Gastrointestinal Flashcards
Which are the retroperitoneal organs?
S- Suprarenal (adrenal glands)
A- Aorta + IVC
D- Duodenum (2nd and 3rd segments)
P- ancreas
U- ureters
C- Colon (Ascending and descending)
K- Kidneys
E- Esophagus
R- Rectum
Differences between the jejunum and ileum
The ileum has peyer’s patches
The jejunum has a thicker intestinal wall than the ileum
Jejunum has longer vasa recta than the ileum
The jejunum has less arcades than the ileum
Differences between the small and large intestine
Small intestine has villi. Large intestine doesn’t
Small intestine is narrower whilst the large intestine is wider
Large intestine has epiploic appendages.
Large intestine has haustrations
Small intestine has plicae circulares
Small intestine has peyer’s patches
What is the epithelial change caused by barrett’s esophagus?
Metaplasia occurs
Stratified squamous non keratinising epithelium to simple columnar epithelium
How much saliva is produced in a day?
800ml - 1500ml
What is the function of saliva?
Lubrication to aid in swallowing
Helps with mouth hygiene and to protect it against bacteria
Digestion - Amylase breaks down starch in the mouth
What type of salivary secretions do the 3 main salivary glands secrete?
Parotid- Serous secretions
Submandibular- Mixed (serous and mucous)
Sublingual- Mucous secretions
Which is the biggest/main continuously secreting salivary gland?
Submandibular
(Sublingual also continuous but is smaller. Parotid is not continuous, must be stimulated by cephalic phase)
What kind of saliva do the minor salivary glands secrete?
Mucous except for Von Ebner gland which is serous secreting
Difference between serous and mucous secretions of salivary glands
Serous - Contains water and alpha amylase
Mucous- Contains water and mucus
Serous- Histologically dark
Mucous- Histologically pale (mucus)
Serous- Has a small central duct
Mucous- Has a large central duct
What are the layers of the connective tissue/muscle of the intestines
Lumen, epithelium, Basement membrane, Lamina propria, Muscularis mucosa, submucosa, Inner circular layer (muscular propria), outer longitudinal layer (muscularis propria), adventitia/serosa
What are the plexus that arise from the enteric nervous sytem? Where are they located?
Submucosal plexus - located in submucosa
Myenteric plexus - Between the outer longitudinal and inner circular smooth muscle layers of the intestine
How does the layers of tissue and muscle in the stomach differ from that of the intestines?
Stomach has an innermost oblique layer, middle circular layer and outer longitudinal layer
How is the gastric mucosa protected?
- It (foveolar cells) produces alkaline mucus which acts as a buffer
- It has tight junctions between cells to prevent the entry of acid
- Stem cells at the base of gastric pits produce new cells to replace damaged cells
- Negative feedback loops which prevent the overproduction of HCl e.g. H+ stimulates somatostatin which in turn inhibits parietal cell activity
Which cell secretes pepsin?
NONE. Chief cells secrete pepsinogen which is converted to pepsin by HCl
What are the functions of the stomach?
- Storage and digestion of food
- Activates enzymes (pepsinogen –> pepsin)
- Secretes intrinsic factor which is required for absorption of vitamin B12
- Produces HCl which creates an acidic environment that kills microbes
What are the actions of the parietal cell?
- Carbonic anhydrase equation
HCO3- leaves the cell into the blood and is exchanged with Cl- via an anion exchanger. (basolateral- non lumen side) - The Cl- passively diffuses into the stomach lumen via an ion channel. (Cl- + H+ –> HCl)
H+ leaves the cell into the stomach lumen via a hydrogen potassium ATPase pump. K+ enters the parietal cell via this way.
