Anatomy

of
Digestive System

01/22/2025 Prepared by: DR.MESERET TADESSE

Out line
 Introduction to the digestive system
 Basic Structure of The GI tract organs:
 oral cavity
 pharynx
 esophagus
 stomach
 small intestine
 large intestine
 A summary of the major structures of
digestive system

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 Introduction
The gastrointestinal system is the portal
through which nutritive substances, vitamins,
minerals, and fluids enter the body.
Gastroenterology deals with the structure ,
function, diagnosis and treatment of disease of
stomach and intestine.
 The breaking down of food particles for use of
cells is called digestion.
 The products of digestion and the vitamins,
minerals, and water cross the mucosa and enter
the lymph or the blood (absorption).
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 organization
 The organ of digestion are divided into
two main groups
A) Gastrointestinal tract
B) Accessory structure
A) gastrointestinal tract is continuous
tube running from mouth to anus
B) accessory structure – teeth , tongue
, salivary gland ,liver , gallbladder, and
pancreas.

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General Structure and Functions
of the Digestive System
 Organs of the Digestive System to:
Ingest the food.
Transport the food.
Digest the food into smaller usable
components.
Absorb the necessary nutrients into the
bloodstream.
Expel the waste products from the body.

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General Structure and Functions
of the Digestive System
 Composed of two separate categories of
organs:
o digestive organs
o accessory digestive organs.
 Digestive organs collectively make up the:
gastrointestinal (GI) tract.
Also called:
 the digestive tract
 alimentary canal.

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 The GI tract organs:
 oral cavity
 pharynx
 esophagus
 stomach
 small intestine
 large intestine
continuous tube
 about 30 feet (9–10 meters)
 from mouth to anus.
 Smooth muscle in the wall
 responsible for motility
 pushes materials from one end to the
other.

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Accessory digestive organs:
 do not form the GI tube
 are connected to the GI tract (some
by ducts)
 assist the GI tract in the digestion of
food.
Include:
Teeth
Tongue
Salivary glands
Liver
Gallbladder
Pancreas

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 Digestive System Functions
 Ingestion
 Digestion: break down of large particles of food
 mechanical digestion
 chemical digestion
 Propulsion
 Peristalsis: series of involuntary wave-like muscle
contractions which move food along the digestive
tract
 Secretion:
 digestive enzymes
 hormones
 Absorption:
 from external environment into internal
environment
 across mucosa
 Elimination of wastes (defecation)
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 Oral Cavity (mouth)
o Entrance to the GI tract.
o Initial site of digestion:
mechanical digestion (via
mastication)
chemical digestion (via enzymes in
saliva).
o Bounded anteriorly by the teeth and lips
o Bounded posteriorly by the oropharynx.
o Superior boundary is formed by the hard
and soft palates.
o Floor, or inferior surface, of the oral cavity
the tongue
o01/22/2025
the mylohyoid muscle covered with 26-12
mucosa.
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 Oral Cavity (mouth)
Two regions of the oral cavity
 Vestibule is the space between the cheeks or
lips and the gums.
 Oral cavity proper.
The lateral walls are formed by the cheeks.
 Contain buccinators muscles
Lips (labia)
 Orbicularis oris muscle
 Keratinized stratified squamous ET
Gingivae, or gums
 Dense regular CT
 Nonkeratinized ET
Labial frenulum
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 Palate
 Hard palate
 Anterior two-thirds of the palate
 hard and bony
 Soft palate
 Posterior one-third
 soft and muscular
 primarily composed of skeletal muscle
 Extending inferiorly from the posterior
part of the soft palate is the uvula.
 Palate

• Fauces represent the opening between

the oral cavity and the oropharynx.
• Fauces are bounded by paired muscular
folds:
– glossopalatine arch (anterior fold)
– pharyngopalatine arch (posterior fold)
• Palatine tonsils are housed between the
arches.

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 Tongue
 An accessory digestive organ
Formed from:
 skeletal muscle
 covered with lightly keratinized stratified
squamous epithelium.
Manipulates and mixes ingested materials
during chewing
Forms the bolus.
 a globular mass of partially digested material
Performs important functions in
swallowing.
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 Tongue
• Inferior surface of the tongue
• attaches to the floor of the oral cavity
By the lingual frenulum
• Numerous small projections (papillae)
cover
the superior (dorsal) surface.
• Posterior surface contains lingual
tonsils.
• Skeletal muscles move the tongue.
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 Salivary Glands
• Collectively produce and secrete
saliva
– a fluid that assists in the initial
activities of digestion
• Volume of saliva secreted daily ranges
between 1.0 and 1.5 L.
– Most is produced during mealtime
– Smaller amounts are produced
continuously to ensure that the oral
cavity remains moist.
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 Salivary Glands
Components of saliva
– Water: makes up 99%
– Amylase: first step of chemical digestion
– Lysozyme: antimicrobial
Functions
– Moisten food
– Food molecules into solution: taste
– Form bolus: for swallowing
– Cleanse oral cavity.

