Regulation of digestion Flashcards
What is physical digestion?
the physical breakdown of food into small particles by grinding or chewing to increase surface area
What is Enzymatic Digestion?
The breakdown of complex food molecules by hydrolytic enzymes usually secreted into the gut lumen
- so that food molecules are broken down into monomers that can be absorbed and utilised by cells
Why is digestion necessary?
- major food nutrients are large macromolecules which cannot pass through the lining of the itestine
- therefore must be broken down to small molecules via chemical and physical digestion to pass through cell membranes
Incisors
required for cutting, chopping or gnawing
Canines
For stabbing, ripping and shredding
Molars and Premolars
for shearing, crushing and grinding
What is the hard material covering the tooth?
Enamel - Calcium Phosphate
What is involved in the enzymatic reaction in the mouth?
Enzyme - amylase
Substrate - Starch/glycogen
End product - Maltose (disaccharide)
What is the oesophagus
Muscular tube which transports food through the thorax and diaphragm to the stomach
What are the 3 types of secretory cells in the gastric pits of the stomach?
- chief cells - secrete pepsinogen
- parietal cells - produce hydrochloric acid
- epithelial cells - secrete mucus which protects the tissues from the acids and enzymes
Stomach
- thick muscular walls to churn food
- secretes protective mucus from secretory cells
- gastric glands secrete gastric juice including HCl and pepsin
Describe the enzymatic reaction that occurs in the stomach
Enzyme - pepsin
Substrate - proteins
End product - large peptides
What is the small intestine and its function?
- long muscular tube/large SA
- moves chyme forwards from the stomach
- continues enzymatic digestion with secretions from cells in its walls and from accessory digestive glands
- absorbs products of digestion through villi
What are the 3 different regions of the small intestine?
- duodenum
- jejunem
- ileum
Where is bile produced and secreted?
the liver