degDigestive System Associated Organs

 not directly in the digestive tract but have

ducts that lead into the tract
 These associated organs are the:
 Salivary glands
 Liver
 Gallbladder
 Pancreas
Layers of Digestive Tract Wall
Tunics - layers of the tract wall
1. Mucosa – innermost layer; secretes mucus
2. Submucosa – above mucosa; contains
blood vessels, nerves, small glands
3. Muscularis – above submucosa;
longitudinal, circular, and oblique muscles
4. Serosa/adventitia – outermost layer
- Serosa - covered with peritoneum
Digestion and the Digestive System - Adventitia - regions of digestive tract
 Digestion not covered by peritoneum
 breakdown of large organic molecules
into smaller molecules that can be
absorbed
 Digestive system
 performs the task of digestion
 Food is taken into the digestive system,
where it is enzymatically broken down into
smaller and smaller particles for absorption
Digestive System Functions
1. Ingestion of solids and liquids
2. Digestion of organic molecules
3. Absorption of nutrients
4. Elimination of waste
Digestive System
 consists of the digestive tract, plus specific
associated organs Peritoneum
 digestive tract is also referred to as the GI Layer of smooth epithelial tissue:
(gastrointestinal tract)  Mesenteries – connective tissue of organs
 tract is one long tube from the mouth to in abdominal cavity.
the anus.  Lesser Omentum - mesentery connecting
Digestive Tract Components lesser curvature of stomach to liver and
 Oral cavity (mouth) -> Pharynx -> Esophagus diaphragm.
-> Stomach -> Small intestines -> Large
intestines -> Rectum -> Anus
 Greater Omentum – mesentery connecting Teeth
greater curvature of stomach to transverse  32 teeth in normal adult.
colon and posterior body wall.  Incisors, canine, premolars, molars, wisdom.
 20 primary teeth (baby teeth).
 Each tooth has crown, cusp, neck, root.
 Center of tooth is pulp cavity.
 Enamel – hard covering protects against
abrasions.
 Cavities – breakdown of enamel by acids
from bacteria.

Oral Cavity
 First part of digestive system.
 Contains stratified squamous epithelia
 Salivary glands
 produce saliva which contains enzymes
to breakdown carbohydrates into
glucose.
 Cleanse mouth.
 Dissolve and moisten food.
 Amylase – salivary enzyme that breaks
down carbohydrates.
 Lysozyme – salivary enzymes that are active
against bacteria.
 Tongue – house taste buds and mucus.
Molar Tooth in Place in the Alveolar Bone  Oropharynx
 Laryngopharynx
Esophagus
 Tube that connects the pharynx to the
stomach.
 Transports food to the stomach.
 Joins stomach at cardiac opening
 Heartburn
 Occurs when gastric juices regurgitate
into esophagus.
 Caused by caffeine, smoking, or eating
or drinking in excess.
Swallowing
 Voluntary Phase – bolus (mass of food)
formed in mouth and pushed into
oropharynx.
Palate  Pharyngeal Phase – swallowing reflex
initiated when bolus stimulates receptors in
 Palate – roof of oral cavity
oropharynx.
 Hard Palate – anterior part
 Esophageal Phase – moves food from
 Soft Palate – posterior part
pharynx to stomach.
Salivary Glands  Peristalsis – wave-like contractions move
 Includes submandibular, sublingual, parotid. food through digestive tract.
 Produce saliva containing enzymes to
breakdown food.
 Mumps is inflammation of parotid gland.

