STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF THE GUT Flashcards
What is the cell type that lines the entire mouth?
Stratified squamous epithelial cells
How many teeth do adults normally have?
32
How many teeth do children normally have?
20 deciduous teeth
Where do the teeth arise from?
Alveolar bone
Where on the tongue are the receptors for sweet foods found?
Towards the front
Where on the tongue are the receptors for salty foods found?
Anterior middle portion
Where on the tongue are the receptors for sour foods found?
Posterior middle portion
Where on the tongue are the receptors for bitter food found?
Towards the back
What attached the anterior part of the tongue to the floor of the mouth?
The Frenulum
What are the roles of saliva?
Lubricate food to aid swallowing
Begin digestion of starches (amylase)
Break down of fats to help tongue analyse fragments (Lipases)
Antibacterial enzymes
How much saliva an adult produce per day?
1500 ml, most is swallowed and recycled
What is the enzyme found in the saliva which starts the breakdown of starch?
Alpha amylase
What are the names of the three main salivary glands found in the mouth?
Parotid gland
Submandibular gland
Sublingual gland
Which salivary gland in the mouth produces the highest percentage of saliva?
The submandibular gland - 70%
What is the specific role of the parotid gland?
Produces watery secretions lacking mucus
Secretes the alpha amylase
What is the specific role of the submandibular gland?
Secretes mucolipoproteins
Is saliva isotonic, hypertonic or hypotonic?
Hypotonic
What is the oesophageal hiatus?
The point where the oesophagues passes through the diaphragm and hence enters the abdomen
What proportion of the oesophagus is made of striated muscle?
The upper third
What proportion of the oesophagus is made of smooth muscle?
Lower two thirds
At what spinal level does the oesophageal hiatus sit?
T10
What is the name of the oesophageal sphincter that closes off the entrance to the stomach?
Cardio sphincter or lower oesophageal sphincter
Which nerve controls the sphincters of the oesophagus?
Vagus nerve
Describe the nervous pathway of swallowing.
Sensory endings in the mouth signal presence of food
Sends signal to nucleus of the tractus solitarius (solitary tract, NTS)
Activates motor neurones in nucleus ambiguus
Controls muscles of soft palate, larynx and epiglottis
What is the capacity of the average adult stomach?
4 Litres
What do we call the superior part of the stomach where the bolus enters?
The fundus
What is the name of the folds in the stomach that allow it to expand?
Rugae
What are the functions of the stomach?
Temporary storage of food Mechanical breakdown of food Pepsin digestion of proteins Controlled passage of chyme into small intestine Secretion of intrinsic factor
What is chyme?
The name used for the semi-digested material which is passed on from the stomach to the small intestine.
What is the role of intrinsic factor?
It protects vitamin B12 from the very low pH of the stomach. It is absorbed with the vitamin in the ileum.
What is the name of the additional muscle layer in the stomach wall not found in other parts of the GI tract? What is its function?
Inner oblique muscle
Churn up the food
What is the primary barrier which prevents the digestive enzymes from digesting the stomach wall?
A very thick layer of mucus
Which cells secrete gastrin from the stomach wall?
G cells
Which cells secrete HCl from the stomach wall?
Parietal (oxyntic) cells
Which cells secrete intrinsic factor from the stomach wall?
Parietal (oxyntic) cells
What are pepsinogens and which cells are responsible for secreting them from the stomach wall?
Pepsinogens are inactive precursors of pepsin secreted from the chief cells (or peptic cells)
What is the role of gastrin?
Stimulates the release of acid from the parietal cells.
What are the components of gastric juice?
Salts Water HCl Pepsinogens Intrinsic factor
What are the three ions channels/transporters found on the lumen side of the parietal cells, used in the secretion of acid?
Proton pump - K+ in for H+ out - active transport
K+ and Cl- co-transporter - passive transport
Cl- channel
Where do the protons used to make acid come from?
Water
How are the OH- ions, made as a by product of acid secretion, dealt with?
They are deposited in the blood as bicarbonate.
What is the pH of the blood in the gastric vein? What do we call this?
“Alkaline tide”
What is the pH in the lumen of the stomach?
pH ~ 1.3
What are the roles of stomach acid?
Denatures connective tissue and muscle fibres of meat
Combines with calcium and iron in the food to form soluble salts that can be digested
Activates inactive pepsinogens
Optimizes pH for pepsins
Kills germs
What do we call pepsinogens wrapped up in membrane-bound granules?
Zymogens
Does the stomach secrete lipase?
Yes, however not much fat digestion occurs in the stomach