GI Histology Flashcards
What does the digestive system consist of?
The tract extends from the mouth (oral cavity) to the anus, as well as the digestive organs emptying into this tract, primarily the salivary glands, liver, gall bladder and pancreas.
What are the four main layers of the GI tract wall?
Mucosa, submucosa, muscularis, and serosa/adventitia.
What is the mucosa consist of?
An epithelial lining (stratified squamous or columnar), an underlying lamina propria of loose connective tissue rich in blood vessels, lymphatics, lymphocytes and small glands.
A smooth muscle layer called muscularis mucosae separates the mucosa from the submucosa and allows local movement of mucosa.
What is the thin layer of smooth muscle that separates mucosa from submucosa called?
The muscularis mucosae.
What does the submucosa contain?
It is a fibroelastic loose connective tissue. It contains larger blood vessels and lymphatics, often glands and an important network of nerves and ganglia of the autonomic nervous system.
What does the muscularis contain?
It consists of smooth muscle with inner circular and outer longitudinal orientations.
Between the layers is a network of nerves known as the myenteric (auerbach’s plexus).
What does contraction of the muscularis do?
It mixes and propels the luminal contents forward (peristalsis). This contraction is coordinated by the myenteric plexus.
What is contraction of the muscularis coordinated by?
The myenteric plexus.
What is the adventitia or serosa?
Connective tissue surrounding the muscularis externa.
When facing the peritoneal cavity (distal esophagus, stomach, jejunum, ileum and parts of the large intestine) what is the adventitia encased in?
A thin layer of simple squamous epithelium known as mesothelium.
When mesothelium forms the outermost layer of the gut, what is the combined connective tissue and mesothelium referred to?
Serosa
What is serosa?
When mesothelium forms the outermost layer of the gut, it is the combined connective tissue and mesothelium
What is the function of serosa?
It allows adjacent portions of the GI to come in contact and be able to slide over each other with minimal abrasion.
Where in the abdomen is there not serosa?
Some areas of the non-peritonealized or retroperitoneal surfaces (such as the thoracic esophagus, duodenum, and ascending and descending colon).
In areas devoid or serosa what is the only tissue present?
connective tissue.
What is the esophagus and what does it extend between?
It is a muscular organ the extends between the pharynx and the stomach (mostly within the thoracic cavity).
What is the lumen of the esophagus lined by?
Mucosa that is a thick nonkeratinized stratified squamous epithelium able to withstand abrasion.
What does the lamina propria contain in the esophagus?
Lymphocytes (seen as clusters of dark purple staining in H and E sections).
What does the mucosa epithelium overly (2 things) in the esophagus?
Lamina propria and a variably thick muscularis mucosa composed of smooth muscle cells.
Describe the submucosa in the esophagus?
Mucus secreting gland may be found in the submucosa known as esophageal glands.
What do the submucosal veins do in the distal 8 cm of the esophagus?
They anastomose with branches of the portal vein.
what is the muscularis externa made up of in the esophagus?
The proximal one third is skeletal muscle, the middle one third is a mix of skeletal and smooth, and the distal one third is smooth muscle.
Describe the adventitia/serosa in the esophagus?
It is the outermost layer of the thoracic portion of the esophagus. it is a loose connective tissue that blends the surrounding tissues.
What is the serosa of the esophagus?
After passing through the diaphragm, mesotheliym covers the connective tissue (adventitia). The connective tissue plus the mesothelium layer is referred to as serosa.
What are the four main functions of the stomach?
- continued digestion of carbohydrates initiated by salvilary enzyme amylase
- The addition of an acidic fluid to the ingested food and mixing its contents into a viscous mass called chyme by the churning activity of the muscularis.
- Continued digestion of triglycerides initiated by pancreatic enzyme lipase
- Initial digestion of proteins with enzyme pepsin.
What regions can the stomach be subdivided into?
The fundus, the cardia, the body and the pyloric antrum.
Describe the mucosa of the stomach.
It is a simple columnar epitheliym consisting entirely of mucus-secreting cells. The epithelium forms invaginations into the underlying lamina propria giving rise to the gastric glands.
Where are branching gastric glands? What do they do?
They are in the fundus of the stomach. They open into gastric pits which empty their contents into the lumen of the stomach.
What are the 5 cell types within the gastric glands?
- Regenerative cells/Stem cells.
