonal effect (mainly)
- Local effects
List the peptides released from nerve terminals in the GI canal
- Substance-P
- Somatostatin
- Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP)
- Endorphins
Give the hormone groups: By location of synthesis
- Sympathetic nervous system
- Parasympathetic nervous system
- Enteral nervous system
- APUD cells
Give the hormone groups: By action
- Paracrine
- Endocrine
- Gastrin
- Secretin
- CCK
- Pancreatic polypeptide
- GIP
- Motilin
- Enteroglucagon
Give the hormone groups: By chemical structure
- Gastrin (+CCK)
- Stimulate (Gastrin)
- Inhibit (CCK)
- Secretin, VIP, GIP, Enteroglucagon
- Inhibit
- Stimulate
The stimulating functions of gastrin
- Motility
- Intestinal mucosa growth
- Secrete:
- Gastric Juices
- Enzyme
- Pancreatic juice
The inhibiting functions of CCK
- Gastric emptying
- Gastric motility
List the hormones involved in gastric juice secretion
- Secretin
- VIP
- GIP
- Enteroglucagon
- Gastrin
Give the two basic movements found in the digestive canal
- Passing movement
- Mixing movement
Give the steps of the passing movement
- Dilation of the intestines
- Peristaltic contraction
- Receptive relaxation
Bolus
The content of the intestines
Describe ‘dilation of the intestines’
- Bolus influences stretch receptors
- Intestinal wall narrows orally
- Intestinal wall dilates aborally
Describe ‘peristaltic contraction’
- Serotoninergic interneurons excite
- Cholinergic motor neurons excite
- Circular muscle layer contracts before the bolus
Describe ‘receptive relaxation’
- Circular muscles released from inhibition
- Become inhibited towards progression
- Dilation formed, pressing intestinal content aborally
Mixing movements
- Segmentation of bolus
- Causes mingling
- Detaches the content
Describe the ‘own movements of the villi’
- Carried out by the muscle layer of their mucosa
- Secures direct contact between epithelium and intestinal content
What is the fundamental condition of optimal digestion?
- Intestinal canal lets food in proper timing to each of the digesting sections
- Mixing it properly with enzymes
Give the feeding habits of: Canine
- Quick ingestion
- Great amounts
Give the feeding habits of: Feline
- Regular eating
- Smaller portions
Give the feeding habits of: Equine
- Encircle rough food with their sensitive lips
- Food is then bitten off with their corner teeth
Give the feeding habits of: Ruminants
- Pull rough food into their mouth with their tongue twisted round it
- Press food between their lower incisor teeth and their upper edentate edge and tear
Give the feeding habits of: Swine
- Nuzzle up to the ground with their nose ring
- Using their extended lower lip, place food inside mouth
Bolus
Mechanical sensation
Brain Stem:
Reflex inhibition
Relaxation of the chewing muscles
Mouth opens
Stretching of the stretch receptors
Brain stem:
Stretch reflex
Contraction
Bolus: Next step
Mechanical sensation
Mechanical sensation: Next step
Reflex inhibition
Reflex inhibition: Next step
Relaxation of the chewing muscles
The mouth opens: Next step
Stretching of the stretch receptors
Stretching of the stretch receptors: Next step
Stretch reflex
Stretch reflex: next step
Contraction
Chewing in the case of an intact nervous system
- Initiated consensually by the cortex
- Controls reflex motions
What regulates the contraction and relaxation of the tongue and cheek muscles?
Afferent stimuli arising from the mechanoreceptors
What method is used to study the order of swallowing?
