Gastro Flashcards
THE ALIMENTARY TRACT: GI segments
- Mouth
- Pharynx
- Esophagus
- Stomach
- Small Intestine
- Large Intestine
- Sphincters between segments
THE ALIMENTARY TRACT: Accessory organs
- Liver
- Gall bladder
- Pancreas
Functions of the Alimentary Tract
Provides the body with a continual supply of water, electrolytes, vitamins, and nutrients, by:
- Movement of food
- Secretion of digestive juices and digestion of the food
- Absorption of water, nutrients and digestive products
- Circulation of blood to carry away the absorbed substances
- Local, nervous, and hormonal control
Each part of the Alimentary Tract is adapted to its specific functions:
- Simple passage of food (esophagus)
- Temporary storage of food (stomach)
- digestion and absorption (small intestine)
LAYERS
- Serosa
- Longitudinal Muscle Layer
- Circular Muscle Layer
- Submucosa
- Mucosa
The motor functions of the gut are performed by the different
layers of smooth muscle.
Gastrointestinal smooth muscle function as a syncytium
• Within each bundle, muscle fibers are electrically connected with one another through gap junctions → low-resistance movement of ions
• Electrical signals that initiate contractions → travel readily
from one fiber to the next within each bundle but more
rapidly along the length of the bundle than sideways.
• Each bundle is partly separated from the next by loose connective tissue, but the muscle bundles fuse with one another at many points
Gastrointestinal smooth muscle function as a syncytium 2
• Each muscle layer represents a branching latticework of
smooth muscle bundles.
• Each muscle layer functions as a syncytium → when an action potential is elicited anywhere within the muscle mass, it generally travels in all directions in the muscle.
Electrical Activity of GI Smooth Muscle
Electrical Activity of GI Smooth Muscle • Excited by almost continual slow, intrinsic electrical activity along the membranes of the muscle fibers • SLOW WAVES • SPIKE POTENTIALS • TONIC CONTRACTIONS - Exhibited by some GI Smooth Muscles - No slow waves - Last minutes to hours
- NOT true action potentials; slow, undulating changes in the RMP
- Slowest: Stomach- Fastest: Small intestines
- Sodium entry
- Pacemaker: Interstial cells of Cajal
SLOW WAVES
- True action potentials
- Threshold: -40mV
- Sodium and calcium entry
SPIKE POTENTIALS
- Exhibited by some GI Smooth Muscles
- Not associated with the basic electrical rhythm of slow waves but often lasts several minutes to hours
- often increases or decreases in intensity but continues
TONIC CONTRACTIONS
Factors that depolarized the membrane (less negative; more excitable)
- stretching of muscle
- stimulation of acetylcholine released from the parasympathetic nerves
- stimulation by several specific GI hormones
Factors that make the membrane hyperpolarized (more negative; less excitable)
- stimulation of norepinephrine/epinephrine
2. stimulation of the sympathetic nerve (secrete norepinephrine at their endings)
MECHANISMS FOR TONIC CONTRACTIONS:
• Continuous Repetitive Spike Potentials → the greater the
frequency, the greater the degree of contraction
• Hormones → continuous partial depolarization of the smooth
muscle membrane without causing action potentials
• Continuous entry of Calcium (unclear mechanism)
- Local, independent neural control of the GI tract → especially important in controlling gastrointestinal movements and secretion.
- Can function independently of these extrinsic nerves
- But stimulation by the parasympathetic and sympathetic systems can greatly enhance or inhibit gastrointestinal functions
ENTERIC NERVOUS SYSTEM
NEURAL CONTROL OF GI TRACT
• Intrinsic Control - Enteric nervous system
- Myenteric (Auerbach’s) plexus
- Submucosal (Meissner’s) plexus
• Extrinsic Control - Autonomic nervous system
- Parasympathetic – mainly stimulates ACh
- Sympathetic – mainly inhibits NE
- an outer plexus lying between Inner Circular and Outer
Longitudinal layers - GI Movements
- Mainly excitatory except for Pyloric Sphincter and Ileocecal Valve, where relaxation occurs
MYENTERIC (AUERBACH’S) PLEXUS
- Submucosa
- GI secretions, absorption, contraction of submucosal
muscle
SUBMUCOSAL (MEISSNER’S) PLEXUS
• Consists mostly of a linear chain of many interconnecting
neurons that extends the entire length of the GI tract.
• Concerned mainly with controlling muscle activity along the length of the gut, because:
- It extends all the way along the intestinal wall
- It lies between the longitudinal and circular layers of intestinal smooth muscle.
