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Class 3 > Lecture 27: Absorption > Flashcards

Lecture 27: Absorption Flashcards

1
Q

What is absorption?

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

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2
Q

Where are the sites of low absorption and why is this?

A
  • mouth
  • oesophagus
    both because the food is not there for very long
  • stomach
    because the pH is too acidic and we don’t want H+ to acidify the blood
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3
Q

Where is the main site of absorption?

A

in the small intestine

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4
Q

The stomach is permeable/impermeable?

A

impermeable

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5
Q

90% of the water and sodium absorption occurs in the

A

small intestine

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6
Q

9% of the water and sodium absorption occurs in the

A

large intestine

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7
Q

What are the four factors affecting absorption?

A
  1. motility
  2. surface area available for absorption
  3. transport across epithelium
  4. removal from the interstitial fluid
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8
Q

What is the effect of motility on absorption?

A
  • it allows the correct rate of propulsion to allow for maximal digestion and absorption
  • allows for storage
  • segmentation allows for exposure of products of digestion to absorptive surfaces
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9
Q

What is the affect of available surface area on absorption?

A

the greater the surface area, the faster the rate of absorption

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10
Q

What are four anatomical adaptations of the small intestine that maximise the surface area?

A
  1. length
  2. circular folds (plicae circulares)
  3. villi
  4. microvilli
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11
Q

What is the motility pattern in the small intestine that allows the products to be exposed to the absorptive surfaces?

A

segmentation

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12
Q

The lumen of the intestine is continuous with the _____ _____ and therefore the intestinal epithelium acts as a ________

A

outside world

barrier

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13
Q

What are the two pathways of transport of molecules across the epithelium?

A

Paracellular

Cellular

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14
Q

What is the paracellular pathway?

A

travelling through into the interstitial fluid via the “gap” between the cells

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15
Q

What is the cellular pathways?

A

across the cell membrane, through the cell cytoplasm

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16
Q

Are amino acids, monosaccharides and salts lipid soluble? Therefore what is needed for them to cross the barrier?

A

no they are not so they need transport proteins

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17
Q

What is the only barrier to the paracellular pathway?

A

tight junctions

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18
Q

Are paracellular pathways selective or not?

A

relatively non-selective which means if the solute is small enough, it can get through

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19
Q

Is transport through the paracellular pathway passive of not? What does this mean?

A

yes it is passive which means it only requires a concentration gradient

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20
Q

Give examples of things that can travel through via the paracellular pathway

A

amino acids and monosaccharides

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21
Q

Cell membranes are _____ bilayers

A

lipid

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22
Q

If the solute is not lipid soluble, it requires a ____ ____ to travel via the cellular pathway

A

transport protein

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23
Q

How can we maximise absorption across available surface area?

A
  • reduce nutrients into smallest possible unit in chemical digestion
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24
Q

Specific transport proteins absorb what is required and allow for ______ transport ______ the concentration gradient

A

active

against

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25
Why do we want to remove substances from the interstitial as soon as possible?
to that it can get into the blood fast and go around the rest of the body
26
What features are there to remove the substances away from the interstitial fluid as soon as possible?
There is a short distance between the epithelium and the blood vessels and lacteal
27
The large blood flow to the intestine and the short distance between the epithelium and the blood vessels/lacteal prevent what from happening?
a build up of interstitial fluid
28
How much water do we absorb each day?
about 9L to replace the losses and reabsorb the secreted water
29
What is the mechanism of water absorption?
osmosis
30
What is osmosis?
the passive movement of water from the lumen into the blood
31
How is an osmotic gradient set up?
by the absorption of salts and nutrients
32
Describe the absorption of Na+
- passive movement via the paracellular pathway | - active transport via the cells
33
Describe the active transport of Na+ via the cellular pathway
Na+ is not lipid soluble so transporters are required. Since it is moving down its conc gradient to get into the cell, it is passive but to get out of the cell, it is going up its concentration gradient and therefore it requires energy in the K+/Na+ ATPase
34
How many mechanisms are there to get Na+ across the membrane of the epithelium cell and what are they?
3 1. Na+ transport alone 2. Na+ transport coupled with monosaccharides 3. Na+ transport to amino acids
35
How does Na+ get across the cell from the lumen to inside the cell by itself?
It moves down its concentration gradient through an Na+ channel or Na+/H+ exchanger
36
How does Na+ get across the cell from the cell to inside the interstitial fluid?
against its concentration so it requires energy using a Na+/K+ ATPase
37
What are the two mechanisms of carbohydrate absorption?
Passive or active absorption
38
Describe the passive absorption of carbohydrates into a cell from the lumen
monosaccharides (glucose, galactose or fructose) diffuse down the concentration gradient via the paracellular pathway
39
What does the active absorption of carbohydrates involve?
cotransport with Na+ via the cellular pathway
40
What monosaccharides can travel via the cellular pathway with Na+?
glucose and galactose
41
Describe the active transport for carbohydrate absorption across the apical membrane
Using the Na+ traveling down its concentration gradient to provide energy, glucose or galactose are transported into the cell over the apical membrane via a Na+/glucose cotransporter
42
Pancreatic amylase first breaks down _______ to ________ then _____ _____ enzymes break these to __________
polysaccharides disaccharides brush border monosaccharides
43
Describe the passive transport of glucose and other monosaccharides from the cell across the basal membrane into the interstitial fluid
the monosaccharides simply diffuse across the basal membrane through a glucose carrier
44
What are the two absorption mechanisms of amino acids?
passive or active absorption
45
Describe the passive absorption of amino acids
amino acids diffuse down their concentration gradient via the paracellular pathway
46
Pancreatic enzyme first breaks down _______ to ________ then _____ _____ enzymes break these to __________
proteins polypeptides brush border amino acids
47
Describe the active transport for amino acid absorption across the apical membrane
Using the Na+ traveling down its concentration gradient to provide energy, amino acids are transported into the cell over the apical membrane via a Na+/amino acid cotransporter
48
Describe the passive transport of amino acids from the cell across the basal membrane into the interstitial fluid
the amino acids simply diffuse across the basal membrane through a amino acid carrier
49
Describe the absorption of the products of fat digestion
The products are lipid soluble and can therefore diffuse across the cell membrane without a transporter.
50
Is the whole micelle absorbed during fat digestion?
No, only the contents (fatty acids and monoglycerides diffuse into the cell)
51
What four things happen to monoglycerides and free fatty acids when inside the cell
1. resynthesised into triglycerides 2. packages into chylomicrons 3. chylomicrons exit the cell by exocytosis 4. chylomicrons enter the lacteals
52
Bile salts and micelles are eventually absorbed ______ the _____ digestion is complete
after | fat
53
Where does bile salt and micelle absorption take place?
in the ileum and colon
54
Describe the absorption of bile salts in the ileum
it an active transport process involving an Na+ dependent bile acid cotransporter in the apical membrane
55
Is the absorption of bile salts in the colon passive?
yes
56
Fat soluble vitamins such as vitamin A, D, E, K are absorbed with ______
fats
57
How are water soluble vitamins absorbed?
through a transported with Na+
58
Vitamin B12 is absorbed in the _________ bound to ________ _______ which is produced in the ___________
ileum intrinsic factor stomach
59
We eliminate what we don't absorb via faeces formed in the _______ _______ which is transfered to the rectum via ________
large intestine | peristalsis
60
How does motility aid in absorption?
by moving the contents to the absorptive surfaces
61
How does secretion aid in absorption?
by suspending it in solution

Class 3 (41 decks)

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