Lecture 21 - GI system intro Flashcards
What is the GI tract?
A network of organs and specialised cells that enables you to transform the food you eat into the energy and nutrients required for life.
The Gi system contains the GI tract. What organs make up the tract?
Mouth, oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, anus
The GI system contains accessory organs. What are these? What is their role?
salivary glands, liver, gallbladder, pancreas
not part of the GI tract but secrete substances into the tract via ducts
The GI system contains mesentery. What is this?
the membranous tissue surrounding the organs of the GI system. Holds intestines in place. It contains lots of blood vessels involved in the absorption of nutrients. It also contains lots of lymphatics, part of the immune system and also absorbs fats.
Mouth:
- what does it contains?
- what is the main function?
- Teeth, tongue, mucous membranes
- Main function = to chew food
What are the pharynx and epiglotis?
- Contains pharynx and epiglottis which are muscular flaps in the back of the mouth. These prevent food travelling into the lungs.
What is the oesophageal sphincter?
in stomach - prevents anything from passing back into the oesophagus.
The stomach is made up of three different layers of smooth muscle…
outer, middle and inner layer
What is the role of the stomach?
Involved in the storage of food and also digestion of food- mechanical digestion and not really enzymatic digestion. This involves mixing, protein digestions, HCl/pepsin digestion and fat emulsification.
There are four layers of the stomach wall. What are they?
= mucosa, submucosa, smooth muscle layer and serosa
Cell types found in the stomach
- mucous neck cell- secrete mucus which protects the lining
- parietal cells- secrete gastric acid/HCl
- enterochromaffin like cell- secrete histamine which stimulates acid chief cells- secrete enzymes
- D cells- produce hormone called somatostatin which inhibits production of gastric acid
- G cells- secrete gastrin hormone which stimulates acid.
The longest part of the GI tract is…
the small intestine
The small intestine is the main site for…
absorption
The small intestine is divided into three main sections. What are these?
the duodenum at end of stomach, jejunum and the ileum
What are the different layers of the wall of the small intestine?
mucosa, submucosa, thick muscle layers and serosa
The small intestine is the primary site of what molecules?
- Primary site of breakdown of carbs, proteins and fats