GI Flashcards
what constitutes the foregut
mouth to the common bile duct includes: pharynx, oesophagus, stomach and proximal half of the duodenum
what constitutes the midgut
common bile duct to 2/3 of the way across the transverse colon includes: distal half of the duodenum, jejunum, ileum, caecum, appendix, ascending colon and proximal 2/3 of transverse colon
what constitutes the hindgut
2/3 of the way along the transverse colon to the anal canal includes: distal 1/3 of the transverse colon, descending colon, sigmoid colon, rectum and the anal canal
what is the blood supply to the foregut?
celiac artery
what is the blood supply to the midgut?
superior mesenteric artery
what is the blood supply to the hindgut?
inferior mesenteric artery
what is embryonic folding
in the fourth week of development the trilaminar disc folds into a cylinder. it happens in the lateral plane and the medial plane. this results in two lateral body folds (horizontal folding) and cranial and caudal folds (medial folding)
endoderm gives rise to what in the primitive gut
i) epithelial lining of the digestive tract ii) hepatocytes of the liver iii) endocrine and exocrine of the pancreas
visceral mesoderm gives rise to what in the primitive gut?
i) muscle, connective tissue and peritoneal components of the wall of the gut ii) connective tissue of the glands
formation of the mouth
the cranial end of the gut tube ruptures at the end of the 4th week of development
what is the vitelline duct?
the midgut is connected to the yolk sac until the 5th week of development. as embryonic folding continues, the connection to the yolk sack narrows into a stalk called the vitelline duct
formation of the anus
the caudal end of the primitive gut tube remains closed by the cloacal membrane. this ruptures during the 7th week of development forming the anus
what are the pharyngeal arches?
- There are 5, 1,2,3,4 and 6 (no five in humans)
- formed by mesenchymal cells that are invaded by neural crest cells (forming clefts)
- they’re covered externally by endoderm and internally by ectoderm (forming pouches)
- each has
- nerve supply
- arterial supply
- venous supply
when do the pharyngeal arches develop?
4th and 5th week
1st pharyngeal arch
- innervation: mandibular nerve (V3)
- Muscles:
- muscles of mastication
- tensor tympani
- digastric
- myolohyoid
- Bones
- maxilla
- mandible
- incus
- malleus
2nd pharyngeal arch
- innervation: facial nerve
- muscles:
- facial expression
- stapedius
- stylohyoid
- bone:
- stapes
- styloid
- lesser horn of hyoid cartilage
3rd pharyngeal arch
- Innervation: glossopharyngeal (CN IX)
- Muscles: stylopharyngeus of the pharynx
- Bone: body and greater horn of the hyoid cartilage
4th pharyngeal arch
- innervation: superior laryngeal of the vagus
- Muscles: Cricothyroid
- Bone:
- thyroid cartilage
- epiglottic cartilage
6th pharyngeal arch
- Innervation: recurrent laryngeal nerve of vagus
- Mucles:
- All muscles of the larynx except for the cricothryoid
- Bone:
- Cricoid cartilage
- Arytenoid cartelage
- Corniculate and cuneiform cartilage
When and where do lung buds appear?
- at the end of the 4th week
- between the end of the pharynx and the beginning of the oesophagus
- at the ventral wall of the foregut
- they’re called respiratory diverticulum
development of the oesophagus
- after the lung buds have formed, a septum grows to divide the respiratory tract from the dorsal foregut
- at this point the ‘respiratory primordium’ is still part of the foregut
- but the foregut is now spit into
- ventral: respiratory primordium
- dorsal: oesophagus
Mesenteries and their development
- double layers of peritoneum that surround organs and connect them to the abdo wall
- if something is in contact with the posterior abdominal wall and only covered on its anterior side by mesentary then it is ‘retroperitoneal’
- e.g. kidneys
- by the 5th week, most of the gut is suspended from the posterior abdominal wall by dorsal mesentary
- dorsal mesentary extends form the lower part of the oesophagus to the cloacal region
initial development of the stomach
- appears as a spiral shaped dilation in the foregut in the 4th week
- is attached to the body walls by the dorsal and ventreal mesenteries
- left and right vagus nerve flank it
- dorsal wall grows faster than ventral wall
- creates greater and lesser curves
stomach development: 7th week
- stomach rotates 90° clockwise
- this creates a space behind the stomach called the lesser sack
- greater curve now faces left and lesser curve now faces right
- the right vagus is now posterior and left vagus is anterior
stomach development: 8th week
- stomach and duodenum rotate
- pulls pylorus of stomach up and pulls duodenum into a C shape
- dorsal mesentery (hanging from greater curvature of stomach) is now called greater omentum
- the ventral mesentery is attached to the liver and is now called the lesser omentum
greater and lesser sac
- lesser sac is the space behind the stomach
- greater sac is the space in front of the stomach (basically the rest of the peritoneal cavity
- they communicate through a small hole called the epiploic foramen which is a small hole behind the hilum of the liver
1st stage of swallowing
- voluntary
- tongue compresses food and pushes it towards oropharynx
2nd stage of swallowing
- involuntary
- nasopharynx blocked off by soft palate which tenses and elevates
- hyoid bone elevates, shortening and widening the pharynx
- swallowing centre inhibits respiration and closes the glottis
- epiglotis tilts back covering the glottis - prevents aspiration
3rd stage of swallowing
- involuntary
- constrictor muscles contract sequentially
- 3 overlapping muscles innervated by the vagus
- hyoid bone returns
the oesophagus
- skeletal muscle around the upper third of the oesophagus
- smooth muscle around the lower two thirds of the oesophagus
- the skeletal muscle ring around the oesophagus just below the pharynx is called the upper oesophageal sphincter
- smooth msucle ring around the oesophagus just before it enters the stomach is called the lowe oesophageal sphincter
how long does one oesophageal peristaltic wave take to reach the stomach?
