GI wrap up Flashcards
How is chewing controlled?
Chewing is controlled by somatic nerves to skeletal muscles of the mouth and jaw.
Pressure of food activates mechanoreceptors –> reflexive inhibition of muscles holding the jaw shut.
5 muscles/groups of muscles involved in swallowing
- Buccinator
- Suprahyoids
- Muscles of the floor of the mouth
- Infrahyoids
- Pharyngeal constrictor muscles
Role of the buccinator and suprahyoid muscles in swallowing
Manipulate food during chewing and flatten the floor of the mouth during the first phase.
Suprahyoids act to elevate the hyoid bone.
Role of the muscles of the floor of the mouth in swallowing
Depress mandible if hyoid is fixed, or elevate hyoid bone
and larynx if mandible is fixed, during second phase
Role of the infrahyoid muscles in swallowing
Pull the larynx down during the third phase
Rolf of pharyngeal constrictor muscles in swallowing
Innervation?
Contract sequentially to push food down the throat.
Innervation = pharyngeal plexus (CN X and XI)
Name the 4 infrahyoid muscles
Thyrohyoid
Omohyoid
Sternohyoid
Sternothyroid
Why is it important that the swallowing mechanism is quick?
So as not to interfere with breathing - epiglottis blocks off the trachea to prevent aspiration.
Describe stage 1 of swallowing
Motor and sensory innervation.
Voluntary/Involuntary?
Swallow preparation.
Voluntary.
Food is compressed against the roof of the mouth and pushed towards the oropharynx by the tongue.
Hypoglossal nerve = motor of tongue.
Lingual nerve (branch of mandibular division of the trigeminal nerve (CN V3)) supplies sensory innervation to anterior 2/3 tongue.
Describe stage 2 of swallowing
Voluntary/Involuntary?
Passage from mouth to pharynx.
Involuntary.
Soft palate contracts and elevates, closing off the nasopharynx.
Suprahyoids contract, lifting the hyoid bone and widening the pharynx.
Epiglottis covers trachea.
Describe stage 3 of swallowing
Voluntary/Involuntary?
Passage down the oesophagus.
Involuntary - sequential contraction of the pharyngeal muscles moves the bolus through the oesophagus towards the stomach.
Infrahyoids depress the hyoid.
What is the gag reflex?
Reflex elevation of the pharynx caused by irritation of the oropharynx.
Controlled by a reflex arc between IX (afferent) X (efferent) nerves.
3 major salivary glabds
parotid, sublingual, submandibular
What type of secretions do parotid/sublingual/submandibular glands have?
Parotid = serous Sublingual = mixed but mainly mucous Submandibular = mixed
Is salivary secretion PSNS or SNS?
PSNS stimulates secretion, SNS inhibits
3 functions of saliva
- lubricant for mastication, swallowing and speech
- oral hygiene - antibacterial, buffer
- aqueous solvent for taste
What enzyme is contained in serous secretions?
Amylase for starch digestion
Which salivary gland is not continuously active?
Which gland is the main source of saliva when stimulated vs unstimulated?
Parotid - but when stimulated they are the main source of saliva.
Submandibular = main source when unstimulated
Describe the anatomy of the parotid gland.
Important structure passing through it?
Innervation?
Superficial triangular gland.
Duct crosses masseter, pierces buccinators and enters oral cavity.
External carotid artery and facial nerve pass through it.
Innervated by CN 9, glossopharyngeal.
Describe the anatomy of the submandibular gland.
Where does it empty?
2 lobes separated by the mylohyoid muscle.
Empties into the oral cavity at the sublingual papillae.
Describe the anatomy of the sublingual gland.
Where does it drain?
Located in the floow of the mouth beneath the tongue.
Doesn’t have its own duct - drains into the submandibular duct.
List the layers of the GI tract from lumen out
Lumen
- mucosa
- submucosa with Meissner’s plexus
- muscularis propria with Auerbach’s plexis between inner circular myscle and outer longitudinal
- serosa
List some functions of the stomach
- store and mix food that has been broken down by the teeth
- breaks food down by churning
- Secretes proteases for protein digestion
- regulates emptying of contents into the duodenum
- kills microbes, sterilises thanks to HCl
- secretes pepsinogen
- secretes intrinsic factor needed for vitamin B12 absorption
Describe the anatomy of the stomach from oesophagus –> duodenum
Oesophageal sphincter Cardia Fundus Body - greater and lesser curvature Antrum Pylorus Pyloric sphincter
What 4 things make up the lower oesophageal sphincter?
