GI and Respiratory Physl Flashcards
Functions of the GI tract?
Digestion
Absorption
Excretion
Host defense
Digestion
Physical breaking down of food consumed into absorbable nutrients for the body to use, through the use of GIT motility, pH changes, enzymes and detergents.
Absorbtion
Taking in nutrients consumed from the intestines to the blood of lymphatic system, for body to use.
Excretion
Removal of waste products that could not be absorbed by the body.
Host defense
GIT forms a barrier with outside environment and contains a highly developed immune system; GIT can inactivate harmful bacteria
Components of the GI tract
Mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small intestine (duodenum, jejenum, illeum), large intestine
Accessory organs
Pancrease, liver, gallbladder
GI tube structure
Top third of esophagus: skeletal muscle
Rest of GI tract: smooth muscle
Villi
Found in the intestinal tube
Project into the lumen
Below surface there is a crypt or invagination
Layers of the GIT
Mucosa
Submucosa
Muscaleris externa
Serosal layer
3 layers of the mucosa
Epithelium
Lamina propria
Muscalaris mucosa
Epithelium & its function
Layer of cells that lines all body cavities and surfaces
Function:
-selective uptake of nutrients, electrolytes, water
-prevent harmful substances from coming through
Apical surface
Faces the inside of the tube/lumen
Basolateral surface
Closest to the blood surface, away from the lumen
How is SA increased?
Presence of villi, microvilli, and crypts
Folds
Where do epithelial cells come from?
From stem cells within the crypt that differentiate into a variety of cells
2 pathways that chemicals use to cross the epitherlial layer?
Paracellular pathway
Transcellular pathway
Paracellular pathway
Chemicals move between cells across the tight junctions; only water and small ions can diffuse across
Transcellular pathway
Cross the cell by using transport proteins
Lamina propria
Consists of connective tissue, blood vessels, nerve fibers, lymphatic vessels, inflammatory cells
Muscularis mucosa
Thin layer of smooth muscle
May be involved in moving villi
Submucosa
Under mucosa layer
Contains blood vessels, lymphatic vessels, submucosal nerve plexus, connective tissue
Submucosal nerve plexus
Relays info to and from the mucosa
Influences secretion
Muscularis externa
Contains circular muscle, myenteric nerve plexus, longitudinal muscle
Circular muscle
Fibers are in a circular pattern to contract and relax in order to open/close the tube
Myenteric nerve plexus
Regulates the smooth muscle function of the GIT
Longitudinal muscle
Lengthens/shortens to control length of tube
Serosa
Connective tissue layer and forms connections between the intestine wall and abdominal wall
Portal circulation and its purpose?
Carries blood from intestinal tract to the liver
Important in removal of harmful substances, via the liver
Hepatic artery
Carries oxygenated blood from the heart to the GI organs and liver
Hepatic portal vein
Carries less oxygenated blood to the liver that has already been perfused by the GI tract organs
In series circulation vs in parallel
For in parallel, blood goes directly to the target organ, while in series, blood perfuses the organ/tissue after already perfusing a separate one prior to.
Liver predominantly has in series circulation, leading to blood high in nutrients but lower in oxygen.
What 2 factors regulate secretion and motility in the GI tract?
Volume and composition of what’s inside
Reflexes regulating secretion and motility in the GI tract are initiated by? (3)
- Distension of GI wall by volume of luminal contents
- Osmolarity of contents pH
- Concentration of specific contents like monosaccharides, fatty acids, peptides, amino acids
Reflexes are propogated by which receptors?
Mechanoreceptors- activated by pressure, stretch
Osmoreceptors- activated by change in osmolarity
Chemoreceptors- activated by chemicals
Enteric/intrinsic regulation
Occurs completely within the GI
Involves the myenteric and submucosal plexi.
Critical for involuntary functions like digestion
Can function independently of the CNS
Extrinsic regulation
Occurs outside the GI walls, in the ANS
Sympathetic GI responses
- small volume of thick saliva
- peristalsis and secretion inhibited
Parasympathetic GI responses
- large volume of watery saliva
- increases peristalsis and secretion
- stimulates bile release
Long reflex
Extrinsic pathway. CNS is stimulated by smell of food for example and eventually GI tract is stimulated to break down food.
Short reflex
Intrinsic pathway. Same response is geenrated in Gi tract without any input from CNS. Simply due to food consumption and receptors detecting it, causing a response.
4 types of chemical messenger regulation?