K+ also passively diffuses back into the stomach lumen down its concentration gradient via an ion channel (to maintain electrical stability and neutrality)
In what proportion is gastric acid produced in the cephalic and gastric phase? Describe each phase
Cephalic - 1/3
Gastric- 2/3
Cephalic- The sight, smell, taste, thought and chewing of food stimulates the brain to stimulate the stomach via the vagus nerve, thus producing gastric acid before the food enters the stomach. Via the release of acetylcholine from parasympathetic nerve fibres.
Gastric- Gastric distension (detected by stretch receptors), presence of peptides and amino acids (proteins)
Stretching of the stomach wall results in stretch receptors stimulating the vagus nerve to release acetylcholine, thus triggering HCl production
Where is acetylcholine released from and what is its function in relation to digestion?
Acetylcholine- From vagus nerve via cephalic and gastric phases - thought, distension of stomach, etc
- Binds to parietal cells increasing upregulation of hydrogen pumps
- Binds to G cells increasing gastrin secretion
- Binds to D cells to inhibit somatostatin secretion
- Binds to enterochromaffin like cells to secrete histamine
- Binds to chief cells to promote release of pepsinogen
Where is gastrin released from and what is its function?
Gastrin- From G cells via acetylcholine
- Binds to parietal cells to increase upregulation of hydrogen pumps
- Binds to chief cells to cause vesicular fusion (via calcium) and release of pepsinogen via exocytosis.
- Binds to enterochromaffin like cells to cause the release of histamine
Where is Histamine released from and what is its function?
Histamine- From enterochromaffin like cells (mast cells) via acetylcholine and gastrin
- Binds to parietal cells to cause the upregulation of hydrogen pumps
Where is somatostatin released from and what is its function?
Somatostatin- From D cells when pH is low
- Binds to g cells to inhibit gastrin production
- Binds to parietal cells to inhibit hydrogen pumps
- Also inhibits TSH, cortisol and growth hormone
Where is secretin released from and what is its function?
Secretin- From S cells in the presence of fatty acids
- Binds to antral g cells to inhibit gastrin production
- Stimulates hepatocytes to convert cholesterol into bile which moves through the sphincter of oddi into the duodenum
- Binds to epithelial cells in the pancreas, stimulating them to secrete bicarbonate ions
Where is cholecystokinin released from and what is its function?
Cholecystokinin- From I cells in the presence of fatty acids and amino acids
- Binds to parietal cells to inhibit hydrogen pumps
- Can bind to receptors on the liver to enhance the action of secretin which stimulates bile synthesis
- Can bind to receptors on the gallbladder stimulating contraction
- Can bind to receptors on the sphincter of oddi, stimulating the relaxation of the sphincter
- Can bind to acinar cells in the pancreas to stimulate fusion of vesicle containing zymogens (inactive enzymes) with the cell membrane to be secreted into the duodenum.
- It can also delay gastric emptying by inhibiting the contraction of the pyloric sphincter
What are the enterogastrones released in the small intestine during the intestinal phase of digestion?
Secretin and cholecystokinin
What happens in the intestinal phase of digestion to decrease gastric acid production?
- Duodenal distension, low luminal pH (from acidic chyme) and presence of amino acids and fatty acids cause a decrease in gastric acid production.
- Fatty acids stimulate duodenal S cells to secrete secretin into the blood which inhibit G cells, thus inhibiting secretion of gastrin. S cells also promote somatostatin release (inhibiting G cells)
- The presence of fatty acids and amino acids also stimulate enteroendocrine I cells to secrete cholecystokinin which bind to parietal cells to inhibit the Hydrogen pump. (cholecystokinin also causes gallbladder contraction to stimulate bile release)
What are peptic ulcers? What is it caused by?
- An ulcer in breach in a mucosal surface (epithelium has been stripped away from a part of a tissue).
- It is caused by helicobacter pylori infection (lives in gastric mucus and leads to inflammatory response), - treat with proton pump inhibitors
- Drugs like NSAIDS (aspirin, ibuprofen)- affects synthesis of prostaglandins (inhibits Cox-1) which reduce gastric mucus production → essentially mucous secreting cells are stimulated by prostaglandins.
