Gastrointestinal: Physiology - Digestion and absorption Flashcards
What are the only types of polysaccharides digested in the human GI tract?
Starches
What is the most common type of dietary starch? What % of dietary starch does it constitute?
Amylopectin
Constitutes ~75% of dietary starch
Optimal pH for salivary a-amylase
6.7
Is salivary a-amylase active in the stomach?
Partially (despite the optimal pH being 6.7), due to active site being protected when in the presence of substrate
What enzymes act on ingested polysaccharides in the small intestine?
Salivary and pancreatic a-amylase
Three end-products of polysaccharide digestion by amylase
- Maltose (disaccharide: glucose + glucose)
- Maltotriose (trisaccharide: glucose + glucose + glucose)
- a-limit dextrins (glucose polymers with 8x glucose molecules on average)
How do amylases act on polysaccharides?
Hydrolyse internal 1:4a linkages
Spare 1:6a linkages and terminal 1:4a linkages
How are the oligosaccharide products of polysaccharide digestion further broken down in the small intestine?
By oligosaccharidases in the brush border of small intestinal epithelial cells
Three enzymes response for breakdown of maltotriose and maltose
- Maltase
- Sucrase
- Isomaltase
What types of linkages are hydrolysed by isomaltase?
1:6a
What enzymes hydrolyse the single glycoprotein chain into sucrase and isomaltase within the brush border of small intestine epithelial cells?
Pancreatic proteases
Structure of sucrose
Fructose + glucose
Structure of lactose
Galactose + glucose
Describe the pathophysiology of lactose intolerance
Intestinal lactase activity declines to low levels during childhood and adulthood
Inability to digest oligosaccharides (including lactose) causes bloating, diarrhoea and flatulence
The increased number of osmotically active oligosaccharide molecules within the intestinal lumen causes the volume of intestinal contents to increase -> bacteria break down oligosaccharides in the colon, further increasing the number of osmotically active particles -> CO2 and H2 gas are produced from disaccharide residues in the lower small intestine and colon
How common is lactose intolerance in northern and western Europeans vs other populations?
15% (70-100% in blacks, Native Americans, Asians and Mediterranean populations)
Where is the location of maximum absorption of hexoses in the human GI tract?
Proximal small intestine (all are removed before the remains of a meal reach the terminal ileum)
How are glucose and galactose absorbed from the intestinal lumen?
Via sodium-dependent glucose transport (SGLT-1)
What is the effect of Na+ concentration on glucose and galactose absorption in the small intestine?
Increased Na+ facilitates sugar influx, decreased Na+ inhibits
What is the difference in role/distribution of SGLT-1 vs SGLT-2?
SGLT-1: secondary active transport of glucose in GIT
SGLT-2: secondary active transport of glucose in renal tubules
How is glucose transported into the interstitium following its absorption from intestinal lumen into intestinal epithelial cells?
Via GLUT2
What is glucose/galactose malabsorption?
Syndrome caused by congenital defect in SGLT-1
Results in severe diarrhoea which may be fatal if glucose/galactose are not removed from the diet
Describe how fructose is absorbed
From intestinal lumen into epithelial cells via facilitated diffusion by GLUT5
Some fructose is converted to glucose within mucosal cells
Otherwise fructose is transported from epithelial cells into interstitium via GLUT2 (as for glucose and galactose)
What is the effect of phlorizin on glucose absorption in the small intestine (and reabsorption in the renal tubules)?
Depresses (acts as an inhibitor of SGLT-1 and SGLT-2)
What is the effect of insulin on intestinal transport of carbohydrates?
Little effect