nine seconds
Gagging (wig)
reflex elevation of the pharynx, often followed by vomiting,
caused by irritation of the oropharynx
reflex arc between CN IX and X
saliva
- lubricant for mastication
- contains alpha amylase for starch digestion
- also contains lipase to begin fat digestion
- daily secretion 0.8 - 1.5L
- pH maintained at about 7.4
- serous, mucus or mixed secretion
- serous: more liquid, more amylase for starch digestion
- mucus: more viscous for lubricaton
salivary glands position and secretion
- parotid = serous
- submandibular = mixed
- M for mandibular and M for mixed
- sublingual = mixed but mainly mucous
- submandibular and sublingual are continuously active
- parotid only becomes the main source of saliva when it is stimulated
oral cavity defence
- physical barrier of mucosa
- saliva washes away food particles that bacteria could live off
- palletine tonsils contain many immune cells
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what tissues are salivary glands made of
- two distinct epithelial tissues
- acinar cells
- acinus is the functional unit of the salivary glands
- ducts
serous acinus
- dark staining nuclei
- nucleus is in the basal third of the cell
- small central duct
- secretes water and alpha amylase
- mainly found in the parotid gland
mucous acinus
- pale staining and foamy
- nucleus at the base
- has a large central duct
- secretes mucous (which contains water and glycoproteins)
- found in the submandibular and sublingual glands
Parotid Gland
- entirely made of acini with ducts interspersed
- parotid duct crosses the masseter muscle
- it then pierces the buccinator muscle where it enters the oral cavity near the upper molars
- innervation:
- sympathetic (limits secretion): auriculo temporal nerve (branch of V3)
- Parasympathetic: glossopharyngeal
- structures that pass through it:
- external carotid
- retromandibular vein
- facial nerve
- this is why the parotid capsule is very tough
submandibular glands
- one larger superficial lobe
- one smaller deep lobe in the floor of the mouth
- duct begins in superficial lobe and empties into the oral cavity at the sublingual papillae
- has both serous and mucous acini
- innervation:
- sympathetic: lingual nerve branch of facial nerve
- parasympathetic: chorda tympani branch of facial nerve
sublingual glands
- more anterior to submandibular
- very small
- mixed serous and mucous acini
- innervation:
- sympathetic: lingual nerve branch of facial nerve
- parasympathetic: chorda tympani branch of facial nerve
- same as sub-mandibular
Xerostomia
- dry mouth
- if salivary output falls to less than 50% normal
- why it’s a problem:
- low lubrication so oral function becomes difficult
- low natural oral hygeine
- poor pH control (saliva is slightly alkaline)
- maybe opportunistic infections like thrush
salivary obstruction
- saliva contains calcium & phosphate ions that can form salivary caliculi
- most common in submandibular gland
- it blocks the duct where it bends round the mylohyoid
- or at the exit at the sublingual papillae
Functions of the stomach
- store and mix food
- digest food
- regulate emptying into the duodenum
- kill microbes
- secreate proteases
- secrete intrinsic factor (enables absorbtion of vit B12)
- activate proteases
Stomach cell types and their roles
- Mucous cells: produce mucous
- Parietal cells: produce gastric acid and intrinsic factor
- Chief cells: produce pepsinogen
- Enterochromaffin-like cells (ECL): release histamine
- G cells: release gastrin
- D cells: release somatostatin
stomach epithelium
- the epithelial layer invaginates into the mucosa to form many tubular glands
- the upper portion of the body of the stomach is thin walled and it secretes
- mucous
- HCL (from parietal cells)
- pepsinogen (from chief cells)
- the antrum of the stomach is more thick walled with smooth muscle and is responsible for mixing the stomach contents.