- Mucous cells
- parietal cells
- chief cells
- Enteroendocrine cells
Describe regenerative cells/stem cells of the gastric glands
Undifferentiated cells that give rise to the other cell types in the glands and the gastric pits.
Describe the mucous cells in the gastric glands?
They line the lumen of the gastric pits and secrete a thick, adherent, and highly viscous protective mucous that is rich in bicarbonate ions.
Describe parietal cells in the gastric glands?
They are predominant in the upper segment of the gastric gland and produce hydrochloric acid, important for the conversion of pepsinogen to pepsin, and intrinsic factor which is essential for the absorption of Vitamin B12.
What do parietal cells produce?
hydrochloric acid, important for the conversion of pepsinogen to pepsin, and intrinsic factor which is essential for the absorption of Vitamin B12.
What do chief cells in the gastric glands do?
They secrete inactive proenzyme pepsinogen.
Pepsinogen is released into the lumen of the gland and converted in the acidic environment of the stomach to pepsin, a proteolytic enzyme capable of digesting most proteins.
What do enteroendocrine cells in the gastric glands do?
They secrete hormones that have effects on gut motility (serotonin) and HCl secretion (gastrin).
What do gastric glands in the cardia and pyloric regions of the stomach primarily consist of?
Mucus cells and a few enteroendocrine cells.
What does the submucosa of the stomach consist of?
A loose connective tissue with coarse collagen bundles.
What is the increased thickness of the submucosa in the stomach responsible for?
rugae of the mucosa. (a series of ridges).
What nerve supply is found in the submucosa of the stomach?
Meissner’s plexus
What are the layers of the stomach muscularis?
Three layers of smooth muscle including and inner oblique, middle circular and outer longitudinal/
What plexus is present in the stomach muscularis and where?
Auerbach’s/myenetric plexus is present in the outer ttwo layers (middle circular and outer longitudinal layers).
What is the outer mesothelium of the stomach called?
The serosal layer
What are the three regions of the small intestine?
The duodenum, jejunum, and the ilium
What is the function of the small intestine?
It continues digestion of chyme from stomach using pancreatic enzymes and liver bile and absorbs nutrients.
The small intestine contains all the usual layer (mucosa, submucosa, muscularis, and serosa). Where are it’s unique features associated with?
Mucosal and submucosal layers.
What are the circular folds called in the luminal surface of the small intestine? What do they contain
Plica circulares. They contain villi
What are the plica ciculares and villi function?
They increase the luminal surface area necessary for absorption of nutrients from the digested food.
What does the mucosa of the small inestine include?
A simple columnar epithelium joined by extensive tight junctions.
Several cell types are present: enterocytes, globlet cells, paneth cells, enteroendocrine cells, stem cells
What are enterocytes
absorptive cells
What are goblet cells
mucus-secreting cells
What are paneth cells
lysozyme secreting cells
What are enteroendocrine cells
hormone sercreting cells
What is the function of stem cells in the mucosa of the small intestine?
Replace enterocytes and goblet cells every 3-5 days.
What are the enterocytes in the small intestine covered with? Why
They are covered with microvilli to increase the absoptive area.
What do enterocytes do?
They absorb Carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, vitamins, Calcium, Iron from the lumen and transport them into the blood or lymph.
What are carbohydrates digested into?
Monosaccharides, they are transported to the portal blood.
What are proteins digested to?
Amino acids, dipeptides and tripeptides. Further digestion may occur and then amino acids are transported to the portal blood.
What are triglycerides digested into?
They are emulsified by bile salts and digested to fatty acids and monoacylglycerols.
Long chain fatty acids are packaged as chylomicrons that enter the lacteal in the center of the vilus.
Short and medium chain fatty acids enter enterocytes directly and delivered to the portal blood.
Where do long chain fatty acids go?
Long chain fatty acids are packaged as chylomicrons that enter the lacteal in the center of the vilus.
Where do short and medium chain fatty acids go?
Short and medium chain fatty acids enter enterocytes directly and delivered to the portal blood.
Where does water soluble vitamin B12 go?
its absorbed in the ileum and requires intrinsic factor.
What does calcium require for absorption?
Vitamin D
Where are paneth cells found?
The base of the crypt
Do goblet cells increase or decreate in number further in the GI tract?
Increase to meet the need for increased lubrication of luminal contents.