UNIT 6 - DIGESTIVE SYSTEM Flashcards
1Digestive system
Consists of the gastrointestinal tract and accessory organs or digestion and involves breakdown of food
Functions of digestive system (4)
- Takes in food
- Breaks food down into nutrient molecules
- Absorbs molecules into bloodstream
- Get rid of any indigestible remains
Ingestion
Eating, or taking in food into the digestive tract
Digestion
Process by which insoluble food consisting of large molecules is broken down into soluble compounds
Mechanical digestion
Chewing of food into smaller pieces involving smooth muscle layers, teeth, tongue
Chemical digestion
Enzymes and acids breaking down the food involving pepsinogen, pepsin, HCl, gastric lipase
Absorption
Passage of food molecules from the digestive tract into circulatory/lymphatic system for transport to body cells
Defecation
Elimination or passing of feces from rectus out the body
Extracellular digestion
Food is broken down OUTSIDE the cell by enzymes produced by digestive tract cells
Intracellular digestion
Food is broken down INSIDE a cell (eg. Bacteria phagocytosed by WBC and digested by enzymes with lysosomes)
2 compartments of organs of digestive system:
- Alimentary canal (gastrointestinal)
- Accessory organs
Alimentary canal
Continuous muscular rube that runs from the mouth to the anus, consisting of mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, anus. Functions in digesting food and absorbing fragments through lining into blood
Accessory organs
Organs that aid in process of digestion consisting of teeth, tongue, gallbladder and digestive glands such as salivary gland, liver, pancreas
Digestive glands
Produce secretions that break down food
Mouth
Where food is chewed and mixed with enzyme containing saliva that begins process od digestion and where swallowing is initiated (eg. Mouth, tongue, salivary gland, teeth)
Tongue
Mixes food with saliva for easy swallowing
Buccal cavity
AKA oral cavity consisting of lips, cheeks, palate, tongue lined with stratified squamous epithelium
Uvula
Hanging from middle of posterior edge of soft palate
Soft palate
Behind hard palate separating nasal passage from food passage
Hard palate
Tissue covering part of maxilla in the anterior roof of mouth
Mastication
Chewing of food to make smaller food particles
Bolus
Small rounded mass of chewed food at moment of swallowing
Saliva
Clear liquid made by several glands in mouth and made up of 99.5% water and 0.5% solutes including salt, gases, bacteriostatic lysozyme and salivary amylase
Major salivary glands (3):
- Parotid
- Submandibular
- Sublingual
Saliva functions (4)
- Cleanse mouth
- Dissolve food chemicals to be tasted
- Moisten food and make bolus
- Contain enzyme amylase that begins digestion with starch
Pharynx and esophagus
Conduits to pass food from mouth to stomach and have a major function in propulsion that starts with deglutition
Deglutition
Swallowing and involves coordination of 22 muscle groups and 3 phases
3 phases of deglutition (swallowing) (3)
- Buccal phase (voluntary)
- 2 pharyngeal esophageal phases (involuntary)
- Controlled by swallowing center in medulla and lower pons
Buccal phase (voluntary)
Upper esophageal sphincter is closed, tongue moves upward and backwards against palate and pushes bolus to back of oral cavity into oropharynx
Pharyngeal esophageal phase (involuntary) 1
Uvula and soft palate move upward and close off nasopharynx, and larynx rises to epiglottis and blocks trachea. Upper esophageal sphincter relaxes and food enters esophagus
Pharyngeal esophageal phase (involuntary) 2:
Constrictor muscles of esophagus contract and force food inferiorly, upper esophageal sphincter closes
Esophagus
Muscular collapsible tube extending from pharynx to stomach located behind trachea and in front of vertebral column. It runs through neck, diaphragm and connects to stomach
Esophageal sphincter
Point where the esophagus connects to stomach
Peristalsis
Rhythmic muscular movements of alternating contractions of circular and longitudinal muscles that pushes food down esophagus towards stomach. Food is moved distally along tract
Circular muscle contractions
Lumen (internal diameter of digestive tract) contracts
Longitudinal muscle contraction
Length of digestive tract decreases and lumen widens
Stomach
Muscular J shaped organ in upper part of abdomen below diaphragm consisting of 4 major parts. Functions in digesting proteins and lipids (very small amounts of digestion)
4 major parts of stomach:
- Cardia
- Fundus (left)
- Body
- Pylorus (right)
Cardia
Lower portion where the esophagus is joined
Fundus
Rounded part of stomach above and left to cardia
Body
Largest central portion of stomach
Pylorus
Lower part of stomach attached to first part of small intestine (duodenum)
Pyloric sphincter
Band of circular muscle that can open or close and control movement of food from stomach into duodenum
Gastrin
Hormone produced by stomach that stimulates release of gastric juice (hydrochloric acid)
Gastric juice
Converts bolus to acid chyme with a pH of 2
Cells of gastric gland (5)
- Surface mucous cell
- Mucous neck cell
- Parietal cell
- Chief cell
- G cell
Surface mucous cell
Secretes mucus
Mucous neck cell
Secretes mucus
Parietal cell
Secretes hydrochloric acid and intrinsic factor
Chief cell
Secretes pepsinogen and gastric lipase
G cell
Secretes hormone gastrin
Liver
Largest gland in body weighing 3 pounds and consists of 4 primary lobes
4 lobes of liver:
- Right
- Left
- Caudate
- Quadrate
Falciform ligament
Separates larger right and smaller left lobe of liver
Round ligament (ligamentum teres)
Rope like band of connective tissue of fetal umbillical vein along falciform ligament
Liver functions (9):
- Produce bile salts from cholesterol for lipid emulsification
- Fat/cholesterol absorption
- Regulate blood glucose by producing and storing glycogen
- Detoxifies poisonous substances
- Produce plasma protein
- Stores fat soluble vitamins ADKE
- Storage for elements (Cu, Fe)
- Fatty acids converted to storage forms
- Degradation of hormones