Intestinal Absorption and Secretion of Fluids and Electrolytes Flashcards
What are the 2 key absorptive and secretory structures in the small intestine?
Absorptive - villi
Secretory - cryps of lieberkuhn
What are each of the cells in this image and what are their functions?
- Absorptive cell - at top of villi, absorb nutrients, electrolytes, fluid
- Goblet cell - secrete mucous
- Enteric endocrine cell - secreting cells, secrete CCK and secretin among other things
- Stem / progenitor cell - replenish absorptive cells
- Paneth cells - immune function (alpha defensin and lysozyme)
What is the turnover rate for absorptive cells on villi?
Slough off in 3-5 days
Under what conditions (not an exhaustive list, just some to know) is the turnover of shedding absorptive cells and producing new ones from stem cells diminished?
- Right after eating
- During lactation
- After intestinal resection
The absorptive cells that line the gut on the villi undergo rapid turnover. What does this make them susceptible to?
Vulnerable to radiation and chemotherapy
Brunner’s glands in the duodenum secrete what?
Alkaline mucus
- Where are brunner’s glands located?
- What is their function?
- What benefit does this provide for the GI tract?
- Pylorus –> sphincter of Oddi (place where pancreatic enzymes enter duodenum) –> ONLY IN DUODENUM
- Mucus secretion with high HCO3- content
- Protects duodenal wall and neutralizes acid in chyme from stomach
- What signals stimulate secretions from brunner’s glands?
- What signals inhibit secretions from brunner’s glands?
Where are crypts of lieberkuhn located?
Throughout small intestine
Within a crypt of Lieberkuhn, what are the 2 kinds of secretory cells that can be found and what do they secrete?
- Crypt enterocyte –> Fluid and electrolytes (Na+, Cl-, HCO3-)
- Goblet cell –> Mucous and HCO3-
- Throughout the small intestine, what is the purpose of secrete fluid into the GI lumen?
- How is fluid secretion accomplished?
- The secreted fluid picks up nutrients making it easier for the nutrients to be absorbed as they are absorbed with the fluid by absorptive cell
- The cells don’t actively secrete fluid. Instead they actively secrete Cl- and HCO3- and Na+ (both active and passive). Secretion of these ions into GI lumen causes osmotic movement of water into GI lumen as well –> fluid secretion.
What is the composition of fluid that is secreted by crypt enterocytes?
Isotonic, slightly alkaline for acid neutralization
Where does most absorption in the GI tract occur?
Duodenum and Jejunum
With regards to the secretory enterocytes in the crypts of Lieberkuhn, secretion of […] and […] is active while secretion of […] is both active and passive.
Cl-
HCO3-
Na+
In the colon, […] are absent while […] are present.
Villi
Crypts of Lieberkuhn
The colon lacks villi. How does it accomplish absorption and what does it absorb?
Colon still has surface enterocytes that absorb fluid and electrolytes (mostly fluid)
What is the function of crypt enterocytes in the colon?
Secretion of fluid and electrolytes (Na+, Cl-, HCO3-)
Are goblet cells found in the colon?
Yes –> secrete mucous and HCO3-
What is the purpose of having a large # of goblet cells in the colon to secrete mucus?
Helps with feces formation and mucosal protection of the colon wall
Surface area in both the small and large intestines are amplified in order to facilitate absorption. By what mechanisms is this accomplished in the small intestine and large intestine?