Endocrine
Neurocrine
Paracrine
Autocrine
Endocrine regulation
Hormone-secreting gland secretes a hormone into the blood, and then travels via blood to its target cells
Neurocrine regulation
Nerve cell produces an electrical signal which causes release of a NT that travels across a synapse to a post synaptic target cell (usually an effector, or nerve cell)
Paracrine regulation
Cell releases a paracrine substance which diffuses through ISF and acts on target cells nearby the release site.
Autocrine regulation
Cell releases autocrine substance which acts in the cell that released it
CCK is stimulated by?
Presence of fatty acids and amino acids
What doe CCK do?
Stimulated pancreas to increase digestive enzyme secretion, and stimulates gallbladder to contract in order to release bile acids for fat breakdown
Intestinal motility? How is it stimulated?
Causes contents to move along GI tract. Stimulated by contraction and relaxation of the 2 muscle layers
Peristalsis and how it works?
Main driving force for food moving down the GI tract.
Circular muscle contracts on oral side of bolus while longitudinal muscle relaxes, and vice versa.
Segmentation and its functions?
Contraction and relaxation of intestinal segments (little movement towards large intestine)
Allows mixing of contents
Causes delayed transit time, allowing more time to absorb nutrients
Pacemaker cells
Located in the smooth muscle of GIT and are constantly under spontaneous depolarization-repolarization cycles
Slow waves
Give the GIT the basic electrical rhythm
With an excitatory input, slow waves are depolarized over threshold and an action potential occurs leading to muscle contraction.
Frequency of contraction is dictated by?
Basic electrical rhythm
Force of contraction is dictated by?
Hormonal and neuronal input
3 phases of GI control?
Cephalic
Gastric
Intestinal
Cephalic phase and how its initiated? Reflexes?
Initiated by stimulation of receptors in the head through sight, smell, taste, chewing of food, emotional state.
Reflexes regulated by parasympathetic fibers that activate neurons in the neuronal plexuses.
Gastric phase and how its initiated? Reflexes?
Receptors in stomach are stimulated by stretching, distension, acidity, peptide, amino acids.
Short (gastrin) and long (ACH) neural reflexes.
Intestinal phase and how its initiated? Reflexes?
Receptors in intestine are stimulated by osmolarity, stretch, distention, digestive products.
Short and long neural reflexes and by CCK, secretin, GIP hormones.
Hypothalamus role
Maintains homeostasis
Command centre for neural and endocrine control coordination
Control of behaviour
Feeding centre? Lesion causes what?
Located in the lateral region of hypothalamus
Activation of this centre increases hunger
Lesion causes weight loss
Satiety centre? Lesion causes what?
Located in the ventromedial region of hypothalamus
Activation makes you feel full
Lesion causes weight gain by overeating
Orexigenic factors and examples
Increase appetite Neuropeptide Y (secreted by hypothalamus) Ghrelin (by stomach endocrine cells)
Anorexigenic factors and examples
Decrease appetite Leptin (by adipose tissue) Insulin (by pancreas) Peptide YY (by intestine) Melanocortin (by hypothalamus)
How does ghrelin work?
Secreted by endocrine cells of stomach when body is in fasting state. Ghrelin is released in blood and travels to hypothalamus to stimulate release of neuropeptide Y to try to increase food intake.
Lack of leptin results in?
No appetite regulation, obesity
What 3 factors stimulate the thirst centre?
- Increased plasma osmolarity
- Decreased plasma volume
- Dry mouth or throat
- Prevention of over hydration
Increased plasma osmolarity
Stimulates osmoreceptors and the release of vasopressin or ADH to conserve water at kidney
Decreased plasma volume
Decrease in blood volume and pressure stimulates baroreceptors and will alter sympathetic and parasympathetic outflow to increase arterial pressure to normal levels
Intrarenal baroreceptors
When blood pressure in kidneys decreases, baroreceptors are stimulated and acitvation of the renin-angiotensin system occurs. This system produces angiotensin II affects hypothalamus and has been shown to to increase thirst in animals.
3 main pairs of salivary glands?
Parotid
Submandibular
Sublingual
Composition of saliva
Hypotonic and slightly alkaline.
Made of water, electrolytes (potassium and bicarbonate), digestive enzymes (lipase, amylase), glycoproteins (mucin), antimicrobial factors (lysozyme, lactoferrin)
Lysozyme
Breaks down bacterial cell walls
Lactoferrin
Prevents multiplication of bacteria by chelating iron
Functions of saliva (6)
Moistens/lubricates food to make it easier to swallow
Initiates digestion with digestive enzymes
Allows small bit of food to dissolve through taste buds
Prevents microbial colonization due to antibacterial factors
Aids in speech
Buffer- neutralizes acidic food or acid reflux
3 cell types that make up salivary glands?