- Radioscopy
- Pressure conditions are examined with the balloon technique
Give the phases of swallowing
- Bolus: Oral cavity → Pharynx
- Bolus: Pharynx → Oesophagus
- Bolus is passed in the oesophagus
Describe step I of swallowing
- Tongue forms boluses
- Placed between the tongue and hard palate
Describe step 2 of swallowing
- Soft palate rises
- Dorsal opening of the nasopharynx closes
- Breathing inhibited
- Larynx rises, glottis closes
Describe step 3 of swallowing
- Pressure from tongue movements presses bolus into the pharynx
- Bolus presses epiglottis backwards
- Entrance to pharynx closes
Describe phase 4 of swallowing
- The pressure in the pharynx increases
- Pharyngoesophageal sphincter relaxes
- Pharyngoesophageal sphincter contracts tightly
- Bolus can no longer re-enter the pharynx
Describe step 5 of swallowing
- The pressure in the pharynx increases
- Pharyngoesophageal sphincter relaxes
- Pharyngoesophageal sphincter contracts tightly
- The bolus can no longer re-enter the pharynx
- Contraction of muscles in the oesophagus
Describe the final phase (III) of swallowing
- Peristaltic wave pushes bolus toward the stomach
- Pressure is larger in the sub-diaphragmatic region of the oesophagus than the stomach
- Bolus arrives at the cardia
- The tone of cardia decreases
- Peristaltic wave passes
- Cardia pressure doubles (Preventing regurgitation)
Give the motor tasks of the stomach
- Store ingested food until it’s passed to the duodenum
- Mixing food with gastric secretions to form the pulpy chyme
- Chyme passed to ileum in a proper rhythm to secure digestion + absorption
Proximal stomach
Distal stomach
Muscle elements in the stomach wall act as a…
Syncytium
Where are the areas of strongest and weakest gastric wall contraction
- Weakest = Fundus + Pylorus
- Strongest = Antrum
As the stomach fills, pressure…
- Doesn’t increase
- This is known as adaptive relaxation
- Independent from gastric innervation
- Accounted for by the law of laplace
Law of Laplace in relation to the stomach
- The increase of stomach content causes:
- The proportional increase in the stretching of the wall
Ptyalin digests for how long?
30 minutes
The content of the stomach after mingling is called…
Chyme
Which nerve reflexively decreases pressure in the stomach?
Vagus nerve
Law of Laplace formula
p = 2T/R
Describe the process of vomiting
- Repeated inhalation with a closed glottis
- Thoracic section of oesophagus fills with stomach content
- Up and down movements of stomach content
- Due to abd. pressure, stomach content moves orally
- Intrathoracic pressure repeatedly increases suddenly
- Stomach content pushed to the oral cavity
Step 1 of the stomach motions
- Circular retraction (rolling mixing tonic contraction)
- Moving food toward the antrum
Step 2 of the stomach motions
Circular contraction in the middle of the corpus
Step 3 of the stomach motions
- Peristalsis starts from the corpus
- Increases with the process of digestion
- Contraction rings become tighter
Step 4 of the stomach motions
- Chyme whirls through the contraction ring
- Then back towards the oral part of the stomach
- Mixing
- Increase in tone of proximal part presses chyme aborally
Step 5 of stomach motions
- The more diluted the gastric content, the more is pressed through into the intestines
- Dependent on pressure conditions
- Strengthened by the pre-pyloric activity of antrum
What directly controls the peristaltic and other contractions of the stomach?
- Plexus myentericus
- Plexus submucosus
The effect of gastrin on the motions of the stomach
- Gastrin facilitates gastric motility
- Facilitates:
- Physiological gastrooesophageal tone
- Amplitude and velocity of BER
Enterogastric reflex
- Decreases the motions of the stomach
- Decreases tone of the pylorus
- Increasing physicochemical effects in the duodenum
Enterogastrone affecting gastric motions
- The inhibitory effect on gastric motility
- Caused by hormones
- Caused by low pH/High lipid content of the duodenum
Secretin affecting gastric motions
- Inhibitory effect of gastric motility
- Produced in small intestines
- Due to low pH in the small intestines
- Opposite effect of gastrin
Cholecystokinin (CCK) is stimulated by
High lipid content
Give the movement types in the ileum
- Mingling movements
- Processing movements
Give the groups of ileum function
- Mingling action - degrading protein, lipid and carbohydrate
- Absorption of nutritive materials
- Forwarding content to the colon
Which evacuates bolus faster?
- Ileum
- Jejunum
Jejunum
What is the function of the mingling movements of the ileum?
- Increase the emulsification of content
- Achieve increased degree of contact with nutritive material
Which mingling movements are included in the ileum?
- Segmental movements
- Movements of the villi
Movements of the villi
- Muscle fibres pull the villi toward their basal part
- The content of lymphatic and blood vessels are pumped in their drainage vessels
- Responsible by the hormone villiquinine
What causes the release of villiquinine?
HCl
What are the types of ilial-peristalsis?
- Slow peristalsis
- Accession peristalsis
Speed of slow peristalsis
0.5-2 cm/sec
Speed of accession peristalsis
10 cm/sec
What is the primary role of the ileocaecal valve?
Prevention of regurgitation of colon contents
How does the ileocaecal valve prevent content moving orally?
By gently contracting the ileocaecal sphincter
What secondary role occurs due to the ileocaecal valve?