MYENTERIC PLEXUS
• Not entirely excitatory, some of its neurons are inhibitory
• Fiber endings secrete an inhibitory transmitter, possibly
VASOACTIVE INTESTINAL POLYPEPTIDE or some other inhibitory peptide.
• Inhibitory signals affect intestinal sphincters impeding
movement of food along the GI tract:
- Pyloric sphincter – emptying of the stomach into the duodenum
- Sphincter of the ileocecal valve – emptying from the SI
into the cecum
MYENTERIC PLEXUS
Principal effects of Myenteric Plexus when stimulated:
- ↑ tonic contraction, or “tone,” of the gut wall
- ↑ intensity of the rhythmical contractions
- ↑ rate of the rhythm of contraction
- ↑ velocity of conduction of excitatory waves along the gut wall → more rapid movement of peristaltic waves
- Mainly concerned with controlling function within the inner wall of each minute segment of the intestine.
- Control local intestinal secretion, local absorption, and local contraction of the submucosal muscle that causes various degrees of infolding of the gastrointestinal mucosa.
SUBMUCOSAL PLEXUS
ENTERIC NEUROTRANSMITTERS
- Acetylcholine – most often excitatory
* Norepinephrine/Epinephrine – most often inhibitory
- Parasympathetic stimulation increases activity of the ENS
* Sympathetic stimulation usually inhibits GIT activity
AUTONOMIC CONTROL OF GIT
• Cranial parasympathetic nerve fibers are almost entirely in the VAGUS NERVE
- Esophagus, stomach, and pancreas; somewhat less to
the intestines down through the first half of the large
intestine
• Sacral parasympathetics (S2, S3, S4) pass through the PELVIC NERVES to the distal half of the large intestine and all the way to the anus.
- Sigmoidal, rectal, and anal
- Fibers function especially to execute the defecation
• Postganglionic neurons located mainly in the myenteric and submucosal plexuses
PARASYMPATHETIC CONTROL
• Sympathetic fibers to the GIT are from T5-L2
• Most of the preganglionic fibers that innervate the gut enter the sympathetic chains that lie lateral to the spinal column, and many of these fibers then pass on through the
chains to outlying ganglia such as to the celiac ganglion and various mesenteric ganglia
• Most of the postganglionic sympathetic neuron bodies are in these ganglia, and postganglionic fibers then spread through postganglionic sympathetic nerves to all parts of the gut.
• Nerve endings secrete mainly norepinephrine but also small amounts of epinephrine.
SYMPATHETIC CONTROL
Inhibits GIT activity causing many effects opposite to those of the parasympathetic system. it exert its effects in two ways:
- To a slight extent by direct effect of secreted norepinephrine to inhibit intestinal tract smooth muscle (except the mucosal muscle, which it excites)
- To a major extent by an inhibitory effect of norepinephrine on the neurons of the entire enteric nervous system.
• Many afferent sensory nerve fibers innervate the gut.
• Some of them have cell bodies in the ENS itself and in the
DRG of the spinal cord.
• Sensory stimuli:
- Irritation of the gut mucosa
- Excessive distention of the gut
- Presence of specific chemical substances
• Signals transmitted can cause excitation or, under other
conditions, inhibition of intestinal movements or intestinal
secretion
AFFERENT SENSORY INFORMATION FROM THE GUT
TYPES OF GASTROINTESTINAL REFLEXES
- Reflexes that are integrated entirely within the gut wall ENS
- Reflexes from the gut to the pre vertebral sympathetic ganglia and then back to the GIT
e. g. Gastrocolic, Enterogastric, Colonoileal Reflexes - Reflexes from the gut to the spinal cord or brain stem and then back to the GIT
- E.g. defecation reflexes
Reflex from stomach to cause colon evacuation
gastrocolic reflex
Reflex from colon and small intestine to inhibit gastric motility and secretion
enterogastric reflex
Reflex rom the colon to inhibit emptying of ileal contents into the colon
colonoileal reflex
TYPES OF GI TRACT MOVEMENTS
- Propulsive movements: cause food to move forward along the tract at an appropriate rate to accommodate digestion and absorption
- Mixing movements: keep the intestinal contents thoroughly mixed at all times
• Peristalsis: the basic propulsive movement of the gastrointestinal tract
• A contractile ring appears around the gut and then moves
forward; Any material in front of the contractile ring is moved forward
• Inherent property of many syncytial smooth muscle tubes
• Stimulation at any point in the gut can cause a contractile
ring to appear in the circular muscle, and this ring then
spreads along the gut tube.