Stomach
 Located in abdomen.
 Storage tank for food.
 Can hold up to 2 liters of food.
 Produces mucus, hydrochloric acid, protein
digesting enzymes.
 Contains a thick mucus layer that lubricates
and protects epithelial cells on stomach wall
form acidic pH (3).
Pharynx
 3 Muscular Layers
 Throat
 Outer longitudinal, middle circular, and
 Connects the mouth to the esophagus.
inner oblique to produce churning
 It has three parts:
action.
 Nasopharynx
  Rugae – large folds that allow stomach  Measures 6 meters in length.
to stretch.  Major absorptive organ.
 Chyme – paste-like substance that  Chyme takes 3 to 5 hours to pass through.
forms when food begins to be broken  Enzymes – further breakdown food.
down.  Secretions – protection against the acidity
 Pyloric Opening – opening between of chyme.
stomach and small intestine.
 Pyloric Sphincter – thick, ring of smooth
muscle around pyloric opening.
 Hunger Pangs – stomach is stimulated
to contract by low blood glucose levels
usually 12-24 hours after a meal.
Regulation of Stomach Secretions
Three (3) Phases:
 Cephalic Phase
 1st phase
 Stomach secretions are initiated by
sight, smell, taste, or food thought.
 Gastric phase Parts of Small Intestine
 2nd phase  Duodenum
 Partially digested proteins and  first part; 25 cm long
distention of stomach promote  Contains absorptive cells, goblet cells,
secretion. granular cells, endocrine cells.
 Intestinal phase  Contains microvilli and many folds.
 3rd phase  Contains bile and pancreatic ducts.
 Acidic chyme stimulates neuronal  Jejunum
reflexes and secretions of hormones  second part; 2.5 meters long and
that inhibit gastric secretions by absorbs nutrients.
negative feedback loops.  lleum
Movement in the Stomach  third part; 3.5 meters long.
 Mixing Waves Mucosa of the Small Intestine
 Weak contraction The mucosa of the small intestine is simple
 Thoroughly mix food to form chyme. columnar epithelium with four major cell types.
 Peristaltic Waves 1. Absorptive cells – have microvilli, produce
 Stronger contraction digestive enzymes, and absorb digested
 Force chyme toward and through food.
pyloric sphincter. 2. Goblet cells – produce a protective mucus.
 Hormonal and neural mechanisms stimulate 3. Granular cells – may help protect the
stomach secretions. intestinal epithelium from bacteria; and
 Stomach empties every 4 hours after 4. Endocrine cells – produce regulatory
regular meal, and 6 to 8 hours after high hormones
fatty meal.  Intestinal Glands (Crypts of Lieberkühn)
Small Intestine
  epithelial cells located within tubular  Located in the right upper quadrant of the
glands of the mucosa abdomen under the diaphragm.
 at the base of the villi  Consists of right, left, caudate, and quadrate
 Granular and endocrine cells are in the lobes.
bottom of the glands.  Porta – gate where blood vessels, ducts,
 Duodenal Glands nerves enter and exit.
 mucous glands contained by submucosa  Receives arterial blood from the hepatic
of the duodenum artery.
 which open into the base of the  Lobules
intestinal glands.  divisions of liver with portal triads at
Secretions of the Small Intestine corners.
 The epithelial cells in the walls of the small  Portal Triad
intestine have enzymes bound to their free  contain hepatic artery, hepatic portal
surfaces. vein, hepatic duct.
 Peptidases – enzymatically breakdown  Hepatic Cords
proteins into amino acids for absorption.  between center margins of each lobule
 Disaccharidases – enzymatically breakdown  separated by hepatic sinusoids.
disaccharides into monosaccharides for  Hepatic Sinusoids
absorption.  Contain phagocytic cells that remove
foreign particles from blood.
Movement in the Small Intestine  Central Vein
 Mixing and propulsion – of chyme are the  Center of each lobule.
primary mechanical events that occur in the  Where mixed blood flows towards.
small intestine.  Forms hepatic veins.
 Peristaltic contractions – proceed along the
length of the intestine for variable distances Liver Ducts
and cause the chyme to move along the  Hepatic Duct
small intestine.  Transport bile out of liver.
 Segmental contractions – propagated for  Common Hepatic Duct
only short distances and mix intestinal  Formed from left and right hepatic duct.
contents.  Cystic Duct
 Ileocecal sphincter at the juncture of the  Joins common hepatic duct.
ileum and the large intestine remains mildly  From gallbladder.
contracted most of the time.  Common Bile Duct
