GI physiology Flashcards
what are the 5 functions of the GI system?
1) motility: deglutition, peristalsis, mass movements
2) secretion: mucus, water (8L a day), enzymes
3) digestion: mechancial (physical changin, breaking down), chemical (enzymes)
4) absorption: transytosis
5) barrier function (not talked about in this text)
classify the 4 main functions of the GI system into the areas they happen
digestion and motility (into blood): lumen of the digestive tract
secretion (into blood, lumen, and wall) and absorption (into blood): wall between lumen and ISF
list in which order food will be processed from ingestion to excretion starting at the mouth (a.k.a the alimentary canal)
- mouth
- esophagus
- stomach
- small intestine (duodenum (80-100 cm), jejunum (4m), ileum (80cm))
- caecum (appendix)
- large intestine (formation of feces)
- rectum (stores feces)
- anus
what are the accessory organs of the alimentary canal
- liver (produces bile, important for lipid digestion)
- gall bladder (non-essential, stores biles and [] it)
- pancreas (important for digestive enzymes - empties into duodenum)
what starts mechanical digestion?
the mouth (mastication)
place the following layers of the GI tract in order from inner most membrane to outer most
a) muscularis
b) mucosa
c) serosa
d) submucosa
b, d, a, c
tissue layers of GI tract: mucosa
- single epithelium layer of cells
- lamina propria - which contains blood vessels and nerves
- muscularis mucosae (muscle of the esophagus)
tissue layers of GI tract: submucosa
Submucosal plexus
- network of neurons (part of the ANS)
- parasympathetic (rest and digest) and sympathetic (fight or flight)
- more neurons in gut than in out brain
tissue layer of GI tract: muscularis
- circular muscle which controls the diameter
- myenteric plexus - controls 2 layers for coordinated controlled movement
-primarily comprised of 2 layers EXCEPT for in the stomach
tissue layers of the GI tract: serosa
- outer layer
- peritoneum (lining of abdominal cavity)
- anchors the tube to the body wall
- mesothelium (visceral peritoneum)
what type of involuntary control do we have in our intestinal musculature?
-skeletal muscle - swallowing (voluntary at the beginning then becomes involuntary) and clinching (only 10% under voluntary control)
the musculature in the intestinal tract is mostly under _____ control
involuntary
what are the 7 sphincters of the GI tract
1) upper esophageal
2) lower esophageal (prevents stomach contents from coming back up)
3) pyloric (doorway out of stomach)
4) ileocecal
5) colorectal (functional)6
6) internal anal
7) external anal (voluntary)
how does smooth muscle differ from skeletal muscle in terms of actin and myosin?
there is more actin and less myosin
how does smooth muscle differ from skeletal muscle in terms of structure
- no sarcomeres
- dense bodies (contain actin, comparable to Z lines in skeletal muscle)
- contraction is calmodulin-dependent
fig 12.25
explain smooth muscle contraction simply, as a review
1) high Ca++ binds and activates Ca+ calmodulin complex
2) this complex phosphorylates MLCK
3) MLCK phosphorylates myosin, placing it in the cocked position
4) cross bridge formation
1) when Ca++ levels are low, Ca+/calmodulin compelx unbinds
2) myosin phosphatase removes phosphate from myosin
3) cross-bridge releases
fig 12.26
only when MLCK is phosphorylated, will the smooth muscle contract
true or false?
true
what are the 4 GI movements?
1) segmentation
2) peristaltic waves
3) migrating motor complexes (MMCs)
4) gastric movements
GI movements: segmentation
- active contraction
- not used to push food down length of the tube, very MINOR CONTRIBUTION to motility
- main purpose is to mix contents by squeezing back and forth to push materials back and forth
GI movements: peristaltic waves
- weak but repetitive movements
- constrictions are 1 cm or less
- very short and weak which causes nice even flow
- can get intestinal issues if this is not working properly
GI movements: migrating motor complexes (MMCs)
- strong and long contractions
- a single MMC can move the entire length of the gut starting at the stomach (gets things out in a hurry)
- MMC starts at the stomach and squeezes small intestine to get rid of its contents - keeps intestine clean and clear
GI movements: gastric movements
- third muscle layer
- churning motion
- this helps liquefy contents
myenteric plexus - def.
the major nerve supply to the gastrointestinal tract and controls GI tract motility. According to preclinical studies, 30% of myenteric plexus’ neurons are enteric sensory neurons, thus Auerbach’s plexus has also a sensory component
-sensory, motor, and interneurons
what are the excitatory functions of the myenteric plexus
- muscle tone
- contraction intensity (used to control strength of contraction)
- contraction rate (speed or frequency)
- peristaltic velocity
what are the inhibitory functions of the myenteric plexus?
