Gastrointestinal System Flashcards
What is the primary function of the GI system?
Bring nutrients into the internal environment so that they can be used.
What are specialised functions of the GI system?
Motility, secretion, digestion, absorption.
What are the accessory organs of the digestive system?
Teeth and tongue, salivary glands, liver, gallbladder and pancreas.
What are the major organs of the digestive tract?
Oral cavity, pharynx, oesophagus, stomach, small intestine and large intestine.
How is epithelia classified?
Shape, number of layers and specialisations.
Where is stratified squamous found?
Mouth/oral cavity and esophagus.
Where is simple columnar found?
Stomach, small and large intestine.
Where is stratified squamous found?
Anus.
What are goblet cells?
Columnar and goblet shaped cell found between columnar epithelium of the small intestine, full of mucous granules.
What are the two types of multicellular glands?
Simple and compound.
What are the four layers of the gut tube?
- Mucosa 2. Submucosa 3. Muscularis
- Adventitia
What are the layers of the mucosa?
Epithelium, lamina propria (FCT) and muscularis mucosae.
What does the submucosa contain?
Glands and blood vessels.
What does the muscularis consist of?
Smooth muscle. With two layers, the inner circular and outer longitudinal.
What does the adventitia consist of?
FCT
What is the peritoneum?
Serous membrane, consisting of a parietal layer (lines body wall) and visceral layer (lines the organs).
What is the mesentery?
Double layer of visceral peritoneum that connects organ to body wall.
What is the Omenta?
Double layer of visceral peritoneum that connects an organs to another organ.
What is the role of the mesentery?
Anchors organs in place.
Describe the mouth and oral cavity?
Where food is ingested. Requires stratified squamous epithelium for protection against abrasion. This is where digestion begins, hence why it contains enzymes. Food goes through fauces, into oropharynx, then into oesophagus.
What are the three pairs of salivary glands in the oral cavity?
Parotid, sublingual and submandibular.
What do Parotid glands secrete?
Serous fluid with amylase.
What do sublingual glands secrete?
Mucous only.
What do submandibular glands secrete?
Mucous and serous.
What is the total volume of salivary secretions per day?
1L
What type of cell secretes enzymes?
Acinar cells.
What do duct cells secrete?
Bicarbonate
What is the Esophagus?
Long tube thats located posterior to the trachea and extends from the pharynx to the stomach.
What is the role of the epiglottis?
Ensures that food enters the esophagus and not the trachea.
What gives the esophagus the capacity to expand?
Highly folded submucosa and mucosa.
How does the Esophagus change as you go down?
First third is skeletal muscle, middle third is a mix of skeletal and smooth and the last third is smooth muscle.
What do the esophagus need mucous for?
Lubrication and protection.
Does the esophagus have goblet cells?
No, instead has glands with ducts to surface.
Describe the stomach?
J shaped organ, located at the base of the esophagus.
What structure prevents reflux?
Lower esophageal sphincter (LES).
What are the four main regions of the stomach?
Cardia, fundus, body and pylorus.
What structure connects the stomach to the liver?
Lesser omentum.
What structure connects the stomach to the transverse colon?
Greater omentum.
What are the three layers of the gut tube?
Oblique, circular and longitudinal.
What are rugae?
Temporary folds that allow for the expansion of the stomach. Important for storage.
What are the cells of the gastric glands?
Parietal cells, G cells and Chief cells.
What is the role of parietal cells?
Secretes acid and intrinsic factor.
What is the role of G cells?
Secrete hormones (gastrin).
What is the role of chief cells?
Secrete pepsinogen (an active precursor of pepsin).
What makes chief cells special?
Chief cells produce enzymes and contain abundant rough endoplasmic reticulum, apical zymogen granules and a basal nucleus.
What makes Parietal cells special?
Parietal cells produce acid and have abundant mitochondria, central nucleus and a folded structure. They also pump H+ ions.
What is the role of the Pyloric Sphincter (PS)?
Controlled release of digested material (chyme) into the small intestine.
What is the pancreas?
Head in C-shaped duodenum, tail to spleen. Located posterior to the stomach.
What are the endocrine and exocrine functions of the GI system?
Endocrine: Pancreatic islet alpha cells secrete glucagon and islet beta cells secrete insulin.
Exocrine: Acinar cells secrete digestive enzymes and duct cells secrete bicarbonate.
What are the three main regions of the small intestine?
Duodenum, jejunum and ileum.
Whats delivered to the small intestine?
Acidic chyme, therefore is lined with epithelia, mucous secreting cells and duct cells to neutralise pH.
How is the small intestine modified for digestion and absorption?
Plicae circulares which slow the movement to increase time for absorption.
Villi which contains lymph lacteals for fat digestion and a capillary network for protein and carb digestion.
What are four ways to increase the small intestine surface area?
- Long tube.
- Plicae Circulares (permanent folds in the submucosa).
- Fold the mucosa to form villi.
- Fold plasma membrane to make microvilli.
Describe the microvilli brush border?
Contains glycoproteins involved in contact digestion in order to absorb nutrients and protect body from intestinal bacteria.
What type of junctions are between epithelial cells?
Tight junctions where only small molecules can diffuse.
What are enterocytes?
Absorptive cells.
What are goblet cells?
Secrete mucous for protection.
What do paneth cells contain?
granules and antibacterial enzymes.
What is the role of endocrine cells?
Secrete hormones.
What are the three main parts of the large intestine?
Cecum, Colon and Rectum
What is the colon further divided up into?
Ascending, transverse, descending and sigmoid.
What is the role of the ileocecal valve?
Regulates the passage of material into the cecum.
What is the appendix?
Reserve of gut bacteria for storage in case of an emergency.
What are the gross structures of the large intestine?
Teniae Coli, Haustra and Omental appendices.
What is teniae coli?
Bands of longitudinal smooth muscle.
What is haustra?
Series of pouches in the wall of the colon. Puckers the intestine to help with expansion and elongation.