GI System Flashcards
How does food go through the body?
- mouth
- pharynx
- esophagus
- stomach
- duodenum -> jejunum -> ileum
- ascending -> transverse -> descending -> sigmoid colon
- rectum
- anus
4 associated glandular organs that are located outside the GI tract:
- salivary glands
- liver
- gall bladder
- pancreas
What are the 4 basic layers of the GI tract?
- mucosa: innermost layer
- submucosa
- muscularis externa
- serosa
T/F: mucosa is not intensely folded
F, it is intensely folded to increase SA
What makes up the mucosa?
- epithelium
- lamina propria
- muscularis mucosa
Epithelium of the mucosa is a single…
layer of simple columnar cells
- aka enterocytes
What do the epithelium of mucosa in the esophagus and anus look like?
stratified squamous
Function of the lamina propria in the mucosa:
CT support for endothelium
Description of muscularis mucosa:
thin layer of smooth muscle that produces folds and ridges of mucosa
Submucosa of the GI tract is made up of…
- mainly loose CT (collagen and elastin)
- highly vascular
- submucosal plexus of enteric nervous system
Some regions of the submucosa in the GI contain…
glands
Submucosal plexus is also known as…
Meissner’s plexus
What are the three parts of muscularis externa?
- inner (thicker) circular smooth muscle layer
- outer longitudinal smooth muscle layer
- myenteric plexus of enteric nervous system (between layers)
Myenteric plexus is also known as…
Auerbach’s plexus
Serosa is also known as…
adventitia
Serosa is the…
outermost layer and mainly CT
What is the percentage of cardiac output to the GI at rest?
25%
All venous drainage occurs via…
hepatic portal system to the liver lymphatic drainage extensive
Venous drainage is important for…
- transport of lipid soluble substances
- immunological screening
What are the two ways the GI tract can be innervated?
- enteric nervous system
- reflexes
Is the enteric nervous system intrinsic or extrinsic?
intrinsic b/c neurons are located completely w/in GI wall
- network of interconnected neurons w/in GI wall
- integrates motor and secretory activity
What are the two major plexuses of the enteric nervous system?
- myenteric (between circular and longitudinal muscle layers)
- submucosal (between submucosa and circular muscle)
Myenteric plexus innervates…
muscle layers
Submucosal plexus innervates…
mucosa
Both plexuses are regulated by…
intrinsic and extrinsic reflexes
Examples of intrinsic and extrinsic reflexes:
- sensory neurons
- interneurons
- motor neurons
Sensory neurons respond to what kinds of stimuli?
- mechanical
- chemical
- pain
- temperature
Sensory neurons can mediate both…
local and central reflex arcs
Interneurons in plexi form…
reflex arcs
Motor neurons release…
ach onto muscarinic receptors of smooth muscle and secretory cells
Enteric nervous system uses neurotransmitters such as…
- Ach
- serotonin (5HT)
- ATP
- NO
- gastrin inhibitory peptide (GIP)
- vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP)
- somatostatin
Examples of excitatory neurotransmitters:
- Ach
- Substance P
- 5HT4 serotonin by stimulating Ach
Examples of inhibitory neurotransmitters:
- VIP
- NO
- ATP
- 5HT3 serotonin
- GIP
VIP is what type of inhibitor?
non-adrenergic/non-cholinergic
How does NO act as an inhibitor?
via protein kinase G
- reduces intracellular Ca2+
How does ATP act as an inhibitor?
inhibits adenylate cyclase
How does 5HT3 act as an inhibitor?
inhibits Ach
Many of the drugs that affect lower GI function work by…
modulating the enteric nervous system
Drugs that affect lower GI function affect levels of…
Ach, 5HT (serotonin), dopamine, enkephalins, motilin and somatostatin (hormones)
Short local reflexes are what kind of reflexes?
intrinsic
Where do short local reflexes originate and end?
in the ENS
For short local reflexes, the submucosal plexus controls…
secretion and blood flow
For short local reflexes, the myenteric plexus influences…
motility
ANS short and long reflexes are what kind of reflexes?