Acinar cells
Ductal cells
Myopithelial cells
Acinar cells
Secrete initial saliva
Ductal cells
Create the alkaline hypotonic nature of saliva
Myoepithelial cells
Contain characteristics of both epithelial cells and smooth muscle cells
Saliva movement
Moves from the acinus to striated duct via myoepithelial cells contracting the acinus end, moving contents towards striated duct.
Tight junctions of acinar cells vs ductal cells
Acinar cells have leaky tight junctions, allowing for passage of water and small ions while ductal cells do not allow water to pass
Why is the primary secretion of saliva isotonic?
Because there is no limit on how much water and sodium pass through the leaky acinar tight junctions.
Parasympathetic pathway for regulation of salivary gland function..how is it stimulated? How can it be inhibited?
Dominant regulatory pathway
Stimulated by smell/taste of food, or pressure receptors in mouth, or during nausea
Can be inhibited by tiredness, fear, fatigue
Sympathetic pathway for regulation of salivary gland function..how is it stimulated?
Minor pathway
Increases saliva flow
Increases protein secretion from acinar cells and stimulates myoepithelial cells to contract to increase flow
Amylase
Enzyme found in saliva that breaks down starch
Can only break alpha-1,4 linkages
Plant starch is made up of?
Glucose polymers amylose and amylopectin
Amylose
Straight chain of glucose polymers with alpha-1,4 linkages
Amylopectin
Chain of glucose polymers with both alpha-1.4 and 1,6 linkages
Breakdown of amylose creates?
Maltose and maltotriose
Breakdown of amylopectin creates?
Maltose, maltotriose, and alpha limit dextrin due to the alpha 1,6-linkages not being broken
Lingual lipase
Breaks down fats , can remain active in stomach
When are amylase and lingual lipase especially important?
When there are conditions of reduced pancreatic activity (digestive enzyme secretion)
Xerostomia
Dry mouth
Conditions where saliva secretion is impaired?
Congenital
Schogrens disease- Autoimmune dieases where immune system attacks salivary glands
Drug side effects
Radiation therapy
Consequences of salivary gland impairment?
Decreased oral pH Tooth decay Dry mouth Esophageal erosions due to no saliva being able to neutralize stomach acid coming up esophagus Difficulty chewing/swallowing food
Treatment for impaired salivary production?
Frequent sips of water
Fluoride treatment for bacteria
How is swallowing initiated?
Pressure receptors in the pharynx stimulated by presence of food or liquid entering pharynx
Pharynx
Tube at the back of esophagus common to food and air
Larynx
Between pharynx and trachea containing vocal chords; voicebox
Glottis
Area in larynx around vocal chords where air can pass
Epiglottis
Cartilage flap that closes to prevent food from entering lungs
Process of swallowing
Chew food
Food moves to back of throat
Soft palette elevates to prevent food from going up nose
Respiration inhibited by impulses from swallowing centre
Larynx raised, epiglottis closes and covers trachea
Food enters esophagus
Esophagus anatomy
Mucus is secreted
Stratified squamous epithelium
Stratified vs squamous
Stratified= in layers Squamous= flattened
Upper esophageal sphinctor
Ring of sketal muscle located below the pharynx
Lower esophageal sphinctor
Ring of smooth muscle located where the esophagus joins the stomach.
When are esophageal spinctors closed?
Always closed, except for when swallowing, vomiting, or burping,
Heart burn causes
Lower esophageal sphincter not closing properly
Big meal
Pregnancy
Stomach functions
Storage of food
Chemical and mechanical breakdown of food
Pepsinogen
Secreted by the stomach, and cleaved to form enzyme pepsin
Pepsin
Enzyme that initiates protein digestion in stomach
HCl
Secreted in stomach, and helps break down macromolecules in food.
Partial sterilization of food
Intrinsic factor
Secreted by stomach
Essential for absorption of vitamin B12 in iliem
Fundus and body & what do they secrete?
Both have a thin layer of smooth muscle
Mucus
HCl
Pepsinogen
Antrum and what does it secrete?