- circular muscle of the gastroesophageal wall
- cardiac notch
- motility pattern due to innervation from vagus nerve branches from oesophagus to stomach
- diaphragm
What are some factors that increase pressure on abdominal contents, and are therefore risk factors for gastroesophageal reflux?
- large meal
- obesity
- pregnancy
Name the cells of the gastric mucosa and what they secrete
- mucous neck cells secrete mucous
- parietal cells secrete HCl and intrinsic factor
- chief cells secrete pepsinogen
- ECL cells secrete histamine
- G cells secrete gastrin
- D cells secrete somatostatin
Gastrin:
- site of production
- site of action
- action
Produced by G cells in the stomach.
Acts on ECL cells stimulating histamine secretion.
Acts on parietal cells stimulating their proliferation –> increased HCl secretion.
ACh:
- site of production
- site of action
- action
- produced in neurones
- stimulates gastrin secretion
- Acts on ECL cells and parietal cells, stimulating histamine and HCl secretion.
Somatostatin:
- site of production
- site of action
- action
- produces in D cells
- acts on parietal cells to inhibit HCl secretion
Secretin:
- site of production
- site of action
- action
- S cells of the small intestine
- acts on G cells to inhibit gastrin secretion, and promotes somatostatin release
CCK:
- site of production
- site of action
- action
Produced in I cells of the small intestine.
Acts on parietal cells and cells of the pancreas.
Inhibits HCl secretion
Promotes flow of digestive enzymes from the pancreas and bile from the gall bladder.
Control of HCl secretion is regulated by…
- 1 neurotransmitter
- 1 hormone
- 2 paracrine factors
- 2 enterogasterones
- 1 neurotransmitter: ACh
- 1 hormone: gastrin
- 2 paracrine factors: histamine, somatostatin
- 2 enterogasterones: secretin and CCK
Gastric mucosal defense mechanisms
- alkaline mucus on luminal surface
- tight junctions between epithelial cells
- rapid replacement of damaged cells by stem cells present in the base of pits
- feedback loops for regulation of gastric acid secretion
Which cells of the stomach secrete pepsinogen? What stimulates them to do so?
Chief cells.
Triggered by the same stimuli as parietal cells - parasympathetics, low luminal pH of stomach
How is pepsinogen activated?
Released by chief cells.
Activated by HCl in stomach lumen to form pepsin.
How does positive feedback aid the production of protease?
Pepsinogen activated by HCl to form pepsin.
Pepsin itself cleaves pepsinogen. - positive feedback loop.
Cleavage to pepsin is most efficient when pH < 2
How is pepsin inactivated?
Irreversibly inactivated by HCO3- in small intestine
Luminal volume of empty stomach?
What can this be increased to?
50mL
increases to 1.5L
Gastric motility - what process means that the stomach is sensitive to small increases in luminal pressure?
Smooth muscle in the body and fundus undergoes receptive relaxation
How is gastric motility/receptive relaxation mediated?
- PSNS (enteric nerve plexuses)
- afferent input from stomach –> brain via vagus nerve
- nitric oxide and serotonin released by enteric nerves, mediating relaxation
Where in the stomach do the most powerful peristaltic contractions occur? Why is this important?
- most powerful contractions occur in the gastric antrum
- this mixes luminal contents and closes the pyloric sphincter
- mechanically break down food into chyme by churning
How is contraction initiated in gastric peristalsis?
Impulse to trigger contraction is fired 3 times per minute (every 20 seconds – initiated by the interstitial cells of Cajal)
How is chyme forced back towards the antrum for further mixing in gastric peristalsis?
The closing of the pyloric sphincter means only a little chyme enters the duodenum with each wave, so antral contents are forced back towards the body to mix
How are gastric secretions and gastric emptying turned off?
- gastric contents enter the duodenum through the pyloris, decreasing the duodenal pH due to HCl
- duodenal distension also occurs
This causes increased secretion of enterogasterones (CCK and secretin) and stimulates neural receptors
How does the duodenum connect to the liver?
- superiorly, by the hepatoduodenal ligament
what is the major duodenal papilla, visible inside the duodenum?
An opening of the common bile duct and pancreatic duct into the duodenum through which bile and pancreatic secretions enter.
What is the name of the point at which the duodenum joins the jejenum?
duodenojejunal flexure