THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

PREPARED BY,
Mrs. Priya Paul
Associate Professor
KNPI
 DIGESTIVE
SYSTEM

People are probably

more aware of
their digestive
system than of any
other system, not
least because of its
frequent
messages.

Hunger, thirst,
appetite, gas ☺, and
the frequency and
nature of bowel
movements, are all
issues affecting daily
 The Digestive Tract
Six Functions of the Digestive
System

1. Ingestion

2. Mechanical processing

3. Digestion

4. Secretion

5. Absorption

6. Excretion
 The Digestive Tract
• Ingestion
– Occurs when materials enter digestive tract via the
mouth

• Mechanical Processing
– Crushing and shearing
– Makes materials easier to propel along digestive
tract

• Digestion
– The chemical breakdown of food into small organic
fragments for absorption by digestive epithelium
 The Digestive
• Secretion
Tract
– Is the release of water, acids, enzymes, buffers, and
salts
– By epithelium of digestive tract
– By glandular organs

• Absorption
– Movement of organic substrates, electrolytes,
vitamins, and water
– Across digestive epithelium tissue
– Into the interstitial fluid of digestive tract
• Excretion
– Removal of waste products from body fluids
– Process called defecation removes feces
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

• The Digestive Tract

• Also called the gastrointestinal (GI) tract or

alimentary canal

• Is a muscular tube

• Extends from our

mouth to the anus

• Passes through the pharynx, esophagus,

stomach, and small and large intestines
The digestive system is
one of the most clearly
defined in the body.

It consists of a long
passageway, the
digestive tract, and
associated glands.

These include the liver

and pancreas, which
are connected to the
main tract by ducts, or
tubes, and empty their
products, such as
enzymes, into the tract.
Major Organs of the
Digestive Tract
Oral Cavity (Mouth)
Ingestion, mechanical processing with
accessory organs (teeth and tongue),
moistening, mixing with salivary secretions

Pharynx
Muscular propulsion of materials into
the esophagus

Esophagus
Transport of materials to the stomach

Stomach
Chemical breakdown of materials by acid
and enzymes; mechanical processing
through muscular contractions

Small Intestine
Enzymatic digestion and absorption of
water, organic substrates, vitamins, and ions

Large Intestine
Dehydration and compaction of indigestible
materials in preparation for elimination
A
n
u
s
Accessory Organs of
the Digestive System
Teeth
Mechanical processing by
chewing (mastication)

Tongue
Assists mechanical processing
with teeth, sensory analysis

Salivary Glands
Secretion of lubricating fluid
containing enzymes that
break down carbohydrates

Liver
Secretion of bile (important
for lipid digestion), storage of
nutrients, many other vital
functions

Gallbladder
Storage and concentration of
bile

Pancreas
Exocrine cells secrete buffers
and digestive enzymes;
Endocrine cells secrete
hormones
Intestines are about 22 feet long– the surface area
would cover almost 3000 square feet, the size of a
tennis court!

There’s a good reason for its size –

 Our digestive system is vital for our survival.

 It’s our nutrient feed

 Our main defense system

 Our main elimination route for waste

 The location for a million different vital biochemical

processes.
 The Oral
Cavity
• Functions of the Oral Cavity
1. Sensory analysis
• Of material before swallowing

2. Mechanical processing
• Through actions of teeth, tongue, and palatal
surfaces

3. Lubrication
• Mixing with mucus and salivary gland
secretions

4. Limited digestion
• Of carbohydrates and lipids
 Parotid duct

Openings of
Salivary Glands
sublingual
ducts Parotid salivary
Lingual gland
Sublingual
frenulum
salivary gland
Opening of left
Submandibular
salivary gland
submandibular
duct
Submandibular
duct
The oral
cavity is
bounded by
the teeth,
tongue, hard
palate, and
soft palate.
These structures make up the mouth and play a key role in the first step of
 Saliva Moistens Food &
Begins the Process of
Chemical Digestion
Saliva secreted by salivary glands
aids the mechanical and chemical
process of digestion.

Saliva is about 99% water and not

only moistens food but cleanses
the mouth, dissolves food
chemicals so they can be tasted,
and contains enzymes that start
the chemical breakdown of starchy
foods.