- the antrum secretes:
- almost no acid
- gastrin (from G cells)
Gastric acid secretion
- pH: 2
- ~2 L per day produced
- energy dependent
- in the cell H2O breaks down into OH- and H+
- CO2 and H2O in the cell form carbonic acid (H2CO3) via carbonic anhydrase
- H2CO3 spontaneously dissociates into HCO3- and H+
- Some of the H+ reacts with OH- to regenrate broken down H2O
- H+ also gets pumped into the stomach lumen by antiport H+/K+ ATPase pumps (active process) (1 K+ into cell for 1 H+ out)
- elsewhere K+ can diffuse in and out of the stomach via channels
- HCO3- is secreted into the capillary for the exchange of Cl- ions
- in the stomach the H+ and the Cl- form HCL
- can you draw the diagram?
what happens when the gastric acid secretion is regulated UP?
- proton pumps (H+/K+ ATPase) present in the membranes of intracellular vesicles migrate to the plasma membrane
- these vesicles fuse with the membrane
- this increases the number of proton pumps in the membrane
- this means more acid can be secreted
Cephalic Phase of stimulating gastric acid secretion
- parasympathetic
- initiated by the sight, smell, taste of food and chewing
- acetyl choline is released
- ACh acts on parietal cells
- this triggers the release of:
- Gastrin from the G cells in the pyloric antrum
- Histamine from the ECL cells
- these both increase the number of proton pumps on the PM
gastric phase of stimulating gastric acid secretion
- initiated by gastric distention and the presence of peptides and amino acids from food
- gastrin is released
- gastrin triggers the release of histamine
- both gastrin and histamine increase the numbers of proton pumps on the PM
Gastric phase of turning gastric acid secretion off
- low luminal pH inhibits gastrin secretion and thereby inhibits histamine release
- low luminal pH also stimulates somatostatin secretion
- somatostatin inhibits parietal cell activity
- NB protein in the stomach acts as a buffer causing increased pH production through decreased somatostatin release
Intestinal phase of turning off gastric acid secretion
- happens in the duodenum
- initiated by duodenal distention, low pH, the presence of amino acids & fatty acids
- triggers the release of locally produced enterogastrones such as secretin and CKK
- secretin inhibits gastrin release and promotes somatostatin release
- CCK causes the gall bladder to release bile produced by liver
- all enterogastrones trigger neural pathways that reduce ACh release
chemical factors that control gastric acid secretion
- controlled by the brain stomach and the duodenum
- 1 parasympathetic neurotransmitter: ACh (+)
- 1 hormone: gastrin (+)
- 2 paracrine factors: histamine (+) and somatostatin (-)
- 2 key enterogastones: secretin (-) and CKK (-)
bacterial cause of peptic ulcers
- an ulcer is a breach in the mucosal surface
- commonly caused by helicobacter pylori infection
- lives in the gastric mucus & secretes urease
- urease splits urea into CO2 and ammonia
- ammonia + H+ = ammonium
- ammonia is toxic to the mucosa and causes less mucous to be produced
- results in inflammatory response and less mucosal defence
- treat with proton pump inhibitor and antibiotics
drug cause of peptic ulcers
- NSAIDs inhibit both COX-1 and COX-2
- the COX enzymes synthesize prostaglandin
- prostaglandin stimulates mucous secretion
- therefore prolonged use of NSAIDs can cause reduced mucosal defence
- treat with prostaglandin analogues
how to synthetically reduce gastric acid secretion
- proton pump inhibitors
- block the H+/K+ ATPase pump
- e.g. omeprazole and lansoprazole
- H2 receptor agonists
- block histamine receptors thereby reducing acid secretion
protective mechanisms of gastric mucosa
- alkaline mucus on luminal surface
- tight junctions
- stem cells to replace damaged cells
Protease secretion
- chief cells produce pepsinogen (zymogen)
- so that it doesn’t digest the chief cells
- secretion parallels HCL secretion
- once secreted, the low pH of stomach causes pepsinogen is transformed into pepsin
- most efficient when pH <2
- the HCO3- released in the duodenum irreversibly inactivates pepsin
the stomach and protein digestion
- the stomach is non-essential for protein digestion
- it simply accelerates protein digestion
- accounts for 20% protein digestion
- breaks down collagen - meat shreds - greater SA
- however because parietal cells produce intrinsic factor, if the stomach is removed then no B12 can be absorbed
what is the volume of an empty stomach?
50ml
how much volume can the stomach accomodate without massively increasing luminal pressure?
1.5L
how does the stomach accomodate more space?
- receptive relaxation
- smooth muscles in the body and fundus relax
- afferent sensory information from the stomach is relayed to the brain by the vagus nerve
- efferent signals to relax are also relayed by the vagus nerve
Peristalsis
- begins in the body of the stomach
- most powerful contraction are in the antrum which cause the best mixing
- pyloric sphincter closes as peristaltic waves reach it
- this means only a little chyme enters the duodenum
- also means contents are forced back to antrum for more mixing
- 3 waves every minute
- pacemaker cells in the muscular propria (longitudinal smooth muscle layer)
- PM cells undergo slow depolarisation-repolarisation cycles
- gap junctions transmit depolarisations
- no significant contraction in an empty stomach