 Peristaltic contractions reaching the  Formed from common hepatic duct and
ileocecal sphincter from the small intestine cystic duct.
cause the sphincter to relax and allow Functions of the Liver
chyme to move from the small intestine  Digestive and excretory functions.
into the cecum.  Stores and processes nutrients.
 Ileocecal valve prevents movement from  Detoxifies harmful chemicals.
the large intestine back into the ileum.  Synthesizes new molecules.
Liver Anatomy  Secretes 700 milliliters of bile each day.
 Weighs about 3 lbs.  Bile – dilutes and neutralizes stomach acid
and breaks down fats.
Pancreas  Microbes synthesize vitamin K.
 Located posterior to stomach in inferior
part of left upper quadrant.
 Head near midline of body.
 Tail extends to left and touches spleen.
 Endocrine tissues – have pancreatic islets
that produce insulin and glucagon.
 Exocrine tissues – produce digestive
enzymes that travel through ducts.
Pancreatic Secretions
The major protein-digesting enzymes are:
1. Trypsin
2. Chymotrypsin
3. Carboxypeptidase Digestive Process
 Pancreatic amylase 1. Digestion – breakdown of food occurs in
 continues the polysaccharide digestion stomach and mouth.
that began in the oral cavity.
 Pancreatic enzyme lipase
 lipid digesting enzyme.
 Pancreatic nuclease enzymes
 degrade DNA and RNA to their
component nucleotides.
Large Intestine
 Function is to absorb water from
indigestible food.
 Contains cecum, colon, rectum, anal canal
 Cecum
 Joins small intestine at ileocecal
junction. 2. Propulsion – moves food through digestive
 Has appendix attached which is a 9 cm tract includes swallowing and peristalsis.
structure that is often removed. 3. Absorption – primarily in duodenum and
 Colon jejunum of small intestine.
 1.5 meters long; contains ascending, 4. Defecation – elimination of waste in the
transverse, descending, sigmoid form of feces.
regions. Carbohydrate Digestion
 Rectum  Polysaccharides split into disaccharides by
 Straight tube that begins at sigmoid and salivary and pancreatic amylases
ends at anal canal.  Disaccharides are broken down into
 Anal Canal monosaccharides by disaccharidases on the
 last 2 to 3 cm of digestive tract. surface of intestinal epithelium
 Food takes 18-24 hours to pass through.  Glucose is absorbed by cotransport with
 Feces is product of water, indigestible food, Nat into the intestinal epithelium
and microbes.
 Glucose is carried by the hepatic portal vein  Pepsin is a protein-digesting enzyme
to the liver and enters most cells by secreted by the stomach.
facilitated diffusion.  The pancreas secretes trypsin,
chymotrypsin, and carboxypeptidase into
Lipid Digestion
the small intestine in an inactive state.
 Lipase breaks down triglycerides into fatty
 In the small intestines these enzymes are
acids and monoglycerides.
activated.
 Bile salts surround fatty acids and
 In the small intestine, other enzymes
monoglycerides to form micelles.
termed peptidases, bound to the microvilli
 Micelles attach to the plasma membranes
of the intestinal epithelium further break
of intestinal epithelial cells, and the fatty
down small peptides into tripeptides.
acids and monoglycerides pass by simple
 Absorption of tripeptides, dipeptides, or
diffusion into the intestinal epithelial cells.
individual amino acids occurs through the
 Within the intestinal epithelial cell, the fatty
intestinal epithelial cells by various
acids and monoglycerides are converted to
cotransport mechanisms.
triglycerides.
 Proteins coat the triglycerides to form Water and Minerals
chylomicrons, which move out of the  Water can move across the intestinal wall in
intestinal epithelial cells by exocytosis. either direction.
 The chylomicrons enter the lacteals of the  The movement depends on osmotic
intestinal villi and are carried through the pressures
lymphatic system to the blood.  99% of water entering intestine is absorbed.
Lipoproteins  Minerals are actively transported across
wall of small intestine.
 Lipids are packaged into lipoproteins to
allow transport in the lymph and blood. Fluid Volumes in the Digestive Tract
 Lipoproteins are molecules that are part
water soluble and part lipid soluble.
 Since lymph and blood contain water and
lipids are not water soluble, lipoproteins are
necessary for transport.
 Lipoproteins include chylomicrons, low-
density lipoproteins (LDL), and high-density
lipoproteins (HDL).

Protein Digestion