extrinsic
Extrinsic innervations of the ANS short and long reflexes alter the activity of…
enteric (intrinsic) neurons
Extrinsic innervations of the ANS short and long reflexes coordinate the activity of…
regions located farther from each other than local reflexes
Feedforward reflexes of ANS short/long are based on current status prepare…
forward regions for what is coming
Examples of feedforward reflexes:
- cephalic reflexes
- gastrocolic reflex
Function of cephalic reflexes:
increases secretion and motility in response to smell/thought of food
Function of gastrocolic reflex:
increases activity in stomach coupled with motor and secretory activity in colon
- it’s a central reflex arc
SNS terminates on…
enteric neurons, blood vessels, and sphincters
Post-ganglionic adrenergic fibers of the SNS release…
norepi, which inhibits activity of muscularis externa
What happens when SNS is stimulated?
- digestion inhibited
- decreases slow intrinsic activity, which produces muscle relaxation
- induces contraction of some sphincters and muscularis mucosa
- inhibits GI secretion and alpha 2
- vasoconstriction to redirect blood flow away from GI
PNS travels from…
vagus nerve from lower esophagus to transverse colon -> pelvic nerves to colon -> rectum -> anus
Post-ganglionic cholinergic neurons are located where and release what?
- in plexi
- release Ach onto muscarinic receptors
What happens when PNS is stimulated?
- increases amplitude of slow intrinsic waves, which produces muscle contraction
- stimulates GI secretions
Pre-ganglionic neurons in the PNS release…
Ach to intrinsic neurons
GI peptides can regulate…
secretion and motility
GI peptides are secreted within the..
GI tract
Examples of GI peptides:
- hormones
- neuropeptides
- cytokines
T/F: GI peptides can’t have action on the CNS
F
- CCK affects satiety
- grehlin affects hunger
GI hormone facilitates…
- gastrin family
- secretin family
- motilin and others family
How does the gastrin family function?
gastrin and CCK bind to CCKB receptors
How does the secretin family function?
secretin, VIP, GIP, GLP-1 all decrease gastric emptying
How does the motilin and others family function?
motilin stimulates migrating motor complex
Major functions of the GI:
- ingestion
- digestion
- absorption
- secretion
- movement
- excretion
Ingestion is the…
entry of food into tract through the mouth
Digestion is the…
breakdown of food into absorbable pieces
Digestion can occur two ways:
- mechanical: w/ teeth
- chemical: via digestive enzymes
For chemical digestion, there are separate…
enzymes for each major nutrient groups
Chemical digestion is regulated by…
hormones
Absorption is when…
small nutrient molecules move across GI wall into the vascular system
What gets secreted during secretion?
- enzymes
- pH regulating substances
- regulatory hormones
- mucus
Movement of food through the GI tract uses the…
longitudinal and inner circular layers of smooth muscle
Excretion is the…
elimination of wastes
GI system regulates…
secretion and motility
Problems GI tract has to overcome to do its job:
- avoiding autodigestion to prevent digestion of body cells
- mass balance of GI fluids
- immune defense exposure to toxins/pathogens as food travels through GI tract
What is secreted to protect the GI tract?
mucus
Failure of avoiding autodigestion results in…
ulceration
GI has to absorb fluid mass equivalent to…
what it secretes but what is also lost in feces and urine
Failure of mass balance of the GI occurs when…
one vomits or diarrhea
- results in dehydration
Immune defense of the GI tract is reinforced by…
- mucus
- digestive enzymes
- acidity of stomach
- gut associated lymphoid tissue (GALT)
Failure of immune defense of the GI tract results in…
food poisoning/infections
What is a major contributor to RMP of GI smooth muscle?
