GI Diseases Pharmacology Flashcards
What is the route of the gastrointestinal tract?
Mouth, oesophagus, stomach, SI, LI
What are the accessory glands to the GI tract?
Salivary glands, pancreas, liver
Is the gut lumen internal or external to the body and why?
External
Food components enter the body after absorption
Due to conditions for digestion being tolerated in the gut (lumen) but not in the body
What are the conditions in the gut?
pH of stomach as low as 2.0, in the body is 6.8-8.0
Digestive enzymes would destroy body’s own tissue
MOs in lower intestine present but destructive/ lethal if entered body
Foods are foreign particles that would be attacked if entered body
What are the 4 digestive system processes:
Motility
Secretion
Digestion
Absorption
Describe motility in the GI tract:
Voluntary and involuntary
Skeletal muscle (voluntary) is responsible for chewing, swallowing and defacation
Smooth muscle (involuntary) contractions that mix and move forward content of the gut
Name the 2 types of smooth muscle contractions in the gut:
Tonic
Phasic
Describe tonic contractions:
In the absence of food
Constant low level of contraction
Tone maintains a steady pressure on contents of gut and prevents wall from being permanently stretched
Describe phasic contractions:
In the presence of food
Action potential induced bursts of contraction
-propulsive movements (moving forward)
-mixing movements
Describe secretion in the GI tract:
Digestive juices
Secretory cells extract large volumes of water and raw materials for secretion
GI hormones
Describe digestive juices in secretion:
Secreted by exocrine glands (from outside into lumen)
Contain water, electrolytes, and specific products for digestion or absorption e.g mucus, enzymes and bile salts
Where are mucus, enzymes and bile salts made?
Mucus: all through gut
Enzymes: pancreas and epithelial of lumen
Bile salts: liver for fat digestion
Describe secretory cells in secretion:
Secretion requires a lot of energy
Active transport of raw materials into cell
Synthesis of secretory products by ER
Neural or hormonal stimulation releases secretion
Secretions normally reabsorbed back into gut- gets back energy
Describe GI hormones in secretion:
Secreted by endocrine glands
Secreted into blood stream by EGs along tract wall
Regulate motility and exocrine gland secretion
Where does protein digestion begin and describe it:
Pepsinogen in gastric juice is converted to pepsin at low pH (acid)
Pepsin breaks down proteins to peptides
Describe protein digestion in the SI:
Trypepsinogen in pancreatic juice is converted to trypsin at a basic pH
Trypsin breaks down proteins into peptides
Peptidases (border of epithelial cells of SI) breaks down peptides to a.a, which are actively transported into epithelial cells of villi and from there to blood
Where are lipids digested?
Only broken down in duodenum and SI
Describe lipid digestion:
In the duodenum, lipids combine (emulsify) with bile salts to form fat droplets
Lipase from pancreas, digests emulsification drops triglyceride and monoglycerides and fatty acids
MGs and FAs diffuse into intestinal epithelial cells, where they recombine and join with proteins to form lipoproteins, called chylomicrons
These enter a lacteal (lymphatics), where they can travel to liver and other tissues where required
Describe polysaccharide digestion:
Starch is broken down by salivary amylase (mouth) and then pancreatic amylase (duodenum/ SI) to maltose-> glucose
Glycogen-> glucose
Cellulose and other indigestion carbs are not broken down by gut enzymes, but by microbes in the gut
Describe disaccharide digestion:
Enzymes in the SI break down simpler sugars
Sucrase-> sucrose -> glucose + fructose
Lactase-> lactose-> glucose + galactose
Glucose is AT into epithelial cells-> blood capillary
Name and briefly describe the structure of the digestive tract wall:
Mucosa- next to layer of SI
Submucosa- underneath mucosa
Muscularis- Muscle
Serosa- outer end
Describe the mucosa as part of the structure of the digestive tract wall:
Epithelial cells that line the lumen- simple columnar epithelium
Goblet cells that produce mucus
Lamina propria layer- capillaries are found, layer of connective tissue
Also contains lymphatic nodules
Muscularis mucosa aswell- responsible for changes in folds of mucosal layer, thin layer of nerve plexus
Describe the submucosa as part of the structure of the digestive tract wall:
Arterioles, veins, where branches of capillaries
Connective tissue, allowing tract to distend and be elastic
Contains larger blood and lymph vessels, sends branches to mucosa and muscularis external
Contains submucosa nerve plexus
Describe the muscularis as part of the structure of the digestive tract wall:
Major smooth muscle
Inner circular (contracts diameter of lumen) and outer longitudinal muscle (contracts length of gut)
Myenteric nerve plexus lies between these 2 layers- gut has own NS