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 Salivary Glands
Three pairs of
large,
multicellular
salivary glands:
 parotid glands
 submandibular
glands
 sublingual
glands
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 The Parotid Glands
 Largest salivary glands.
 located anterior and inferior to the
ear
 partially overlying the masseter
muscle.
 Produce about 25–30% of saliva
 conducted through the parotid duct to
the oral cavity.

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 The Submandibular Glands
 Inferior to the body of the mandible.
 Produce most of the saliva (about 60–
70%)
 ducts opens through a papilla in the floor
of the mouth lateral to the the lingual
frenulum

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 The Sublingual Glands
 Inferior to the tongue
 Each gland has multiple tiny sublingual ducts
 open onto the inferior surface of the oral cavity
 posterior to the submandibular duct papilla.
 Contribute only about 3–5% of the total saliva.

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 Teeth
• Collectively known
as the dentition.
• Responsible for
mastication
– first part of the
mechanical
digestion.
• A tooth has:
– exposed crown
– constricted neck
– one or more roots
• Roots of the teeth
fit into dental
alveoli
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 Pharynx
• Food that is swallowed passes from
the mouth into oropharynx.
• From oropharynx into
laryngopharynx
• Innervated by the vagus nerves

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 General arrangement of
abdominal GI organs
Peritoneum
 Parietal peritoneum
 Visceral peritoneum
 Peritoneal cavity
Intraperitoneal organs
Retroperitoneal organs

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 General arrangement of abdominal GI
organs
• Mesentaries
– Double layered folds of peritoneum
• Greater omentum
• Lesser omentum
• Mesentery proper
– Suspends small intestine from
posterior wall of abdomen
• Mesocolon
– Suspends large intestine
• Peritoneal ligament
– Peritoneum that attaches one organ
to another
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 General Histology of GI Organs
 From the esophagus through the large intestine
– a tube
– composed of four concentric layers called
tunics.
 From deep to superficial, these tunics are:
– the mucosa
– the submucosa
• submucosal nerve plexus (Meissner
plexus)
– the muscularis
• myenteric plexus (Auerbach plexus)
– the adventitia or serosa
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 Esophagus
 Tubular passageway
 Pharynx to stomach
 About 25 cm in adult
 Esophageal hiatus:
through diaphragm
 Histology
 Mucosa: nonkeritinized
stratified squamous ep.
 Submucosa: thick, elastic
fibers, mucous glands
 Muscularis: inner circular,
outer longitudinal
Both skeletal and smooth
 Adventitia

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 Esophagus
Superior esophageal sphincter:
 Skeletal muscle
 Where pharynx and esophagus
meet
Inferior esophageal sphincter
 Also cardiac sphincter
 Circular smooth muscle
 Orifice between esophagus and
stomach
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 Stomach

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 stomach
• The stomach is the dilated
portion of the alimentary
canal.
• It is situated in the upper
part of the abdomen,
extending from beneath the
left costal margin region
into the epigastric and
umblical regions.
• The stomach relatively fixed
at both ends but is very
mobile in between.
 Stomach
Shape:roughly J-shaped
The stomach has:
 Two openings, the cardiac and
pyloric orifices;
 Two curvature, the greater and
lesser curvatures;
 Two surfaces, anterior and
posterior surfaces
Also the stomach is divided into:
 Fundus
 Body
 Pyloric antrum
 Pylorus; pyloric sphincter and canal

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Stomach
• Functions
– food storage
• can stretch to fit ~2L food
– disinfect food
• HCl = pH 2
–kills bacteria
– chemical digestion
• pepsin
–enzyme breaks down proteins

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Gastric Juices
 Secreted by the stomach.
 Acidic (pH 1.5-2.5) (HCl).
 Pepsin- an enzyme that breaks
down large proteins into amino
acids.
 Food is further broken down into a
thin liquid called chyme.

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 Stomach
• Histology
– Mucosa: simple columnar
• Gastric pits
• Gastric glands
– Muscularis
• 3 layers
 Inner oblique
 Middle circular
 Outer longitudinal
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 Small intestine

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 Small Intestine

 The small intestine extends from the

pylorus to the ileocaecal junction.
 It is about 6 meter long
 It is approximately 2.5-3cm in
diameter.

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• The small intestine
is divided
Duodenum
Jejunum
ileum
 The duodenum
 first segment of the small intestine.
 approximately 25 centimeters (10 inches) long
 originates at the pyloric sphincter
 It lies above the level of the umblicus,opposite
1st,2nd and 3rd lumbar vertebrate.
 It surrounds the head of the pancreas.
 The duodenum contains Brunner’s glnads,
which produces a mucus-rich alkaline
secretion containing bicarbonate.
 These secretion, in combination with
bicarbonate from the pancreas, neutralizes
the stomach acids contained gastric chyme.
 The jejunum
 middle region of the small
intestine.
 approximately 2.5 meters (7.5
feet)
 Contains the plicae circularis, and
villi that increase its surace.
 makes up approximately two-fifths
of the small intestine’s total
length.
 primary region for chemical
digestion and nutrient absorption
 The ileum
 is the last region of the small
intestine.
 about 3.6 meters (10.8 feet) in
length
 forms approximately three-fifths of
the small intestine.
 It absorbs mainly vitamin B12 and
bile acids, as well as any other
remaining nutrients.
 terminates at the ileocecal valve
 sphincter that controls the entry
of materials into the large
intestine.
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 Plicae circulares
• Plicae circulares: the
circular folds(valves of
kerckring) are large
valvular flaps projecting
in to the lumen of the
small intestine.
• They begin in the
second part of the
dudenum.
Large Intestine

