Lecture 27: ABSORPTION Flashcards

1
Q

What is absorbance?

A

The (net) passage of substances from the GI lumen across the lining of the intestine into the interstitial fluid and then into the blood or lymph

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Where are the sites of absorption?

A

Mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine and large intestine

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What absorption happens at the mouth, esophagus and stomach?

A

Minimal (lipid soluble substances only)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What is the main site of absorption?

A

Small intestine

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What absorption happens at the large intestine?

A

9% of water and sodium

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What factors affect absorption?

A

Motility, surface area available for absorption, transport across epithelium (reduction in size by chemical digestion and membrane transporters), removal from interstitial fluid

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What is required to allow digestion and absorption?

A

The correct rate of propulsion

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What motility affects absorption?

A

Peristalsis at an appropriate rate and segmentation to expose products of digestion to absorptive surfaces

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What is the rate of absorption proportional to?

A

Surface area - the greater the surface area the faster the rate of absorption

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What are the anatomical adaptations to maximise surface area for absorption?

A

Length of intestine (6m), circular folds, villi and microvilli

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What is the problem with transporting molecules across the epithelium?

A

The lumen of the intestine is continuous with the outside world and the intestinal epithelium is a barrier

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What is the paracellular pathway?

A

The ‘gap’ between cells

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What do solutes do in the paracellular pathway?

A

Don’t cross the cell membrane, the only barrier is tight junctions

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

How selective is the paracellular pathway?

A

Relatively non-selective - if the solute is small enough it can get across

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Is the paracellular pathway passive or active?

A

Passive - requires a gradient (high concentration in the lumen to low concentration in the interstitial)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What do solutes do in the cellular pathway?

A

Travel across two cell membranes and through the cytoplasm

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What is required if the solute isn’t lipid soluble?

A

A transport protein as membranes are lipid bilayers

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What are specific transport proteins required for?

A

In order to absorb what is required and allow active transport against a gradient

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What is required to remove substances from the interstitial fluid?

A

A large blood flow to the intestine (25% of cardiac output) and the arrangement in the villi of blood vessels and lacteals prevents build up in the interstitial fluid

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

How much water do we drink?

A

About 1.5L per day which replaces the water lost in sweat, urine, faeces and as we breathe

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

What is the total amount of water delivered to the small intestine?

A

About 9-10 L per day (including secretion)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

What happens if we don’t replace the losses and secreted water?

A

There is a major problem

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

What is osmosis?

A

Passive movement of water from lumen (high water concentration) into the blood (low water concentration)

24
Q

How is the osmotic gradient set up?

A

By absorption of salts and nutrients

25
Q

How may sodium be absorbed?

A

Passive movement via the paracellular pathway or active transport via the cells

26
Q

HOw is active transport of sodium described?

A

Transcellular

27
Q

What does active transport of sodium require?

A

Transporters to cross the cell membrane

28
Q

What are some mechanisms of sodium transport?

A

Na+ transport alone (paracellular), Na+ transport coupled to Glucose, Na+ transport coupled to amino acids (transcellular)

29
Q

How does Na+ move into the cell in the large intestine?

A

Down its gradient via transport proteins (Na+ channel)

30
Q

What does sodium need to do to get out of the cell?

A

Go against the concentration gradient by active transport, using energy (ATP) via Na+/K+ - ATPase

31
Q

What happens in passive absorption of carbohydrates?

A

Monosaccharides diffuse down their concentration gradient via the paracellular pathway (minor role in absorption)

32
Q

What is involved in active absorption of carbohydrates?

A

Cotransport with Na+ via the cellular pathway

33
Q

What carbohydrates are absorbed?

A

Monosaccharides

34
Q

What is the carbohydrate transporter on the apical membrane?

A

Na+/glucose cotrasnporter (low concentration to high concentration)

35
Q

What is the carbohydrate transporter on the basolateral membrane?

A

Glucose carrier (high concentration to low concentration)

36
Q

What happens in passive absorption of amino acids?

A

Amino acids diffuse down their concentration gradient via the paracellular pathway

37
Q

What pathway is active absorption of carbohydrates via?

A

The cellular pathway

38
Q

How are di and tri-peptides absorbed?

A

Via H+ dependent cotransport

Na/K+ATPase creates electrical gradient for H+

39
Q

How are amino acids absorbed?

A

Via Na+ dependent cotransporters

40
Q

What is the amino acid transporter on the apical membrane?

A

Na+ amino acid cotransporter

41
Q

What is the amino acids transporter on the basolateral membrane?

A

An amino acid carrier

42
Q

What are the products of fat digestion?

A

Lipid soluble so can diffuse across the cell membrane freely without a transporter

43
Q

How are products of fat digestion delivered to the brush border?

A

By micelles

44
Q

Is the whole micelle absorbed?

A

NO, it releases its contents and the bile salts are absorbed later

45
Q

What products of fat digestion move into the cell?

A

Fatty acids and monoglycerides

46
Q

What happens to the fatty acids and monoglycerides in the cell?

A

They re resynthesized into triglycerides, packaged into chylomicrons which then exit the cell by exocytosis and enter the lacteals

47
Q

Where do the bile salts which are absorbed come from?

A

Micelles

48
Q

When does bile salt absorption occur?

A

After fat absorption is complete

49
Q

How is bile salt absorption in the ileum?

A

An active transport process by apical Na+ dependent bile acid cotransporter

50
Q

How is bile salt absorption in the colon?

A

Passive

51
Q

How are fat soluble vitamins absorbed?

A

(A, D, E, K) are absorbed with fats

52
Q

What do water soluble vitamins rely on for absorption?

A

Na+ dependent absorption (Vitamin C)

53
Q

Where is vitamin B12 absorbed?

A

In the ileum

54
Q

What does vitamin B12 do?

A

It binds to intrinsic factor in the stomach and a specific transporter found in the ileum allows it to be asorbed

55
Q

What is vitamin B12 deficiency?

A

Perinicious anemia

56
Q

Do we absorb everything?

A

No