Gastrointestinal Systems (Digestive Processes) Flashcards
Where are exocrine and endocrine secretions produced?
Exocrine secretions are produced by epithelial cells lining the GI tract and accessory organs.
Endocrine secretions are produced by endocrine organs/glands.
How do exocrine secretions prepare food for digestion?
By diluting it to the osmolarity of the plasma and altering the pH for optimal digestion
What cells secrete exocrine secretions?
Acini cells
What cells secrete endocrine secretions?
Pancreatic islet cells
What do acini cells secrete?
Exocrine secretions: Enzymes/fluid into the GI tract and out of the body
What do pancreatic islet cells release?
Hormones into the body
Does the pancreas produce exocrine or endocrine secretions?
Both
What is the main cation and anion in plasma?
Na+ and Cl-
What is the main cation and anion in salvia?
Na+ and HCO3-
What is the main cation and anion in the stomach?
Na+ and Cl- (there is no HCO3- in the stomach lumen only protective on GI wall in mucus)
What is the main cation and anion in the pancreas secretions?
Na+ and HCO3-
What is the main cation and anion in the liver and small intestine?
Na+ and Cl-
What secretions have the most acidic pH?
Stomach (all others are slightly alkaline 7.4-7.8)
What is the total volume of secretions in L/day?
8 (majority being from plasma and stomach)
What is the function of saliva?
Oral hygiene, aids in talking, aids in chewing and swallowing by mositening and dissolving food, assists in rendering food isosmotic, pH modulation and contains amylase for starch digestion.
Without saliva you would develop xerostomia which causes dental caries and orla lesions.
What does saliva contain that aids in starch digestion?
Amylase
What is the carrier in vape fluid?
Propylene glycol (PG)
What do the breakdown products of PG include and what is their effect on the mouth?
acetic acid, lactic acid and propionaldehyde which are all toxic to tooth enamel and soft tissue
PG is hygroscopic - what does this mean?
Means water moelcuels in saliva and oral tissue bind to the PG molecules leading to the tissues drying out = results in dry mouth (xerostomia) = less dilution of food from saliva.
What is xerostomia?
Dry mouth
What can a sample of saliva be used to analyse?
DNA
Cancer proteins
Heart attack related proteins
Infection (HIV, COVID, Flu)
What are the three main pairs of salivary glands?
Parotid
Submandibular
Sublingual
*but there is also minor bucca glands in the mouth, pharynx and oesophagus.
What is the main fluid composition of parotid, submandibular and sublingual salivary glands?
Parotid is mainly serous fluid
Submandibular is mixed mucous and serous
Sublingual is mainly mucous rich fluid
What is the primary cite for secretion from salivary glands?
Acinus
What is the cite of modification in salivary glands?
Ducts
What does the isotonic NaCl solution and enzymes of serous acinar cells secretion contain?
Zymogen granules for exocytosis of enzymes
What do intercalated ducts drain from?
Acini
What drains into the mouth?
Striated ducts
What is the function of ducts?
Modification of primary secretions
E.g., Reabsorption of ions from primary fluid to dilute saliva to be more hypotonic
How much saliva is secreted per day?
1.5L
What is the basal rate of saliva secretion (mL.min)?
0.5 mL.min-1
What can increase the rate of saliva secretion 10-fold?
Stimulation
What is the composition of saliva?
Mucus
Digestive enzymes
NaCl/NaHCO3 solution (aka serous fluid)
What is serous fluid?
NaCl / NaHCO3 solution
Where is mucus secreted from?
Sublingual, submandibular and minor buccal glands.
What digestive enzymes are in saliva?
Amylase
Lingual lipase
Where is amylase secreted from?
Parotid gland
Where is lingual lipase secretd from?
Minor salivary glands of the tongue
Where is serous fluid primarily secreted from?
Parotid glands
Lesser extent submandibular
What type of solution is serous fluid?
Hypoosomotic solution of NaCl with slightly elevated K+ and HCO3-.
Is the composition of serous fluid fixed?
No - it varies with rate of secretion.
How do striated and execretory ducts modify fluid?
By the reabsorption of Na+ and Cl-
Striated and excretory duct reabsorption of Na+ and Cl- is without the movement of what?