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 Large Intestine
• Has approximate length of 1.5 meters (5 feet)
and diameter of 6.5 centimeters (2.5 inches).
• Absorbs most of the water and electrolytes from
the remaining digested material.
• Watery material that first enters the large
intestine soon solidifies and becomes feces.
• Stores fecal material until the body is ready to
defecate.
• Absorbs a very small percentage of nutrients still
remaining in the digested material.

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 structure
• The colon consists
of five sections:
 The cecum
 Acending colon
 Transverse colon
 Descending
colon
 The sigmoid
colon and the
rectum
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 The cecum
The cecum is the first section of the colon and
involved in the digestion, the appendix is a
structure of the colon, not involved in digestion.
 There is no function of the appendix in digestive
systems. but can cause significant problems
when it becomes inflamed(appendicits)
 The ileocecal valve is a sphincter muscle valve
that separate the small and large intestine.
 Its critical function is to limit the reflux of
colonic contents in to the ileum.
 The ascending colon
It is connected to the small intestine
by a section of bowel called the
cecum.
The ascending colon runs upwards
through the abdominal cavity
towards the transverse colon for
approximately eight inches or 20cm.
 Transverse colon
• This part extends across the
abdominal cavity in front of the
duodenum and the stomach to area
of the spleen where it forms the
splenic flecture and curves accutely
downwards to become the
descending colon.
 Descending colon
 The descending colon is the part of the
colon from the splenic flexure to the
beginning of the sigmoid colon.
 One function of the descending colon is
store feces that will be empitied into the
rectum.
Sigmoid colon
 Is part of the large intestine after the
descending colon before the rectum.
 The name sigmoid means S-shaped
 appendix
It is a blind-ended muscular tube
attached to the posteriomedial wall
of the caecum, about 2cm below the
ileocaecal juction.
 rectum
• It leads rom the sigmoid colon and terminate in
to anal canal
Anus
• The anus is the external opening of the rectum.
• Its function is to control the expulsion of feces
• There are the internal and external anal sphincter,
which are circular muscles that normally maintains
constrictions of the orifices and which relaxes as
required by normal physiological fuctioning.
Accessory Digestive Organs

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 Liver
• Composed of four incompletely
separated lobes
– Right lobe
– Left lobe
– Caudate lobe
– Quadrate lobe
– supported by two ligaments
– Falciform ligament
– Round ligament
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 Functions of The Liver
 Produce bile.
 a greenish fluid that breaks down fats into small
droplets to assist in their chemical digestion
 Detoxify drugs, metabolites, and poisons.
 Store excess nutrients and vitamins and release
them when they are needed.
 Synthesize blood plasma proteins such as albumins,
globulins, and proteins required for blood clotting.
 Phagocytize debris in the blood.
 Help break down and recycle components of aged
erythrocytes and damaged or worn-out formed
elements.

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 Gall bladder
 concentrates bile produced by the liver and
stores this concentrate until it is needed for
digestion
 cystic duct connects the gallbladder to the
common bile duct
 can hold approximately 40 to 60 milliliters of
concentrated bile
 Bile duct – a long tube that carries BILE. The
top half of the common bile duct is associated
with the liver, while the bottom half of the
common bile duct is associated with the
pancreas, through which it passes on its way
to the intestine.
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 Bile
• Bile emulsifies lipids (physically
breaks apart FATS)
• Bile is a bitter, greenish-yellow
alkaline fluid, stored in the
gallbladder between meals and
upon eating is discharged into the
duodenum where it aids the
process of digestion.
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 Pancreas
 An organ which secretes both digestive enzymes
(exocrine) and hormones (endocrine)
 mixed gland because it exhibits both endocrine and
exocrine functions
 Endocrine functions are performed by the pancreatic
islets.
 Exocrine activity results in the secretion of digestive
enzymes, collectively called pancreatic juice, into the
duodenum.

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 Pancreas
• Digestive enzymes
– digest proteins
• trypsin, chymotrypsin
– digest starch
• amylase
• Buffers
– neutralizes
acid from
stomach

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 The biliary apparatus
 Network of thin ducts that carry bile from the liver
and gallbladder to the duodenum
 The left and right lobes of the liver drain bile into the
left and right hepatic ducts, respectively
 The left and right hepatic ducts merge to form a
single common hepatic duct
 The cystic duct attaches to the common hepatic duct
and carries bile to and from the gallbladder

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 Thank you

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