- Chyme remains longer in the ileum
- Greater absorption in the ileum
The ileocaecal sphincter opens simultaneously to…
The filling of the stomach
(Gastroilial reflex)
The gastroilial reflex allows…
Makes possible the quick passing of the piled up ilial conten towrd the colon
- Secured by:
- Enteral reflex
- Effect of gastrin
Intestinal movements are regulated by…
- BER
- Nervous control
- Reflexes
Nervous control of bowel movements
Influenced by
- Sympathetic splanchnic nerve (Inhibition)
- Parasympathetic vagus nerve (Excitation)
Give the primary pacemaker activity in the duodenum for dogs
17-18/minute
Give the primary pacemaker activity in the duodenum for horses
14-15/minute
During ileogastric reflex, the ilial contraction…
Lowers gastric motility
Gastrointestinal reflex
- Stomach activity ↑ → Ileum activity ↑
- Therefore chyme passes through the ileocaecal sphincter speeds up
Give the roles of the colon
- Microbial digestion
- Water + electrolyte reabsorption
Give the pathway of bolus in the colon in ruminants
- Small intestine
- Colon
- Retrograde flow
- Colon
Retrograde flow
- Some content of the colon returns to the caecum for microbial digestion
- This slows down the flow intestinal content
Give the pathway of bolus in the colon in horse
- Basal part of caecum
- Cupola of caecum
- Caecum presses part of the content to colon
Type-I contraction in the horse
- Small intestine content pressed into the basal part and cupola of the caecum
- Cupola becomes segregated, part of it’s content is pressed into the colon
Type-II contraction in the horse
- Gas removal
- Contraction of the basal caecum presses gasses into the cupola, dilating it
- The liquid content of the cupola sinks
- Gases enter the colon
Type-III contraction in horse
- Constant contraction appearing in haustra
- Creates continuous mixing which contracts during peristalsis
- Inhibits the passing of intestinal content
- Backward whirling is formed
Movement of colon content is faster in…
Carnivores
- Caused by aboral mass-peristalsis
The tone of the intestinal wall…aborally…
Decreases
Give the main activity of the rectum
Regulation of the storage and evacuation of the faeces
In few species such as dog, voluntary defecation is under the what control?
Hypothalmic and cortical control
What forms the internal sphincter muscle?
- Thickening of the circular muscles in the rectum
- Smooth muscle
What forms the external sphincter muscle?
- Striped-striated muscle
- Circularly thickened part of the perineum
Sympathetic innervation of the rectum arises from…
L1-L3
The effect of efferent stimuli on the rectum
- Relaxation of the muscle wall of the rectum
- Raise the tone of the inner sphincter
- Relaxation of the inner sphincter
- Increased peristalsis in the colon
Parasympathetic innervation of the rectum arises from the…
Sacral segments
The outer sphincter is innervated by…
Motor fibres from the brain cortex
Under physiological conditions:
- The rectum is…
- Faeces are stored in the…
- The rectum is empty
- Faeces are stored in the colon
Faeces evacuation can be caused if…
15-20 Hgmm pressure is exerted on the wall of the rectum
Describe faeces entering the rectum
- Faeces evacuation reflex
- Receptors sensitive to rectal wall stretching
- Afferent nerves travel to S1-S4
Describe faeces evacuation reflex
- Increases contraction of the rectum + peristalsis
- Relaxes tone of the inner sphincter
- Longitudinal muscles contract
- Rectum shortens
- Faecal evacuation
Give the characteristics of the motions of the colon
- Slow waves
- Transmitters in the autonomic nervous system
- Stimulation from pacemaker areas
Slow waves of the colon
- Arise from the circular muscle layer
- Spread to the longitudinal fibres
- (Stomach - ileum)
Mediator effect of the autonomic nervous system is stronger than…
The slow waves of the colon
The stimuli from the pacemakers areas spread to…
Both directions
- Peristalsis
- Antiperistalsis
= Mixing
Aboral mass peristalsis is present in…
Dog and cat
Aboral mass peristalsis
- Secondary signal sequence produced by pacemaker cells
- AP is retained for a long time
- Generates an elongated and strong contraction of the circular muscle layer
- Causes evacuation of the majority of colic content
What are the functions of the secretory glands in the intestinal tract?
- Digestive enzyme secretion
- Mucin-rich fluid for chemical protection of mucosa
- Secretions contribute to the optimal pH for digestive enzymes
How many salivary glands are there in the oral mucosa?
3 pairs
- Parotid
- Mandibular
- Sublingual
Functions of saliva
- Digestion - initiation and maintenance of chewing
- Buffer capacity
- Protection
- Taste sensation
- Mouth hygiene
- Thermoregulation in carnivores