There are three pairs of salivary

glands: parotid, sublingual, and
submandibular (also called the
submaxillary gland). The Tongue
Creates a Bolus of food so it can
travel down the Pharynx and
Esophagus
Peristaltic Waves Move
Nutrients and Waste
Through the Intestines
• Peristalsis
• Consists of waves of muscular
contractions
• Moves a bolus along the length of
the digestive tract

• Peristaltic Motion
1. Circular muscles contract
behind bolus
• While circular muscles ahead of
bolus relax

2. Longitudinal muscles ahead of

bolus contract
• Shortening adjacent segments

3. Wave of contraction in
circular muscles
• Forces bolus forward
 STOMACH
STRUCTURE

The stomach is the widest

part of the digestive tube.
It is a muscular-walled, J-
shaped sac in which food is
stored, churned, and
mixed with gastric juices
secreted by its lining.

This process begins

moments after food enters
the stomach from the
oesophagus, through the
gastro-oesophageal
junction.

Gastric juices include

digestive enzymes and
hydrochloric acid, which
not only breaks down food
but also kills potentially
harmful microbes.
Food that is chewed in the
oral cavity then swallowed
ends up in the stomach
where it is further digested
so its nutrients can be
absorbed in the small
intestine.

The salivary glands, liver

and gall bladder, and the
pancreas aid the processes
of ingestion, digestion,
and absorption.

These accessory organs of

digestion play key roles in
the digestive process. Each
of these organs either
secretes or stores
substances that pass
through ducts into the
alimentary canal.
 The Liver Secretes
Bile to Emulsify Fats
in the Small Intestine

The liver is one of the

largest organs in the
body and it is
continuously
producing bile.

This yellowish-brown
fluid aids chemical
digestion by
emulsifying fats in the
duodenum.

Bile flows out of the

liver into the right and
left hepatic ducts, into
the common hepatic
ducts, and toward the
The Gall
Bladder Stores
Bile
If bile is not
immediately needed
for digestion, it flows
up the cystic duct to
the gall bladder.

The gall bladder is a

green, pear-shaped sac
about 10 cm or 4 in.
long that stores and
concentrates excess
bile secreted by the
liver.

Bile is released by the

gall bladder as needed
into the small intestine.
The pancreas secretes
pancreatic juice, a mix of
digestive enzymes, water,
buffers (bicarbonates),
and electrolytes produced
by acinar and epithelial
cells.

Pancreatic juice drains

through the main
pancreatic duct (duct of
Wirsung) into the
common bile duct and
then into the small
intestine.

There it buffers stomach

acids and breaks down
protein, fats, and
carbohydrates.
 Nutrients In, Waste Out:
How the Human Body Absor
bs
Nutrients and Eliminates
Waste
Villi that line the walls of the small
intestine absorb nutrients into
capillaries of the circulatory system
and lacteals of the lymphatic
system.

Villi contain capillary beds, as well

as lymphatic vessels called
lacteals.

Fatty acids absorbed from broken-

down chyme pass into the lacteals.

Other absorbed nutrients enter the

bloodstream through the capillary
beds and are taken directly to the
liver, via the hepatic vein, for
processing.
 Circular
fold
Mucosal
epithelium
Mucosa
Lamina
propria

Villi
Mucosal glands
Submucosal gland
Muscularis
mucosae
Lymphatic vessel
Mucosa
Artery and vein
Submucosa
Submucosal
plexus
Muscularis Circular muscle
externa layer
Myenteric
(visceral plexus
Serosa
peritoneum)
Longitudinal
Chyme passes from the small
intestine through the ileocecal
valve and into the cecum of the
large intestine.

Any remaining nutrients and

some water are absorbed as
peristaltic waves move the
chyme into the ascending and
transverse colons.

This dehydration, combined

with peristaltic waves, helps
compact the chyme.

The solid waste formed is called

feces.

It continues to move through

the descending and sigmoid
colons.

The large intestine temporarily

stores the feces prior to
elimination.
The body expels waste
products from digestion
through the rectum and
anus.
This process, called
defecation, involves
contraction of rectal
muscles, relaxation of the
internal anal sphincter, and
an initial contraction of the
skeletal muscle of the
external anal sphincter.
The defecation reflex is
mostly involuntary, under
the command of the
autonomic nervous
system.
But the somatic
nervous system also
plays a role to control
the timing of
THANK YOU