Has a thicker layer of smooth muscle
Mucus
Pepsinogen
Gastrin
Pyloric sphincter
Controls emptying of the stomach
Endocrine vs exocrine
Exorcrine chemical messenger requires passage through blood , while exocrine involves secretion into ducts and then directly onto epithelial surface
Mucus
Protects the stomach epithelium from digestive enzymes and acid
Gastrin
Important in stimulating HCl production and stomach motility
Histamine
Stimulates HCl production
Somatostatin
Inhibits HCl production
Mucous cell
Located at luminal end of gastric gland
Secretes mucous
Parietal cell
Located in fundus
Secretes intrinsic factor and HCl
Chief cell
Found in gastric glands
Secretes pepsinogen
Enteroendocrine cell/G cell
Found in gastric glands in antrum
Secrete gastrin
Enterochromaffin-like cell
Found in gastric glands
Secretes histamine
D cell
Found in gastric glands
Secretes somatostatin
Canaliculi
Increase SA of cells to maximize secretion
Na/K ATPase
Primary transport
3 Na out, 2 K into cell for every molecule of ATP
H/K ATPase
Primary transport
Pumps out a proton (H) into lumen
Cell becomes more basic
Carbonic anhydrase
Parietal cell gets rid of base by removing bicarbonate
Catalyzes formation of carbonic acid from h20 and co2
Carbonic acid dissociates into H and bicarbonate
Cl/HCO3 exchanger
HCO3 is pumped out in exchange for Cl ion
Secondary active transport
4 chemical messengers that regulate insertion of H/K ATPase into membrane?
Gastrin
Histamine
ACH
Somatostatin
Advantage of having inactive precursor?
Prevents autodigestion
3 phases of gastric secretion?
Cephalic phase
Gastric phase
Instestinal phase
Cephalic phase & how is acid secreted?
Brain is stimulated by sight, smell, or taste of food which provides excitatory stimulation via vagus nerve to the stomach
Vagal nuclei in brain cause parasympathetic nerve to release ACH at parietal cells and acid is secreted
Gastric phase & how is acid secreted?
Occurs when food reaches the stomach
Stimulated mainly by presence of food causing G cells to release gastrin into blood.
Gastrin interacts with parietal cell to increase acid production
Intestinal phase & how is acid secreted?
Occurs when partially broken down food from stomach enters SI
INHIBITORY phase due to presence of fat, acid, digestion products (slow digestion is wanted so phase is inhibitory)
Mediated by secretin and CCK, which have a negative influence on gastrin production
3 ways ACH can stimulate acid secretion at parietal cell?
- Stimulates ECL cells to release histamine
- Inhibits somatostatin production in D cells
- Stimulates G cells to produce gastrin
In what way does gastrin stimulate acid secretion at parietal cell?
- Stimulates ECL cells to release histamine
What happens once acid secretion is happening at a high rate?
ACH released from parasympathetic nerves and the stimulation is reduced as acid is produced and as you are eating.
Acid produced has an inhibitory effect on gastrin release from G cells
Somatostatin inhibits what?
Gastrin release from G cells
Histamine release from ECL cells
Peristaltic waves
Weak contractions in the stomach
Pyloric sphinctor & what happens when it closes?
Located between antrum of stomach and duodenum.
When it closes, some food is able to enter the duodenum, but most is retained in stomach for further digestion.
What determines strength of contraction?
Amount of stimulus
What determines the frequency of contraction?
Basic electrical rhythm
Causes of vomiting?
Psychogenic (you think of something like a food and its triggered)
Ear infection (motion sickness)
GI disturbances
Pressure in CNS
Chemoreceptors in GI tract and brain detect toxins
Where is the vomiting centre?
Medulla oblongata
What mechanisms happen when vomiting centre is stimulated?
Increased saliva production Breath held in mid-inspiration Nausea Glottis closes off trachea Lower esophageal sphinctor and esophagus relax Diaphragm and abdominal muscles contract Reverse peristalsis
Consequences of vomiting
Dehydration
Electrolyte imbalance
Metabolic alkalosis-elevated pH of a tissue due to acid lost
Tooth enamel erosion from acid
Peptic ulcer
Erosion of GI tract mucousa
Can occur in stomach, esophagus or duodenum
Causes of ulcers?
Imbalance of aggressive factors (pepsin and acid) and protective factors (mucus and bicarbonate)
Infection from bacterium Helicobacter Pylori
Non-bacterial factors like smoking, excessive alcohol, drugs that reduce prostaglandin production
Ulcer treatment
Antibiotics
H/K pump inhibitors
Histamine receptor antagonists
Prostaglandin type drugs
Gastric bypass surgery
Stomach is divided into a smaller pouch which connects to SI, limiting how much food is absorbed. Used to weight loss
Is the stomach essential for life?
No, but complications can arise
Consequences of having stomach tied off or removed?
