GIT Intro Flashcards
Liver
Glucose and fat metabolism
Protein synthesis (plasma proteins: albumin, fibrinogens, apolipoproteins)
Bile production
Hormone production (e.g. angiotensinogen, insulin-like growth factor)
Urea production
Detoxification
Storage (e.g. glycogen)
Pancreas
Exocrine pancreas: produces digestive enzymes
Endocrine pancreas: produces hormones such as insulin, glucagon, somatostatin, etc.
Mucosa
Layer of epithelial cells (transporting cells, exocrine and endocrine secreting cells, stem cells)
Lamina propria (connective tissue, small blood and lymph
vessels, nerve fibers, wandering immune cells)
Mucularis mucosae
Submucosa
Connective tissue with lymphatics and blood vessels
Submucosal plexus
Muscularis externa
Longitudinal layer of smooth muscle
Myenteric Plexus- circular layer of smooth muscle
Structure of a smooth muscle cell
Non-straited
Dense bodies present with actins attached
Myosin
Side polar cross bridge arrangement
Thick filament regulated
Contraction at low levels of energy .
PI3K/AKT leads to
Bcl-2 expression (anti-apoptosis)
JAK/STAT leads to
Increased cell proliferation
Dense bodies serve that same role as
Z disks in skeletal muscles
Smooth muscle contraction
is thick-filament regulated and requires an alteration in myosin before it can interact with actin
Striated muscle contraction
is thin-filament regulated and requires movement of the troponin-tropomyosin complex on the actin filament before myosin can bind to actin.
Smooth muscle can contract in response to
electrical or hormonal signals and exhibits the ability to remain contracted for extended periods at low levels of energy consumption, which is important for functions such as maintaining vascular tone and hence blood pressure
Unitary Smooth Muscle also called Syncytial Smooth Muscle
Contract at the same time, joined together by gap junctions
Multi-unit smooth muscle is composed of
discrete, separate, smooth muscle fibers
Important characteristics of multi-unit smooth muscle fibers are that
each fiber can contract independently of the others, and their control is exerted mainly by nerve signals. EX: piloerector muscles that cause erection of the hairs when stimulated by the sympathetic nervous system
Tonic Contractions
Constant level of contraction or tone without regular periods of relaxation.
Orad (upper) region of the stomach and in the lower esophageal, ileocecal, and internal anal sphincters.
Phasic Contractions
Periodic contractions followed by relaxation
Esophagus, gastric antrum, and small intestines. all tissues involved in mixing and propulsion.
Smooth muscle exhibiting rhythmic or intermittent activity is termed
phasic smooth muscleand includes smooth muscles in the walls of the gastrointestinal (GI) and urogenital tracts
Vascular smooth muscle, respiratory smooth muscle, and some sphincters are
continuously active and proportional to membrane potential.
Tonic Contractions are considered
Multi unit smooth muscle
Phasic and tonic contractions of smooth muscle result from interactions of
actin and myosin filaments
Interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) are located
located in the myenteric plexus and are connected to each other and adjacent smooth muscle cells.
Describe slow wave pattern
successive depolarizations (influx of Ca2+) and repolarizations (efflux of K+)
Slow waves are spread by
Gap junctions
Stomach Waves
4 waves/min
Sigmoid Waves
6 waves/min