Na+/K+ ATPase
What are tonic contractions?
sustained contractions seen in sphincters
What are phasic contractions?
pattern of depolarization/repolarization seen in the stomach and small intestine
GI smooth muscle has what type of waves?
slow waves (basic electrical rhythm)
Slow waves originate from…
pacemaker cells
- interstitial cells of Cajal (modified smooth muscle cells)
- between smooth muscle layers and nerve plexus
Because adjacent cells are coupled by gap junctions, the muscle behaves as a…
functional syncitium
Amplitude and frequency of slow waves can be modified by…
- activity of extrinsic and intrinsic nerves, hormones, and paracrine substances
- reflexes
- inflammatory mediators
Inflammatory mediators are involved in…
GI disorders
- Celiac’s
- inflammatory bowel
- Crohn’s disease
Three major patterns of motility…
- peristalsis
- rhythmic segmentation
- migrating motor complex (MMC)
- tonic contractions
What is peristalsis?
propulsive movements forward
- progressive waves of movement
Peristalsis is generated by…
slow waves
Peristalsis is altered through…
reflex actions
What is rhythmic segmentation?
mixing movements
- breaks food into smaller particles facilitating digestion
- isolated to short segments of tract
- alternating segmental contractions
What is the migrating motor complex (MMC)?
movements between meals
- begins in stomach and sweeps through GI
MMC clears GI of…
food remnants and bacteria between meals
What is an example of tonic contraction in the GI?
sphincter contraction
Tonic contraction limits…
movement into the next segment of GI
- prevents backflow
Chemical and mechanical digestion begins in the…
mouth
Saliva is secreted by…
acinar cells of parotid, sublingual, and submandibular glands
Function of saliva:
- softens and moistens food
- dissolves food so it can be tasted
Saliva contains…
- amylases, which breaks starch into smaller polysaccharides
- lysozymes (antibacterial enzyme)
What is a bolus?
mass of smaller particles mixed with salivary enzymes
What is another word for swallowing?
degluttation
Swallowing moves the bolus down…
pharynx and into the esophagus
Swallowing is initiated voluntarily by…
the tongue pushing bolus against soft palate
- remainder is under reflex control
Where is the swallowing reflex center located?
medulla
Why does nasopharynx close when one swallows?
prevents movement of food into nasal passages
- under reflex control
Why does the epiglottis close when one swallows?
inhibits respiration to prevent inhalation of food
- under reflex control
What relaxes to let food enter the esophagus?
upper esophageal sphincter
What do long swallowing reflexes do?
prep stomach for incoming food
Steps of movement of food through esophagus by peristalsis:
- peristaltic wave initiated (contracts above bolus, relaxes below bolus)
- wave travels to pharynx
- relaxation of lower esophageal sphincter allows food to enter into stomach
How does food enter into the stomach?
by relaxation of lower esophageal sphincter and lowering of pressure to allow food to flow down esophagus
Lower esophageal sphincter is normally under…
tonic contraction by extrinsic and intrinsic nerves to prevent gastric contents from entering the esophagus
What happens if the lower esophageal sphincter doesn’t stay contracted?
GERD/heartburn
What is the vomiting reflex?
reverse peristalsis
Where is the vomiting center located?
medulla
What counts as a strong stimulus for the vomiting reflex?
distention of stomach and duodenum
Stomach motility is responsible for…
- storage of food
- mixing of food
- slow emptying of chyme into duodenum
What makes up the proximal stomach?
- cardia
- fundus
- superior 1/3 of body
When does proximal stomach relax?
- in response to swallowing (under parasympathetic control)
- in response to food (vagovagal reflex)
How does the vagovagal reflex work?
- swallowing and food in stomach picked up by vagal afferents
- signal travels to dorsal vagal complex in brain
- vagal efferents cause receptive relaxation (allows stomach to relax and take in more food)
What makes up the distal stomach?
- inferior 2/3 of body
- antrum
- pylorus
When is the distal stomach at rest?
in between meals
- there are periodic contractions to clear stomach
What kind of contractions occur in the distal stomach?
- phasic contractions which begin in the body of the stomach
- ends with slow waves
- sometimes intense peristaltic waves
What happens during phasic contractions in the distal stomach?
- food is mechanically broken down
- gastric phase: secretions initiated by food
- results in chyme
Phasic contractions in the distal stomach are regulated by…
- hormones
- gastrin (+ g cells)
- histamine (+ECF cells)
- somatostatin (-D cells)
How do slow waves function in the distal stomach?
- begins at gastric pacemaker
- force and velocity increase as chyme approaches gastroduodenal junction
- moves food through open pyloric sphincter
- if sphincter is closed, bolus is forced back into stomach (retropulsion)