- sphincter tone (necessary if we want more material to move)
- back flow (sometimes it is necessary for material to go backwards)
most of the functions of the gut are controlled locally
true or false?
true
slow waves in the GI tract are created by which type of cells?
undulating changes in ICCs (interstitial cells of cajal which are pacemaker cells)
explain the intrinsic control of GI function
- resting membrane potential is not stable
- interstitial cells of cajal (ICCs) (pacemaker cells) reach threshold with variable K+ permeability
- spike potentials are produced with an influx of Ca++ (reach threshold) (mechanoreceptors, chemoreceptors)
- this leads to greater depolarization (gap junctions and summation), higher frequency (because of greater depolarization), stronger contraction (because of high frequency)
- hyperpolarization prevents excitation (inhibits potentials generated by ICCs) (relaxation)
fig 21.4a
explain the 3 modes of extrinsic control of GI function
- independent function
- extrinsic coordination controlled by myenteric plexus
1) ANS
- parasympathetic - promotes intestinal functions (acetylcholine)
- sympathetic - norepinephrine (causes hyperpolarization)
2) hormones
3) cognitive and emotional control
- ex: getting angry produces more stomach acid
gastrointestinal reflexes: intragut communication
- different organs need to communicate with each other
- stomach talks to small intestine and large intestine and vice versa
what kinds of stimuli sends signals to begin gastrointestinal reflexes?
-a few examples:
distention, chemicals, irritants
gastrointestinal reflexes: proximal to distal reflexes
- new contents
- ex: stomach telling small intestine food is coming to get ready
gastrointestinal reflexes: distal to proximal reflexes
- old contents
- ex: large intestine telling small intestine that it is already full
- THESE REFLEXES OVERRIDES PROXIMAL TO DISTAL REFLEXES
- or else stomach would just keep pushing food through
increased motility in the gut leads to what?
- increased MMCs (need to get rid of contents in small intestine if you have an infection for example)
- ex: diarrhea
- serve as a protective mechanism
what are the two major symptoms of disturbed motility in the gut
constipation and diarrhea
decreased motility in the gut leads to what?
- material stays in the gut for too long, too much water is reabsorbed, leads to constipation
- consequences include: distention, perforation (too much stretch, leads to tearing), and death
- Chagas disease (destroys the enteric nervous system, all control dissapears, large intestine is completely filled with material)
what is the emetic centre?
the centre in the medulla that receives cues from blood hormones, visual cues, motion, or stomach contents that initiates vomiting
how can excess vomiting be dangerous? how can we control this?
- excess vomiting can lead to a pH imbalance, body chemistry become alkaline (because of decreased acidic content from stomach)
- disturbances in pH can be fatal
- to control this, we take antiemetics (emetic system)
- drug that stops vomiting
- but, we need to know what is causing the vomiting otherwise we can’t treat it because not every treatment works for every cause
throughout the GI tract ___L of fluids are secreted daily
7
what are the sources of fluids are secreted in the GI tract?
- saliva
- gastric juice
- bile
- pancreatic juice
- small intestinal secretions
fig 21.3
what are 3 functions of fluid secretion by the GI tract?
- liquefaction
- lubrication
- digestion
what is the major organ of absorption
small intestine
-approximately 7500 mL gets absorbed by small intestine and 1400 mL by large intestine
how much saliva is secreted per day
approximately 1.5 L (1500 mL)
what are the 4 functions of saliva secretion
1) moistening
2) lubrication
- mucin (mucus protein)
3) defence
- lyzosome - breaks down cell walls of certain bacteria
- IgA - immunoglobulin A - antibody
4) digestion
- salivary amylase (breaks down amylose, a.k.a. starch)
how is the secretion of saliva controlled? (3 ways)
1) tactile stimulation
- ex: food in mouth promotes salivation
2) cognitive stimulation
- thinking about food
3) autonomic NS
- parasympathetic (increases salivation) and sympathetic (decreases salivation) innervation
gastric secretion occurs in the _______
gastric pits which contain gastric glands
-these go deep down into tissue of the stomach
what are the two types of mucus cells in the gastric pits?