• Other stimuli: chemical or physical irritation; parasympathetic signals
PROPULSIVE MOVEMENTS
- usual stimulus for intestinal peristalsis
- If a large amount of food collects at any point in the gut, stretching of the gut wall stimulates the ENS to contract the gut wall 2 to 3 cm behind this point, and a contractile ring appears that initiates a peristaltic movement.
Gut distention
Effectual peristalsis requires an active myenteric plexus
• Peristalsis occurs only weakly or not at all in any portion of
the GIT that has congenital absence of the myenteric plexus
• Depressed or completely blocked in the entire gut when
treated with atropine → paralysis of cholinergic nerve endings of the myenteric plexus.
• Myenteric reflex or peristaltic reflex
- Distention → GI segment excitation → peristalsis: starting
from orad going to anal direction → pushing the intestinal
contents in the anal direction
- Gut sometimes relaxes several cm downstream toward
the anus (receptive relaxation) ➔ allowing food to be
propelled more easily toward the anus than toward the
mouth.
- Complex pattern does not occur in the absence of the
myenteric plexus
• Peristaltic reflex + anal direction of movement of the peristalsis
THE LAW OF THE GUT
• Differ in different parts of the GIT
• In some areas, the peristaltic contractions themselves cause most of the this
• At other times, local intermittent constrictive contractions occur every few centimeters in the gut wall.
- These constrictions usually last only 5 to 30 seconds; then new constrictions occur at other points in the gut, thus “chopping” and “shearing” the contents first here and then there.
MIXING MOVEMENTS
- Requires active myenteric plexus
- Stimulus: Distention, irritation, parasympathetics
- Myenteric Reflex/Peristaltic Reflex: Muscles upstream
will exhibit contraction while muscles downstream will
exhibit “receptive relaxation” - LAW OF THE GUT: Myenteric Reflex + Anal Direction of
Peristalsis
Propulsive Movements/Peristalsis
- Local intermittent constrictive contractions every few centimeters
- Chopping and shearing of food
Mixing Movements
SPLANCHNIC CIRCULATION
- Blood from the gut, spleen and pancreas will go immediately to the liver via the PORTAL VEIN and leave via the HEPATIC VEIN into the SVC
- WATER-SOLUBLE NUTRIENTS - goes to the portal vein and liver
- FATS -not carried in the portal blood; goes to the lacteals and thoracic duct
• The time that food remains in each part of the GIT is critical for optimal processing and absorption of nutrients.
• Appropriate mixing must be provided.
• Nervous and hormonal mechanisms control the timing → optimal timing
- Because the requirements for mixing and propulsion are
quite different at each stage of processing
PROPULSION OF FOOD IN THE GI TRACT
HUNGER VS APPETITE
- Hunger - Intrinsic desire for food; Principal determinant of the amount of food that a person ingests
- Appetite - Principal determinant of the type of food that a person preferentially seeks
- Teeth designed for chewing Anterior teeth (incisors) → cutting Posterior teeth (molars) → grinding
- Mostly due to the CHEWING REFLEX
»Bolus of food in the mouth → inhibition of CN V → relaxation of jaw muscles → rebound contraction
»Automatically raises the jaw to cause closure of the
teeth, also compresses the bolus
»Chewing increases surface area of food
MASTICATION
Purpose of Chewing
o Breaks cells - breaks apart indigestible cellulose
o Increases surface area - decreases particle size
o Mixes food with saliva
o Begins digestion of starches (α-amylase, lingual lipase)
o Lubricates food for swallowing
- Complicated mechanism
- Pharynx subserves respiration and swallowing
- Pharynx is converted for only a few seconds at a time
into a tract for propulsion of food.
