GUT Flashcards
What is the rough general pathway for food?
- Macstication–> Bolus –> pharynx–> larynx–> Oesophagus–> Stomach–> small intestine –> large intestine–> anus
What are the accessory glands?
- Salivary glands
- Liver (bile)
- tongue
- Pancreas (enzymes breaking down foods)
What is the inner lining of the gut called?
- Mucosa
What are 4 functions of the GI system?
- Nutrient absorption
- release/removal of waster
- Regulation of H2O and electrolytes to MAINTAIN BODY FLUID osmolarity
- Immune function (mucosa contains macrophages-IgA)
What moves food through the gut?
- MOTILITY –> propulsion through gut
- Smooth muscle contracts
How do we get muscle cells to contract?
- Excitation (APs)
- Smooth muscle cells at each section of the gut are COUPLED
What connects each smooth muscle cell?
- Gap junctions (one AP spreads through the whole unit)
- Via wave of excitation
What does the gut tube do when circular muscle contracts?
- It is CONSTRICTED (get narrower)
What does the gut tube do when the longitudinal muscle contracts?
- It SHORTENS
Before the bolus in the gut tube there is ___________ (type of constriction)
Before the bolus there is circular constrction
After the bolus in the gut tube there is ______ (type of constriction)
Longitudinal shortening
What is oesophageal peristaliss?
- Contraction and relaxation of circular and smooth longitudinal muscle layers–> motility
Which two sphincters are made up of skeletal muscle?
Upper oesophageal (1) - External anal sphincter (7)
Which spincters are made up of smooth muscle ?-
- Lower oesphageal
- Pyloric Sphincter (b/w bottom of stomach and start of small intestine)
- Sphincter of Oddi (hepatopancreatic)
- Ileocecal (b/w ileum and cecum)
- Internal anal sphincter
What are the internal sphincters in a constant state of?
- Constant state of constriction (maintained by SNS)
- Maintained by BOTH intrinsic enteric nerves and extrinsic nerves
What does the relaxation of these 5 sphincters result from?
ACTIVATION of parasympathetic nerves and INTRINSIC INHIBITORY nerves in myenteric plexus
Which types of nerves innervate the gut?
- SENSORY NERVES–> Chemoreceptors and mechanireceptors
- SOMATIC MOTOR NERVES –> Skeletal muscle (upper oesophageal and sphincter)
- AUTONOMIC NERVES–> Innervate glands and smooth muscle
- ENTERIC NERVES–> Also innervate glands and smooth muscle
In times of extreme stress what happens to the neuronal controls?
- They all go!!
What are the two intrinsic nerve plexuses that the enteric nervous system is comprised of?
- Myenteric Plexux
2. Submucosal plexus
What is the myenteric part of the ENS involved with?
- b/w circular and longitudinal muscle layers and runs along ENTIRE length of GUT (control MOTILITY)
What is the submucosal plexus involved with?
- in submucosal connective tissue, only in CERTAIN REGIONS, controls SECRETIONS, localised blood flow –> nutrient absorption
What happens to the motility with the sympathetic system and parasympathetic system respecitvely?
- Motility decreases (Sympathetic) and increases (parasympathetic)
What happens to the motility in the submucosal phase?
- There is NO CHANGE
What happens to motility in the myenteric system?
- EXCITATORY
What is the effect of the Sympathetic nervous system for secretions?
- Decrease
What is the effect of the parasympathetic system for the Secretions?
- Increase
What is the effect of the myenteric ENS on secretions ?
- NO change
What is the effect of the Submucosal ENS on the Secretions
- Can be an increase in secretion (excitatory)
What is the effect of the sympathetic nervous system on the smooth muscle sphincters?
- Constriction
What is the effect of the parasympathetic nervous systyem on the smooth muscle sphincters?
- Relaxation
What is the effect of the myenteric ENS on smooth muscle sphincters?
- but can be inhibitory–> via NO- (relaxation)
What is the effect of the submucosal system on smooth muscle sphincters?
- No change
What does the ileocecal valve depend on ?
- The pressure
What is chyme and where is it first found?
- Found in small intestine
- Semi fluid pulp
- Mixture of food and gastric secretions
Where does most of the chemical digestion occur?
- in the duodenum (also almost all nutrient absorption)
How is small intestine motility stimulated?
- food enters, fills stomach–> stretch receptors go to CNS –> PNS efferent nerves–> to small intestine to stimulate motility
What are segmenting contractions and when do they occur?
- “CHOP” food up –> localised constrictions
- Slosh (mix) food backwards and forwards with digestive enzymes
- NO net movement of material
- Chyme broken down into smaller sections
After most of the meal has been absorbed, what are segmenting contractions replaced by?
- Replaced by the MIGRATING MOTOR COMPLEX
What is the migrating motor complex (MMC)?
-Peristaltic contractions of several adjacent segments from stomach –> large intestine
When is the MMC inhibited?
- Inhibited when food enters the stomach –> becasue segmenting contractions need to occur first to let food be broken down
What is the MMC initiated by and modulated by?
- INCREASE in chyme pH or the MOTILIN plasma hormone concentration (stimulating motility)
- Modulated by enteric (via stretch receptors) or autonomic nervous system
What happens when you have no MMC?
- Large overgrowth of bacteria
What are 4 processes that occur in the large intestine?
- Haustral (mixing) contractions
- Chemical digestion –> enteric bacteria
- H2O and electrolyte absorption
- Propulsive actions (mass movements)
- Excretion (via defication)
In a normal person, how long does it take for food to pass through the small intestine–> large intestine and excretion?
- It takes 12-24 hours
- Ileocelcal sphincter–> cecum–> ascending colon–> transverse colon–> descending colon–> sigmoid colon–> anal canal
What type of muscle are the haustra in the large intestine?
Circular muscle, have a sac like appearance
What type of muscle is the tenia colae in the large intestine?
- Longitudinal muscle
What is the rough pathway for haustral contractions?
- Chyme moves to lumen of large intestine–> stretch receptors ACTIVATED–> myenteric nerves activated–> shortening/activation of longitudinal muscle layer strips AND localised constriction of circular smooth muscle
What are the haustral contracitons in the large intestine replaced by and what is the rough mechanism (also where do they occur in large intestine)?
- MASS movements (peristaltic contractions) –> power propulsions
- Constrctive ring forms and there is LOSS OF HAUSTRA–> VERY LONG CONTRACTIONS (30 seconds) and 3-4 per day)
- occur from cecum to sigmoidal colon
What triggers the mass movements of the large intestine and what is it mediated by?
- Gastrocolic and duodeno-colic reflexes –> activated by DISTENSION of the stomach (stretch receptors) OR duodenum
- ANS mediation –> PNS (mass movement stimulation)
What are the two key functions of the colon?
- Absorption of fluids/electrolytes
2. Storage
What happens if the transit is too slow through the large intestine?
- More time for water absorption, so hard stool–> constipation
What happens if the transit time is too fast?
- NOT enough time for absorption–> diarrhea and loose feces