Normal Physiology of the Digestive System Flashcards
Digestive System (4)
- Two most important organs: pancreas and liver (secretory organs necessary for GI function)
- Digestive system is DISASSEMBLY LINE; we digest food as solid masses and get it down to fine liquid then ingested in form of macromolecules consisting of individual units
- Need to break down macromolecules into units so we can then absorb the nutrients
- Breakdown of medications, take down water, electrolytes, foods, etc.
Wall of GI Tract Layers (5)
- Mucosa: innermost layer of tract
- Submucous plexus: thick connective tissue layer
- Muscularis externa: double layer of smooth muscle
- Serosa: layer of connective tissue over tract wall
- Mesentary: serous membrane connected to tract
Mucosa Layer of GI tract (3)
Innermost layer
- Starts with mucous membrane → lamina propria → muscularis mucosa
- Sheep of epithelial tissue that is perpetually moistened by production of mucous
- The interface between interior and exterior environment
Muscularis Externa Layer of GI Tract (3)
Double layer of smooth muscle
- The two layers are oriented in different directions
- Inner circular muscle layer: muscle cells run in circumference around the tube
* When muscle cells contract they squeeze and get smaller in diameter - Outer longitudinal muscle: muscle fibers run longitudinally down the tube; when they contract the tube gets shorter
Mesentary Layer of GI Tract (3)
- Serous membrane connected to tract
- There is a double layer of mesentery that allows the membranes to connect over the tube
- The mesentery lines the interior of the body cavity and comes off and then covers all the visceral organs
Basic Properties of Epithelial Cells (3)
- Same properties of mucosal layer
- Epithelial cells with tight junctions between them so that nothing can get between them
* Anything that wants to move from lumen of GI tract to underlying capillaries (the blood) has to cross the epithelial cells - Interspersed between these epithelial cells are secretory cells: mucous cells, endocrine cells, and exocrine cells
Secretory Cells within Epithelial cells (3)
- Mucous cells or goblet cells produce mucous
- Endocrine cells produce hormones that regulate the function; goes into underlying vascular tissue and enters bloodstream
- Exocrine cells digestive enzymes that are released in lumen of GI tract
Esophagus Mucosal Anatomy
Most of the wall is muscle
This is because esophagus: has one function, which is for transport; quickly gets food from mouth to stomach
*No digestion or absorption here
Small Intestine Mucosal Anatomy
- Function is digestion and absorption; before food leaves small intestine, all digestible things will be absorbed
- Muscle layer is very small, because we want things to move slowly through it for maximal absorption
- Mucosal layer is in vili shape; this maximizes absorption by maximizing surface area available for absorption
* The cells lining the villi have microvili
Four Basic Digestive Properties
- Motility
- Secretion
- Digestion
- Absorption
Motility (4)
Movement through GI tract accomplishes two things:
- Need propulsive movements to move things forward
- Have mixing movements to mix food with digestive enzymes
- Mixing and propulsive movement
- Timing of these muscle contractions (peristalsis and segmentation contraction) determines how quickly things move through the GI tract and how quickly you can absorb things
Mixing Motility
Primary movement: Segmentation Contractions
*Random contractions of circular muscles that help mix the contents of the GI tract
Propulsive Motility
Most common propulsive movement is peristalsis
*Waves of muscle contractions that move down the tube; extremely effective way of moving things down the tract
Secretion (7, what it is, digestion, timing, product, etc.)
- Mucus is secreted throughout GI tract (everywhere)
* Wherever it is secreted, it plays a key role in keeping food hydrated and moist, which is necessary to digest things - Digestion = hydrolysis reactions, so we need a lot of water to maintain them
- The mucous that stomach produces is very thick and highly alkaline; it represents a critical protective barrier on the lining of the stomach
* Without mucous, stomach would digest itself very quickly - Also have secretion of acid, digestive enzymes, and bile salts
- Different structures are responsible for secreting different things
- Timing of secretion is highly controlled and most of the time, secretion is anticipatory
* Timing of Secretion controlled via the nervous and endocrine system - The product secreted dependent on location within digestive tract
Digestion (2)
Chemical breakdown of food
- Process of chemical digestion is the breakdown of macromolecules into absorptive subunits
- Three categories of foods (carbohydrates, proteins, fats)
* All are consumed in form of macromolecules and need to be broken down into subunits
Carbohydrate Digestion (6)
Consumed in two macromolecule forms
1.Polysaccharides
- Disaccharides
- The individual subunits (what makes up poly and disaccharides) are glucose, galactose, and fructose (sugars)
* Of these three, the one that we are capable of breaking down for energy is glucose - Galactose and fructose first needs to be converted into glucose before we can break it down and use it for energy
- We need multiple enzymes to breakdown carbohydrates, maltose/maltase is just one of them
- Can absorb them in monosacaccharide form
Polysaacharides
Long chains of sugars: starch (plant form) and glycogen (produced by us)
*Starch= dietary source
Disaccharides
Sweet carbohydrates: sucrose (table sugar) and lactose (dairy products) and maltose
Protein Digestion (3)
- Long chains of amino acids
- Greatest number of digestive enzymes dedicated to breaking down proteins
- Can absorb them in amino acids form
Fat Digestion (5)
- Most complex digestive process
- Have a lipid that needs to be digested in an aqueous solution, which is challenging
- Consume them in the form of triglycerides (3 fatty acid chains attached to glycerol backbone)
- When we breakdown triglycerides we produce 2 fatty acids and 1 monoglyceride
* In the form of fatty acids + monoglyceride = state that we can absorb - Only enzyme that breaks down fat is LIPASE
* Only organ that produces lipase = pancreas
* People with pancreatic disease/impaired pancreatic function can’t breakdown fat; have body wasting and get very skinny and produce stools that are all fat
Absorption (4)
- Small intestine is main organ of absorption; where we absorb all food, water, etc.