SWALLOWING (DEGLUTITION)
Swallowing can be divided into:
- Voluntary Stage - initiates the swallowing process
- Pharyngeal Stage - involuntary and constitutes passage of food through the pharynx into the esophagus
- Trachea Closed
- UES Relaxes
- Peristalsis Occurs - Esophageal Stage - involuntary; transport food from pharynx to stomach
Esophageal Stage (2 Types of Peristalsis)
o Primary Peristalsis continuation of the peristaltic
wave: pharynx → esophagus
o Secondary Peristalsis: due to distention of the
esophagus itself by the retained food
(NERVOUS CONTROL OF SWALLOWING)
- Sensory input from pharnyx and esophagus
- Coordinates activity from vagal nuclei with other centers
(e. g., inhibits respiratory center)
Swallowing Center - medulla
(NERVOUS CONTROL OF SWALLOWING)
- Food in pharynx → afferent sensory input via vagus/glossopharyngeal N. → swallowing center → brain stem nuclei → efferent input to pharynx
Pharyngeal Phase
(NERVOUS CONTROL OF SWALLOWING)
- Primary peristalsis
- Continuation of pharyngeal peristalsis
- Coordinated by swallowing center
- Cannot occur after vagotomy (striated muscle) - Secondary peristalsis
- Stretch related afferent sensory input to ENS and
swallowing center are both involved
- Can occur after vagotomy (SM)
Esophageal Phase
INGESTION OF FOOD
RECEPTIVE RELAXATION OF THE STOMACH
- Precedes peristaltic wave in the esophagus
- Accommodates incoming food
LOWER ESOPHAGEAL SPHINCTER
- Tonically Contracted (30mmHg)
- Prevents Reflux (along with valve-like mechanism of the esophagus)
- Exhibits receptive relaxation to food also
MOTOR FUNCTIONS OF THE STOMACH
- STORAGE OF FOOD - Up to 1.5 L
- MIXING OF FOOD WITH GASTRIC SECRETIONS
- Formation of Chyme
- Retropulsion also seen
- Hunger contractions cause Hunger Pangs, especially in young healthy people - SLOW EMPTYING OF CHYME
- Intense antral peristaltic contractions against the pylorus
promote gastric emptying
- Allows water easily
- does NOT allow food until chyme becomes almost
fluid-like
PYLORIC SPHINCTER
GASTRIC EMPTYING (Promoters and Inhibitors)
Promoters: Gastrin, stomach wall stretch(minor only)
Inhibitors: CCK, Enterogastric nervous feedback reflexes,
secretin and GIP
Small intestinal motility contributes to digestion and absorption by:
- Mixing chyme - with digestive enzymes and other secretions
- Circulation of chyme - to achieve optimal exposure to
mucosa - Propulsion of chyme - in an aboral direction
Two types of movements in small intestine following a meal
- Peristalsis - a propulsive movement; recall “Law of
Gut.” → 3-5 hours for food to go from pylorus to ileocecal
valve - Segmentation: a mixing movement
• Purpose: housekeeping function
- Sweeps undigested residue toward colon to maintain low
bacterial counts in upper intestine.
• Most coordinated, rapid peristalsis
• Occurs between meals
• Characteristics
- Periods of intense peristaltic contractions
- Takes ~90 min to go from stomach to colon
- Mediated by motilin and ENS
MIGRATING MOTILITY COMPLEXES (MMC)
• Functions as a valve and a sphincter
• Valvular function
- prevents backflow into small intestine mechanically
• Sphincter function
- regulates movement of ileal contents into large intestine
- ENS and extrinsic nerves
ILEOCECAL JUNCTION
• Functions of large intestine smooth muscle:
- Mixes chyme: enhances fluid / electrolyte absorption
(haustral contractions)
- Propels fecal material (mass movements)
• Very sluggish movement - 8-15 hours from ileocecal valve to the colon
• Chyme becomes Feces
• Proximal Half: Absorption of water
• Distal Half: Storage of feces
MOTILITY OF THE LARGE INTESTINES
- Purpose - Mixing movements facilitate fluid and electrolyte absorption (minimal propulsion)
- Structural and functional basis
- They appear and disappear every 30-60s
- Require contraction of longitudinal and circular SM
- Circular SM is concentrated in some areas
HAUSTRAL CONTRACTIONS
• Propulsive movements that occur from cecum to sigmoid
colon
• Initiated by Gastrocolic Reflex, Duodenocolic Reflex and irritation in the colon
• Stimulates desire for defecation - Prevented by Internal Anal Sphincter and External Anal Sphincter
MASS MOVEMENTS
(CONTROL OF DEFECATION)
- Mediated entirely by ENS is initiated when feces enters
rectum via mass movements - Rectal distention initiates afferent signals that spread through myenteric plexus to descending and sigmoid colon, and rectum.
- Causes contractions that force feces toward anus.
Intrinsic reflex
Internal anal sphincter relaxes and if external anal sphincter is voluntarily relaxed, __ occurs.
defecation
(CONTROL OF DEFECATION)
- Parasympathetic cord reflex greatly intensifies intrinsic reflex (but is not different qualitatively)
- Rectal distention also initiates cord reflex. Afferent signals go to sacral cord and then back to descending and
sigmoid colon, and rectum by way of parasympathetic fibers in pelvic nerves. - Sensory and motor fibers for defecation reflex.: S2, S3, S4
- Intact when spinal cord is injured at higher levels.
