Gastrointestinal Flashcards
digestive organs:
* oesophagus
* stomach
* small intestine (SI)
* large intestine (LI)
accessory organs:
* pancreas
* liver
physiology of how digestion occurs
- motility - how food moves thru
- digestion
* digestion = chem breakdown by enzs
* absorption (once small enough units) - selective
* metabolism - what used for once in bloodstream
* egestion (defaecation)
stages digestion
- mechanical breakdown - prehension (food into mouth), mastication, motility
- chem breakdown - secretion, digestion
how do animals do prehension
tongue, lips, head movement
rough outline motility
move food gradually thru GI tract, absorb what want (once small enough), leave waste
which digestive process at each location
- teeth (mechanical)
- salivary glands - secretion
- stomach (motility, secretion)
- liver/gall bladder/pancreas - secretion
- SI - motility, digestion, absorption
- LI - motility, fermentation, absorption, egestion
what is secreted in saliva
mostly environ for enzs work - some species enzs asw (e.g. amylase) but often not there long enough
* plus mucous to lubricate food
egestion vs excretion
both getting rid waste substances
* egestion = allowing waste pass out
* excretion = removal once absorbed bloodstream
saliva types + where proded
- parotid = serous
- mandibular/buccal/sublingual = mucous + serous
- simple-stomached = mostly mucous, pH neutral
- complex-stomached = mainly serous for optimum fermentation, pH alkaline
serous vs mucous saliva
serous = more liquidy, balancing pH (ruminants more)
mucous for lubrication + conts amylase so for diets low starch (not ruminants)
why are digestive secretions reabsorbed
prevent dehydration
* not reabsorbed = diarrhoea
composition saliva
- mucin (+ water = mucous)
- amylase (omnivores + horses)
- bicarbonate - neutralisation + buffering
- phosphate (ruminants for alkaline)
- lysosome/antibodies reduce infection as food covered microbes
- prot-binding tannins (leaf + bud-eaters)
- urea (ruminants)
i.e. ions + pH appropriate action enzs, enzs + mucus
balance components depends diet + glands stimmed
saliva secretion non-ruminants in reference to blood
- primary secretion isotonic blood
- low flow (not eating) = hypotonic bc minerals reabsorbed blood
- high flow = remains isotonic bc no time + reabsorbs later
saliva secretion ruminants
always isotonic to blood - never time reabsorb bc E-low diet + constantly eating/digesting
* low flow rate saliva = PO4 predominates (mostly that)
* high flow rate = HCO3 predominates
how is salivary secretion regulated
under neural control ANS
* sympathetic = fight/flight = prod reduced
* parasymp = rest/digest = prod inc
reflex pathways salivary secretion types
- congenital = innate, from taste, afferent to salivary centre brain, efferent to salivary glands
- conditioned = learned, Pavlov, initiated cerebral cortex, then salivary centre in medulla oblongata
types motility movements digestion
- segmental contractions = mech breakdown
- peristaltic contractions
- anti-peristaltic contractions
- mass movement
peristaltic contractions =?
movement general aboral direction (away from mouth) at rate allow sufficient time digestion + absorption
how do segmental contractions work
mech breakdown at one place
anti-peristaltic contractions
movement food oral direction bc:
* slow transit digesta for sufficient digestion + absorption - longer in GI tract
* allow rumination
* protective - e.g. vomiting
what is mass movement
extended peristaltic contraction to empty sections GI tract + give space new food - e.g. colon for defaecation
* still aboral direction
how is motility regulated
chewing, swallowing, defaeaction (not horses) under voluntary control
intestinal contractions involuntary control (sm musc)
what causes chem breakdown
- secretion digestive juices
- salivary/liver/pancreas/stomach + intestinal wall glands
purpose mucus in digestive juices
- lubricate food
- protect mucosa from ulcerations - particularly stomach