Unit 3 - Chapter 41 Structure and fx digestive system Flashcards
GI tract major fx
- mechanical + chemical breakdown of food and the absorption of digested nurtrients
GI tract
- hollow tube that extends from mouth to anus
Walls of GI tract
- mucosa (innermost) -> basement membrane
- muscularis mucosa (peristalsis)
- submucosa (dense connective tissue that supports mucosa as well as joins mucosa to the bulk of underyling smooth muscle + contains submucosal glands that secrete mucus)
- muscularis (circular muscle and longitudinal layer) — peristalsis
- serosa (final layer - composed of connective tissue and gives strength to the digestive tract)
What parts of GI are controlled voluntarily and involuntarily?
- swallowing + defecation => voluntary
- GI tract iself controlled by extrinsic automatic nerves (vagus, parasympathetic, splanchinic, and sympathetic nerves)
- ALSO intrinsic autonomic nerves (enteric nervous sytem) + intestinal hormones
//////////////
Parasympathetic nerves – stimulate motility ie ‘makes you poo’
* The parasympathetic nerves originate in the medulla with the brain
* Innervation of ascending colon and half transverse colon is via the vagus nerve
* Innervation of the descending colon, rectum and anus is via the sacral nerve roots S2-S4 though the pelvic nerves, these para sympathetic nerves stimulate the rectum and anal canal to contract and the internal anal sphincter to relax, this allows faeces to pass though the anus
Sympathetic nerves – inhibit motility ie ‘stops your poo’
* The sympathetic nerves originate lower down the spine, between the 10th thoracic and 3rd lumbar segments
* Innervation from the lumbar spine T11- L2 via the hypogastric nerve, these Sympathetic nerves stimulates the rectum and anal canal to relax and the anal sphincter to contract, to maintain continence
Sensory and motor innervation of the bowel and pelvic floor is through the vagus nerve, the nervi erigentes (pelvic splanchnic nerves), direct sacral root branches and the pudendal nerve.
Mixed nerves supply the somatic voluntary muscles of the pelvic floor and the external anal sphincter.
///////////
The enteric nervous system or intrinsic nervous system is the internal nervous system of the gut and is embedded in the wall of the gut, it begins at the oesophagus and extends to the anus.
The enteric nervous system coordinates gut secretion, blood flow and muscular activity.
The enteric nervous system normally communicates with the central nervous system though the parasympathetic (vagus nerve) and the sympathetic nervous systems but it is also able to function independently.
If the vagus nerve is severed the enteric nervous system can continue to function itself without input from the central nervous system. This can be seen in some individuals who have severe nerve damage but who still have some gut motility. (This is different to the nerve control for the bladder, which can become atonic).
What happens in the mouth?
- digestion begins in the mouth w/ chewing + salivation
- saliva (digestive component) ==> a-amylase => initiates carbohydrate digestion
Esophagus
- muscular tube
- transports food from mouth to stomach
- upper part is striated muscle
- lower part is smooth muscle
swallowing
- controlled via swallowing center in reticular formation (where brain stem is?) of brain
- two phases – oropharyngeal phase (voluntary swallowing) and esophageal phase (involuntary swallowing)
How does food move?
- peristalsis - waves of sequential relaxations and contractions of the muscularis
Lower esophageal sphincter
- opens to admit swallow food into stomach
- Then closes to prevent regurgitation of food back into esophagus
Stomach
- secretes digestive juices
- mixes/stores food
- propels partially digested food (chyme) into duodenum (1st section of small intestine)
- smooth muscles — outer logntiduinal, middle circular, and internal oblique
Vagus nerve
- stimulates gastric (stomach) secretion and motility
Gastrin and motilin
- hormones that stimulate gastric emptying
Secretin and cholecystokinin
- delay gastric emptying (hormones)
Gastric glands
- located in fundus (top of stomach) and body of stomach
- release intrisc factors needed for:
1) vitamin b12 absorption (fx of brain and nervous system, formation of RBC // prevent megaloblastic anemia – blood condition that makes people tired and weak)
2) Hydrocloric acid (inside gastric juice - dissolves food fibers, kills bacteria, and actives enzyme pepsin [breakdown proteins])
Chief cells
- inside stomach
- secretes pepsinogen, which is converted to pepsin in the acidic environment created by hydrochloric ac
- Digest proteins
Acid secretion
- stimulated by vagus nerve, gastrin (G-cells lining stomach and upper small intestine), and histamine
- inhibited by sympathetic stimulation and cholecystokinin (stimulates your gallbladder to contract and release bile into your small intestine // stimulates your pancreas to release pancreatic enzymes)
What is secreted thoroughout stomach?
- mucus
- protects stomach wall from aid and digestive enzymes
3 phases of acid secretion
1) cephalic phase (anticipation and swallowing)
2) gastric phase (food in the stomach)
3) intestinal phase (chyme in the intestine)
Small intestine
- 5 m long
- 3 segments (duodenum, jejunum, and ileum – descending direction until reach large intestine)
- digestion and absorption of all major nutrients and most ingested water ocur in the small intestine
Peritoneum
- double layer of membranous tissue
- visceral covers abdominal organ
- parietal layer extends along abdominal wall
- in between the two is the parietal cavity!
blood flow to the small intestine
- superior mesenteric artery (bottom main artery)
duodenum
- receives chyme from stomach through PYLORIC valve
- presence of chyme stimulates liver and gallbladder to deliver bile and pancreas to deliver digestive enzymes and alkaline secretions (alkaline secretion is important in buffering of acid chyme entering duodenum and for activation of enzymes; rich in digestive enzymes and bicarbonate)
- bile and enzymes flow through an opening guarded by sphinceter of Oddi (pancreatic juices, exiting from pancreas to small intestine)
bile
- produced by liver and needed for fat digestion and absorption
- bile’s alkalinity helps neutralize acidic chyme
- l/t pH that enables pancreatic enzymes to digest proteins, carbohydrates and sugars
Enzymes secreted by small intestine
- maltase (breaks down maltose into glucose), sucrase (breaks down sucrose [table sugar] into glucose and fructose), lactase (breaks down milk sugar into glucose and galactose)
pancreatic enzymes
- proteases (break down proteins via peptide bonds that join amino acids through hydrolysis)
- amylase (digest starch into smaller molecules => maltose (then clevaed by small intestine’s maltase)
- lipase (breakdown fats in food so they can be absorbed in the intestines)
bile salts
- bile (contains these salts, phopholipids, cholesterol, conjugated billrubin, electrolyes, and water) => liver => ducts => common hepatic dut
- act in small intestine to digest proteins, carbohydrates, fats
- specifically, they emlusify and hydrolyze fats and put them in water-soluble micelles (carry other substances) via unstirred water layer (next to intestinal membrane or brush border) then to the brush border (stria of microvilli on the plasma membrane of an epithelial cell (as in a kidney tubule) that is specialized for absorption, start carbohydrate digestion)
- Fat content inside the micelle readily diffuse through the epithelium into lacteals (lymphatic ducts) in the villi
- From there, fats travels from lympathics and into the systemic circulationh, which delivers them to the liver!
- also includes fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K)
What happen to digested substances
- Absorbed across intestinal wall and then transported to liver through hepatic portal vein (capillaries branch out from intestines then to this vein under the liver), where they are metabolized further