Spinal cord reflex
(CONTROL OF DEFECATION)
- Afferent signals entering spinal cord initiate other effects
that require intact spinal cord.
o Deep breath, closure of glottis, and increased abdominal
pressure (valsalva maneuver)
o All work to move fecal contents downward - Spinal transection or injury can make defecation a difficult
process
o Cord defecation reflex can be excited (either digitally
or with enema)
Involvement of higher centers
Reflex where there is stretch bowel, proximal contraction, distal relaxation.
Peristaltic Reflex
Reflex from duodenum to regulate gastric emptying
Enterogastric Reflex
(Reflex)
gastric distention relaxesileocecal sphincter
Gastroileal Reflex (gastroenteric)
overdistention or injury of bowel segment causes entire bowel to relax.
Intestino-intestinal Reflex
distention of stomach/duodenum initiates mass movements.
Gastro- and Duodenocolic Reflexes
rectal distention initiates defecation
Defecation Reflex (rectosphincteric)
Stimuli for: Protein, Distention, Nerve (Acid inhibit release)
Site of Secretion: G cells of the antrum, duodenum, and jejunum
Actions: Stimulates GASTRIC ACID SECRETION AND MUCOSAL GROWTH.
Gastrin
Stimuli for secretion: Protien, Fat, Acids
Site of Secretion: I cells of the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum
Actions:
- Stimulates pancreatic enzyme secretion, pancreatic bicarbonate secretion, gallbladder contraction, growth of exocrine pancreas
- Inhibits gastric emptying and appetite to prevent overeating
Cholecystokinin
Stimuli for secretion: Acid, Fat
Site of Secretion:S cells of the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum
Actions:
- Stimulates Pepsin secretion, Pancreatic bicarbonate secretion, Biliary bicarbonate secretion and Growth of exocrine pancreas
- Inhibits Gastric Acid secretion
Secretin
Stimuli for secretion: Protein, Fat, Carbohydrate
Site of Secretion: K cells of the duodenum and jejunum
Actions:
- Stimulate Insulin release
- Inhibits Gastric acid secretion
*slows the emptying of gastric contents into the duodenum when user intestine is overloaded with food products
Gastric inhibitory peptide (GIP) or Glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide
Stimuli for secretion: Fat, Acid, Neve
Site of Secretion: M cells of the duodenum and jejunum
Actions: Stimulates Gastric motility and Intestinal motility
Motilin
Motilin is released cyclically and stimulates waves of gastrointestinal motility called __ that move through the stomach and small intestine every 90 minutes in a fasted person.
interdigestive myoelectric complexes
Throughout the gastrointestinal tract, secretory glands subserve two primary functions:
- digestive enzymes are secreted in most areas of the alimentary tract, from the mouth to the distal end of the
ileum - mucous glands, from the mouth to the anus, provide mucus for lubrication and protection of all parts of the alimentary tract.
Anatomical Types of Glands
Single secretory cells - goblet cells
Pits – Crypts of Lieberkuhn
Tubular glands – oxyntic gland
Complex glands – salivary gland and pancreas
(stimulation of GIT)
Trophic stimulation – contact with food increases mucus secretion and juices
Local stimulation
Stimulation of enteric nervous system:
(1) tactile stimulation
(2) chemical irritation
(3) distention of gut wall
Autonomic stimulation of GIT: Parasympathetic
stimulates secretion via CN IX (glossopharyngeal) and CN X (vagus) (salivary, esophageal, gastric, pancreas, Brunner’s glands in the duodenum
pelvic parasympathetic nerves (distal portion of the large intestines)
Autonomic stimulation of GIT: Sympathetic
dual effect; sympa alone slightly increases secretion, superimposed on parasympathetic stimulation, decreases secretion (primarily via reduction of blood supply of glands)
Stimulation of GIT: Hormonal
GI hormones – polypeptides or polypeptide derivatives
Significant in the release of gastric and pancreatic secretion
Source: Gastric antrum (G cells)
Stimulus for secretion: Oligopeptides
Pathway of action: Endocrine
Targets: ECL cells and parietal cells of the gastric corpus
Effects: Stimulation of parietal cells to secrete H+ and ECL cells to secrete histamine
Gastrin