Without the movement of water
What do ducts secrete a limited amount of?
K+ and HCO3-
What makes saliva always hypo-osmotic?
Na+ and Cl- concentration being less than plasma
K+ concentration being higher than plasma
HCO3- concentration being higher than plasma
Why does osmolarity increase as the rate of secretion increases?
Because there is less reabsorption
How does ion transport in the ducts change?
It doesn’t change - but flow rate does.
More secretion in acini = higher flow rate through the ducts
How does NaCl reabsoprtion change with high and low flow rate?
Low flow rates = greater NaCl reabsorption and more hypotonic saliva
High flow rates = less NaCl reabsorption and more isotonic
Draw the cellular model for secretion in the acini:
Na+/K+ ATPase and the a basolateral K+ channel generate a gradient for Na+ to enter the cell
Cl- uptake via basolateral NKCC1 increases intracellular Cl- above electrochemical equilibrium = secondary active transport (K+ against gradient)
Paracelluar Na+ movement is driven by Cl- and H2O by an osmotic gradient
CFTR allows Cl- to move across the apical membrane
What is the modifications to the cellular model that occur in the ducts enabling reabsorption?
Na+ enters via an apical Na+ channel (ENaC) and exits the basolateral membrane via Na+/K+ ATPase
K+ enters the basolateral membrane via Na+/K+ ATPase and exits via an apical K+ channel
HCO3- and H+ are made bby carbonic anhydrase. HCO3- exits the apical membrane in exchange for Cl- (Cl- recycled via CFTR). H+ exits the apical membrane in exchnage for Na+.
Beause this is a tight eppithelial, water cannot follow the ions / solutes so the solutions ebcomes hypotonic
What is saliva secreted in response to?
Thought of food
Approach of food
Food in the mouth
Things we associate with food
(Autonomic nervous system)
What two reflexes are potentially involved in the regulation of saliva secretion?
Unconditional reflex
Conditional reflex
What is the unconditional reflex of saliva secretion?
An autonomic repsonse due to sight, presence of food in the mouth and repsonse to taste receptors etc
What is the conditional reflex of salvia secretion?
A learned repsonse in which a previously neutral stimulus becomes associated with an unconditional stimulus
What stimulates intestinal Cl- secretion?
Secondary messengers: cAMP stimulation of CFTR activity and Ca2+ stimulation of K+ channel activity.
What ligands are involved in cAMP stimulation of CFTR activity?
VIP (ENS) and prostaglandins
How does Ca2+ stimulate K+ channel activity?
Increased driving force for NKCC and Cl- to exit via CFTR = transient secretoryt repsonse
What ligands are involved in Ca2+ stimualtion of K+ channel activity?
ACh (ENS) and histamine
Is the PSNS or SNS the primary pathway in the regulation of saliva secretion?
PSNS
What is the ionic compositon of saliva dependent on?
Flow rate through the ducts
What are the key components of gastric secretions?
Acid (HCL)
Pepsinogin (converted to pepsin)
Intrinsic factor
Mucus
What is the function of acid as a gastric secretion?
Protective role
Denatures proteins
Provides optimum pH for digestive enzymes in the stomach
Renders fluid isosmotic
What is the function of pepsin as a gastric secretion?
Protein digestion
What is the function of intrinsic factor as a gastric secretion?
Vitamin B12 absorption (DNA, RBC, Pernicious anemia)
What is the function of mucus as a gastric secretion?
Protection - protects against acid and mechanical forces in the stomach
Is the secretory roles of the stomach the same in all regions?
No - different regions of the stomach have different secretory roles.
What are the luminal secretions and function of the LES and cardia region of the stomach?
Mucus and HCO3- therefore protective role
*LES is part of the esophagus
What are the luminal secretions and functions of the fundus and body of the stomach?
Secretes everything so have majority of functions
What is the primary function of the antrum and pyloris of the stomach?
protection because it secretes mucus and HCO3-.
What is the site of acid secretion?
Gastric glands in the body of the stomach
What are the key cells in the stomach lumen?
Mucous cells
Parietal cells
ECL cells
Chief cells
Enteroendocrine cells
What do parietal cells secrete?