1) surface mucus cells: mucus-producing cells which cover the inside of the stomach, protecting it from the corrosive nature of gastric acid. These cells line the gastric mucosa
2) mucus neck cells: found in the necks of gastric pits
fig 21.9a
in gastric secretion, acid (HCL) is released into the stomach by ______ cells
parietal cells
what is the role of a chief cell?
The gastric chief cell (also known as a zymogenic cell or peptic cell) is a cell in the stomach that releases pepsinogen and chymosin. Pepsinogen is activated into the digestive enzyme pepsin when it comes in contact with acid produced by gastric parietal cells
name 3 hormones involved in gastric secretion and their functions
1) enterochromaffin-like (ECL) cells - produce histamine
2) G cells - produce gastrin
3) D cells - produce somatostatin
what are chaperone cells in gastric secretion?
- a.k.a. parietal cells
- these bind to something until it is able to get absorbed
- ex: intrinsic factor binds to B12 and prevents acid from breaking it down before it is absorbed
how much gastric juice is secreted/day?
approximately 2500 mL
what are the 3 functions of gastric acid secretion?
1) bacteriocidal role (kils bacteria) - many bacteria we eat survive this
2) digestion or proteins
- acid hydrolysis: non-enzymatic breakage of peptide bond
- denaturation
3) digestion of bone (not as important for us as we don’t eat too much bone)
what would happen if too much gastric acid was secreted?
- peptic ulcer disease (too much acid leads to stomach lesions)
- gastrointestinal reflux disease (GERD) (too much acid in stomach can cause acid reflux that can splash up through lower esophageal sphincter)
- alkaline tide
what is an alkaline tide?
refers to a condition, normally encountered after eating a meal, where during the production of hydrochloric acid by parietal cells in the stomach, the parietal cells secrete bicarbonate ions across their basolateral membranes and into the blood, causing a temporary increase in pH
- cause by too much gastric acid secretion
- more acid in the stomach = more pressure for protons to go back into ISF, but at the same time we are increasing the buffering in ISF from formation of barbonic acid through HCO3-/Cl- pump
fig 21.9c
what is the difference in pH from the ISF to the stomach?
- pH of 1 in the stomach and about 7.4 in the ISF
- this is about 1 million times greater in the stomach which is only separated by a single layer of cells which creates a gradient, explaining why H+ leaks through
what are the 3 phases involved in the control of stomach secretions?
1) cephalic phase
2) gastric phase
3) intestinal phase
what controls the cephalic phase of stomach secretions?
-control comes from the brain - vagus nerve stimulates enteric nervous system
the cephalic phase of stomach secretion causes direct stimulation of which types of cells?
1) parietal cells which promote acid production
2) G cells which release gastrin
- responsible for acid secretion - HCL and pepsinogen secretion
3) ECL-cells which release histamine
- promotes acid secretion by parietal cells
what controls the gastric phase of stomach secretion?
the presence of luminal contents
-there are baroreceptors (detect pressure) and chemoreceptors (detect lipids) here which detect luminal contents
the gastric phase of stomach secretion stimulates which type of cells?
1) goblet cells (stimulate mucus production for lubrication, protection of gastric epithelium)
2) parietal cells (increase acid production)
3) G-Cells (increase acid production)
4) Chief cells (pepsinogen production)
what happens during the gastric phase of stomach secretions when the pH gets under 2?
- there is a negative feedback response
- D-Cells are stimulated and release somatostatin (this has an inhibitory effect, shuts down the production of acid)
fig 21.10
which cell involved in the control of stomach secretions is not innervated by the submucosal plexus? what stimulates this cell?
D cells, these cells are stimulated by the negative feedback loop caused by too much acid secretion
the intestinal phase of stomach secretion control is triggered by what?
duodenal pH
- there are no longer contents in the stomach at this point
- contents from the stomach have a low pH when they reach the duodenum
- also triggered by duodenal lipids
what is stimulated by the intestinal phase of stomach secretion control?
- secretin (parietal cells, chief cells) - these inhibit stomach secretion
- gastric inhibitory peptide (strong inhibition)
- cholecysokinin (CCK) (lesser inhibition)
what is the name for a molecule that increases secretion
a secretagogue
what are the secretagogues that promote gastric acid secretion
- acetylcholine (released by vagus nerve)
- gastrin
- histamine