-Chemical irritants like alcohol
- Gastrinoma - neuroendocrine tumours that secrete gastrin with resultant excessive gastric acid production.
(caused by excess gastric acid production or decreased mucosal defense)
What are 2 drugs that can be used to reduce gastric acid secretion?
H+ inhibitors- omeprazole
H2 receptor antagonist- Ranitidine
At what pH will pepsinogen be activated? So what is activation regulated by?
Pepsinogen is converted to pepsin (active form) between pH 1.8 - 3.5. Best pH is less than 2.
Pepsin can also digest pepsinogen into pepsin in a positive feedback loop.
Pepsinogen activation is thus regulated by gastrin and pH
What is the function of pepsin? How many percent of protein digestion takes place in the stomach?
Pepsin can also digest pepsinogen into pepsin in a positive feedback loop.
Pepsin also breaks down proteins into peptides in the gastric lumen (with help from HCl) - 20% of protein digestion
Pepsin chemically shreds meat into smaller pieces with greater surface area for digestion
What is the process of gastric motility?
- Peristaltic waves in the gastric body (as a result of the enteric nervous system). There is weak contraction when the stomach is empty (otherwise waste of energy) but with more food and distension of the stomach, the strength of the contractions increase leading to mixing.
There is more powerful contraction in the gastric antrum (stronger it is, the further it travels down the stomach) and the pylorus closes as peristaltic waves reach it.
As the pylorus is closed, little chyme enters the duodenum and antral contents are forced back to the body of the stomach (mixing)
What is the frequency of peristaltic waves in the stomach and what is it determined by?
Pacemaker cells in the muscularis propria. Interstitial cells of cajal . (3 contractions/min) TAKE NOTE
- Located in the greater curvature of the stomach
The pacemaker cells are constantly but slowly depolarising and repolarising (cycle)
The signals (action potentials) are transmitted via gap junctions to adjacent smooth muscle cells
How is gastric emptying regulated?
Gastric contents in the duodenum (which lowers pH, increases fatty acids and increases amino acids, duodenal distension) cause an increase in secretion of enterogastrones such as secretin and cholecystokinin and also stimulates short and long neural reflexes.
Secretin, cholecystokinin and short neural reflexes via enteric neurons cause decreased gastric emptying (local response- enteric nervous system)
Long neural reflexes decrease parasympathetic
stimulation and increase sympathetic stimulation thus decrease gastric motility and emptying. (CNS response)
Why do we need to be able to control gastric emptying? What happens without being able to control it?
The stomach is much larger than the duodenum
Overfilling of the duodenum with a hypertonic solution (gastric contents- hypertonicity can draw a lot of water into the duodenum) can cause dumping syndrome which presents with vomiting, bloating, cramps, dizziness, sweating, diarrhoea
Duodenal overfilling will result in outpouring of fluid through the wall of the duodenum into the lumen.
What can enhance gastric motility and what is enhanced gastric motility?
An increase in the strength/frequency of contractions of the muscle of the stomach wall. (frequency helps to move food and other substances quickly through the digestive system and strength helps to break down food more efficiently)- strength is more important here.
Excitatory neurotransmitters and hormones like gastrin can enhance gastric motility
What can cause a decrease in gastric motility and what is decreased gastric motility?
Decreased gastric motility is when the contractions of the muscles of the stomach are weaker.
This is due to: duodenal distension, increased duodenal luminal fat, decreased duodenal luminal pH, increased sympathetic nervous system stimulation and decreased parasympathetic nervous system stimulation
What is the total amount of water in the GI over 24 hours?
How many percent is reabsorbed and where is it mostly reabsorbed?
9000ml per day
7000ml secreted (1000 intestines, 1500 saliva, 2500 stomach, bile 500, pancreas 1500)
2000ml ingested
98% of this is reabsorbed (8800ml - mostly in jejunum, followed by ileum then colon)
Just roughly know