Acid and intrinsic factor
What does outflow from glands prevent?
Infection
What do chief cells secrete?
Pepsinogen
What do ECL cells secrete?
Histamine (hormone like function not the allergy repsonse)
What does the volume/composition of gastric secretions depend on?
Whether you are eating or fasting
Approx how much gastric secretions are there per day?
2-3 L
What is fasting?
The time between meals
Is there gastric secretions during fasting?
Yes - mostly by surface cells
What is the osmolarity of gastric secretions during feeding?
Isosmotic - HCl solution produced by parietal cells.
What is the approx final gastric secretion osmoalrity ?
200 mOsmol/L
Are parietal cells scereting at rest?
No
What is the tubulovesicular membrane?
Highly folded membrane within parietal cells that holds the components for acid secretion).
How does the structure of a parietal cell change from being at rest to active?
Disapperance of the tubulovescular system –> it is converted into an extensive intracellular cancliculi
Appearance of large apical microvilli
Increase in surface area of apical membrane
How much does the SA of parietal cells apical membrane increase from at rest to active form?
50-100 fold
What percentage of the protein in the tubulovesicular membrane is H+,K+ ATPase?
80%
What does the conversion of tubulovesicular membrane to canaliculiu allow for?
The insertion (via exocytosis) of the H+,K+ ATPase into the apical membrane - which is the primary active transport responsible for acid secretion.
What does the H+, K+ ATPase do?
It uses ATP to actively transport H+ out of the cell in exchange for K+ into the cell
What are the transport mechanisms in the un-stimulated parietal cell?
Na/K-ATPase (generates the membrane potential and mainatains K+ in cell above equilibrium)
K+ channel in basolateral membrane (recycles K+ and helps generate the membrane potential)
Na+/H+ and Cl-/HCO3- exchanger (pH homeostasis and maintenance of Cl- above equilibirum due to minimum carbonic anhydrase activity).
= essentially there is low activity and not a huge driving force
What are the transport mechanisms in a stimulated parietal cell?
Additional of the H+/K+ ATPase in apical membrane to secrete H+ in exchange for K+.
K+ channel in apical membrane to recycle K+ ions in the lumen to maintain H+ secretion/
Carbonic anhydrase (produces H+ and HCO3- from CO2 and H2O).
Inactivity of the Na+/H+ exchanger in the basolateral membrane
H2O moving via paracellular pathway
What produces a layer of alkaline mucus that protects the stomach from abrasion and acid pH?
The mucus secreted by mucus neck cells in glands and surface cells (HCO3- rich)
What does intrinsic factor bind to and what is the effect?
vitamin B12 - allows for absroption in the ilium
What does histamine act as?
paracrine hormone
How is mucus and HCO3- mucins released from surface epithelial cells?
exocytosis
What is pepsinogin secreted from chief cells activated by?
HCl
What pH is pepsinogin most active?
1-2.5
What pH is pepsinogin inactiavted at?
6
What pH is pepsinogin irreversibly denatured at?
8
What is an endopeptidase?
Means it cuts protien in the middle as opposed to the ends
What hormone is classed as an endopeptidase?
Pepsinogin
What type of protein is intrinsic factor?
Glycoprotein
Why does intrinsic factor need to bind to Vitamin B12?
In order to be absorbed in the small intestine
What are the hormones/neurotransmitters involved in gastric acid secretions?
ACh
Gastrin
Histamine
Somatostatin
What are the three types of hormone signalling that occurs in the stomach?
Neurocrine = chemical signaling that is facilitated by the neurons or nerve cells
Endocrine = hormones travel in blood stream to target cell
Paracrine = signal from one cell to nearby cell
What cell siganlling method is used for ACh?
Neurocrine
ACh is a neurotransmitter
What is the cell signalling method used in the secretion of gastrin?
Endocrine
What is the cell signalling method used in the secretion of histamine?
Paracrine
What is ACh released from?
Postganglionic neurons of the ENS
Where is gastrin secreted from?
G cells located in the antral regions (lower)
Where is histamine secreted from?
ECL cells
What is somatostatin released from?
D-cells
What does somatostatin do?
Inhibits acid secretion