Transport Along Alimentary tract Flashcards
What 2 mechanisms allow the transport of digested material from the gastric reservoir into the antral pump?
- Tonic contractions
2. Peristaltic waves (in gastric corpus region)
What are tonic contractions?
Contractions maintained from mins to hrs at a time
They can occur in the stomach and sphincters of GI tract
How does storage of food occur in the stomach?
The proximal stomach relaxes to store food at low pressure whilst it’s acted upon mechanically and by gastric acids + enzymes
Why is stomach emptying regulated?
Carefully regulated to ensure adequate:
- acidification and neutralisation
- action of enzymes
- mechanical breakdown
- and to avoid duodenal swamping
What is gastroparesis?
chronic (long-term) condition in which the stomach cannot empty itself of food in the normal way, causing food to pass through it slowly
Describe the sieving effect of the pyloric sphincter
only chyme of size 1-2 mm is allowed to pass
Large food particles are retained in the proximal part of the stomach;
What is the fate of large food particles retained in the proximal stomach?
antrum repulses them→ mixing and grinding
with digestive juices
What occurs during accommodation?
electrical activity is minimal , VIP / NO activity ↑= relaxation
Describe the events that occur during gastric emptying
Ach and (hormonal) Gastrin cause contraction & motility, ICC cause tonic contractions - slow wave of impulses travel through gut initiating contraction
What is gastric emptying dependent upon?
Propulsive force generated by the tonic contractions of proximal stomach
The stomach’s ability to differentiate types of meals ingested and their components
Gastric emptying depends on type of food we eat
What decreases rate of gastric emptying?
Fatty, hypertonic, acidic chyme in the duodenum, decrease the force and rate of gastric emptying
Describe how different foods pass through stomach
Liquids pass in spurts
Solids are broken down to 1-2 mm sizes
Large indigestible materials remain: cleared by MMC
What is the gastric emptying limiting factor?
particle size is limiting factor in the fed, but not the fasting state
Explain how liquids pass through stomach
Rapidly disperse, empty without lag time
Rate of emptying is influenced by nutrient content (nutrient-containing liquids retained longer)
Explain how solids pass through stomach
2 phases (lag time and linear phase); duration of lag time is related to size of particle
Liquid part emptied
Solid component retained in proximal stomach
Trituration of larger particles into smaller ones
(~60min for a typical solid-liquid meal)
What regulates passage of material through stomach into duodenum?
Pylorus regulates passage of material
What is trituration?
a form of reducing particle size or creating a homogenous solution through thorough mixing
How do fatty foods affect gastric emptying?
Liquefy at body temperature; float on top of liquid layer and empty slowly
Fats are potent inhibitors of gastric motor events and gastric emptying
What are indigestible solids?
Solids that are not emptied in immediate post-prandial period
MMC activity
What factors determine rate of gastric motility
Type of food eaten:
- carbohydrates > protein > fatty foods > indigestible solids
Osmotic pressure of duodenal contents:
- hyperosmolar chyme ↓ gastric emptying
Vagal innervation upon over-distension ↓ gastric motility
Hormones (somatostatin, secretin, CCK, GIP):
- inhibit emptying
Injury to intestinal wall and bacterial infections ↓ motility
What is the role of the intrinsic basic electric rhythm?
BER a rhythm of depolarisation-repolaristaion allowing smooth muscle cell to depolarise and contract rhythmically when exposed to hormonal signals
Explain how BER causes movement in the stomach
Stomach muscle cells produce electric depolarisations from resting potential
And move ripples towards the antrum
How is the fundus innervated?
The Fundus is under vagal excitatory control