* Small intestine has a specific mechanism for transporting water, monosaccharides, fatty acids, and amino acids across mucosal wall and into blood vessels - Malabsorption (impaired absorption) is often called by maldigestion
- Anything that affects overall absorptive surface area will affect absorption
- It is the most important process in the digestive tract
Excretion
A non-digestive function of the GI tract; Gut responsible for excreting waste
Fluid/Electrolyte Balance
- A non-digestive function of the GI tract
- Small Intestine reabsorbs up to 9-11 liters/day
- Where we absorb water and all of our electrolytes
Immunity (3)
A non-digestive function of the GI tract
- Gut Associated Lymph (GALT)
* Immune cells lining GI tract wall - Lymphocytes and mast cells located in between epithelial cells and in the lamina Propria
- The Hepatic Phagocytic System
Liver and immune function (5)
Hepatic Phagocitic System
- Liver system of phagocytic cells called Kupffer cells
- Lots of macrophages in liver to protect us from what our gut absorbs
- Liver can neutralize the ammonia produced by gut bacteria and surveys everything for immune cells
- t metabolizes a large chunk of the stuff we absorb, like drugs or environmental toxins
- Liver filters everything our GI tract absorbs
Enteric System (7)
- Network of autonomic nerves found in the wall of the GI tract
- Very complex; represents postganglionic fibers of the parasympathetic nervous system
* Technically part of PNS, but operates autonomously - Postganglionic fibers of the parasympathetic nervous system that innervate the gut
- Considered the 3rd branch of the autonomic nervous system
- Autonomous closed loops: sensory – efferent – negative feedback
* Has it’s own sensors, effectors, etc. - Controls: Motility, Secretion, Digestion, and Absorption
- Lives in gut
Sympathetic Control of Gut (extrinsic)
Sympathetic stimulation slows digestion (inhibits secretion and motility)
*SNS tends to inhibit digestion and slow down motility
Parasympathetic Control of Gut (extrinsic)
Vagal stimulation promotes digestion (stimulates secretion and motility)
*Vagus control with gut function: everything anticipatory (anticipates food entering GI tract) will come from the brain
*People with spinal cord injuries will have adequate digestion but no anticipatory stimulation of gut function
The Enteric Endocrine System (3)
- Set of endocrine cells and hormones in GI tract to coordinate and regulate digestion
- Regulates function by secreting hormones; secrete hormones in response to specific stimuli
- Single hormone-secreting cells are scattered among other types of epithelial cells mucosa of stomach and small intestine
Enteric Endocrine System Targets
Smooth muscle, exocrine glands, endocrine glands
- Directly control motility, secretion, digestion, absorption
- Controlled by local short loop and influenced by longer loops (the global control)
Chewing Food (3)
- Incredibly important; maximizes ability for stomach and large intestine to breakdown food
- Reduces likelihood of indigestion
- Motility is chewing
No food is absorbed in the mouth!
Salivary Glands
- Salivary glands associated with lots of mucous; salivary amylase is an enzyme that breaks down polysaccharides
- So carbohydrate digestion begins in the mouth with the intro of salivary amylase
* The more you chew, the more salivary amylase gets into the food you chew - Lysoszome
Lysozyme
breaks down bacterial walls
*Reason why animals lick their wounds; because it is applying natural anti-microbial agent
Swallowing (2)
Push food to the back of our throat and it presses on the area of our throat just before the upper esophageal sphincter
- So we swallow food, it gets pushed back, and causes stretching above the upper esophageal sphincter
- This triggers the opening of the upper esophageal sphincter and a waive of peristalsis down the esophagus
*As long as there is still food in the back of the throat, peristalsis still gets triggered