Intrinsic factor cannot be secreted without a stomach, so people must get vitamin B12 injections to prevent anemia.
Stomach is useful in reducing amount of bacteria that enters system
Sterilizes food
Exocrine pancreas and function
Secretes substances into ducts that drain onto spithelial surface
Important for digestion
Source of majority of enzymes needed for digestion of carbs, fats, proteins etc
Secretes bicarbonate into duodenum
Endocrine pancreas
Ductless gland
Secretion occurs over epithelial basolateral surface for diffusion into blood
Not important in digestion but important in producing hormones regulating the body
Sphincter of Oddi/hepatopancreatic sphincter
Common to the bile duct and main pancreatic duct
Regulates the release of pancreatic and liver contents into SI
Pancreatic islets
Produce insulin
Acinar vs ductal cells within pancreatic ducts
Acinar- produce and secrete digestive enzymes
Ductal- secrete bicarbonate
Pancreatic juices
Isotonic and alkaline due to bicarbonate
Contains digestive enzymes and proteolytic enzymes which are stores and secreted in inactive forms
CFTR
Cl channel
Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator
Allows Cl to diffuse out of duct cell into lumen
Ductular cell secretion of HCO3 steps
- CFTR channels open and Cl diffuses into lumen
- Cl in lumen exchanged for HCO3 in cell (HCO3 movies out)
- Neutral pH maintained by exchange of H moving out for Na moving in (secondary active transport)
What happens after a meal?
Acid enters lumen of stomach
Base bicarbonate leaves via blood
“The tide”
Anything moving into blood
In the stomach what happens to acid and base?
Acid moves into stomach lumen. Base moves into the blood.
In the pancreas what happens to acid and base?
Base moves into lumen, acid moves into blood.
Why is the pancrease essential to digestion?
Source of major enzymes requried for digesting carbs, fats, proteins, etc
Proteases
Enzymes that digest proteins into peptides and amino acids
Amylolytic enzymes
Digest starches into sugars
Lipases
Digest triglycerides into monoglycerides and free fatty acids
Nucleases
Digest nucleic acids into free nucleotides
How are enzymes packaged and where are they stored?
Packaged by the pancreatic acinar cells as proenzymes in zymogen granules
Stored at the apical pole of the acinar cell
Zymogens
Inactive precursor molecules
Enterokinase
Cleaves a pro-protease called tripsinogen into the protease trypsin
4 major proteases secreted by pancreas?
Trypsinogen
Chymotrypsinogen
Pro-elastase
Pro-carboxypeptidase A & B
Amylolytic enzymes? (1)
Pancreatic amylase
Lipolytic enzymes? (3)
Lipase
Phospholipase A2
Cholesterase
Trypsinogen: activated by? Active enzyme? Action? End products?
Enterokinase
Trypsin
Hydrolyzes peptide bonds
Peptides and amino acids
Chymotrypsinogen: activated by? Active enzyme? Action? End products?
Trypsin
Chymotripsin
Hydrolyzes peptide bonds
Peptides and amino acids
Pro-elastase: activated by? Active enzyme? Action? End products?
Trypsin
Elastase
Hydrolyzes peptide bonds
Peptides and amino acids
Pro-carboxypeptidase A&B: activated by? Active enzyme? Action? End products?
Trypsin
Carboxypeptidase A&B
Hydrolyzes bonds at C-terminal
Peptides and amino acids
Pancretic amylase ? Action and end products?
Cleaves starches to sugars
Maltose, malitriose, alpha limit dextrins
Lipase? Action and end products?
Hydrolyzes triglycerides
Free fatty acids and 2-monoglycerides
Phospholipase A2: Inactive enzyme? Activated by? Action and end products?
Prephospholipase A2
Trypsin
Hydrolyzes phospholipids
Free fatty acids and lysophospholipids
Cholesterolesterase? Action and end products?
Hydrolyzes cholesterol esters
Free fatty acids and cholesterol
S-cells role
Produce secretin when acid enters duodenum from stomach
Secretin
Hormone that stimulates release of bicarbonate
I-cells role
Release CCK when fats and protein enter upper SI from stomach
CCK
Hormone that stimulates release of digestive hormones
Circulating secretin stimulates?
Pancreas and liver duct cells to increase bicarbonate secretion
Secretin and CCK bot inhibit what? What does this result in?
Both inhibit gastric secretion, which results in slowed stomach motility and reduced acid secretion
Which channel is mutated in cystic fibrosis?
The Cl channel involved in HCO3 secretion