GASTROINTESTINAL

SYSTEM
 • OBJECTIVES:

1. Name the organs of Alimentary Canal

and Accessory organs.

2. Identify the functions of digestive

system

3. Describe and learn about how

metabolism and nutrition takes place.

4. Name the important congenital

disorders of the digestive system.
 GASTROINTESTINAL SYSTEM
OVERVIEW:
• Or better known as the Digestive System.
• It provides the body with water, electrolytes, and other nutrients.
• the digestive system is specialized to ingest food, propel it through the
digestive tract, digest it, and absorb water, electrolytes, and other nutrients
from the lumen of the gastrointestinal tract.
• Has two regions namely: Alimentary canal or Digestive Tract and Accessory
organs
 Part l:
Anatomy and
Phisiology of
the Digestive
System
 TWO MAIN GROUPS:

• Alimentary Canal

• Accessory Organs
 ALIMENTARY CANAL:
• It performs the whole menu of digestion functions,
such as ingestion, digestion, absorption and defecation.
• It is a continuous, coiled, hollow, muscular tube.
• It consists of several organs like, mouth, pharynx,
esophagus, stomach, small intestine and large intestine.
• It is also called oral cavity.
MOUTH
• A mucous membrane-lined cavity.

• PARTS OF MOUTH:

• It is connected to the lips (labia) which protects its anterior opening and
cheeks forms its lateral walls.
• The hard palate forms its anterior roof.
• The soft palate forms its posterior roof.
• It also have uvula, a fleshy fingerlike projection.
• The teeth and tongue also occupy the floor of the mouth.
ANATOMY OF MOUTH
 FUNCTION OF MOUTH:

• It is mainly responsible for breaking the food

into smaller bites and takes place as first
function in the digestive system which is called
ingestion, or the intake of food.
 PHARYNX
• It is subdivided into the nasopharynx (part of respiratory system
that is responsible for passageway:

• 1. Osopharynx - which is the posteriorpart of oral cavity.

• 2. Laryngopharynx - which connects to the esophagus.

• Pharynx also contain two skeletal muscle layers namely; the outer
circular layer and the inner longitudinal layer.
• Pharynx consist of a propelling mechanism called peristalsis.
 FUNCTION OF PHARYNX:

• Its main funtion is to receive food and

air from the mouth, and air from the
nasal cavities. Wherein, when food
enters the pharynx, involuntary muscle
contractions close off the air
passageways.
 ESOPHAGUS
• Or also called as gullet and runs from the pharynx through the
diaphragm up to the stomach.
• It is about 25 cm or 10 in long.

• CONTAINS FOUR BASIC TISSUE LAYER OR TUNICS:

• 1. Mucosa - innermost layer of the wall.

• 2. Submucosa - beneath the mucosa, a soft connective tissue layer.
• 3. Muscularis externa - made up of inner circular layer and longitudinal
layer.
• 4. Serosa - outernost later of the wall.
 FUNCTION OF ESOPHAGUS:
• It is essentially a passageway that conducts food (by
peristalsis) to the stomach.
• In which, its walls contain also two important nerve
plexus which helps regulate the mobility and secretory
activity of digestive tract organs namely;
• 1. Submucosal nerve plexus
• 2. Myenteric nerve plexus
 STOMACH
• A hollow organ, or "container," that holds food while it is being mixed
with stomach enzymes.
• It is in C-shaped figure and is on the left side of the abdomibal cavity and
can hold up to 4 liters of food. In contrast, when it is empty it collapses
and mucosa is thrown into large folds called rugae.
• DIFFERENT REGIONS OF STOMACH:
• 1. Cardiac Region
• 2. Fundus
• 3. Body
• 4. Pylorus
ANATOMY OF STOMACH
 FUNCTION OF STOMACH:
• It mainly acts as a storage for food as well as a site for food
breakdown.
• Its walls contains an arranged layer in the muscularis externa, which
helps to churn, mix and pummel the food.
• It also has chief cells which produces enzymes like pepsinogens.
• In addition, parietal cells also takes place for stomach to be acidic and
to activates enzymes.
• It also resembles a heavy cream after food is processed and is called as,
chyme.
• The body's major digestive system.
SMALL INTESTINE
• It is the longest section of the alimentary tube, with an average length of
2 to 4 m (6-13ft) in a living person.

• THREE SUBDIVISIONS:
• 1. Duodenum - curves around the head of the pancreas.
• 2. Jejunum - extends from duodenum to the ileum.
• 3. Ileum - terminal part of the small intestine.
• THREE STRUCTURAL WALLS:
• 1. Microvilli - give the cell surface a fuzzy appearance.
• 2. Villi - give a velvety appearance.
• 3. Circular folds - also called plicae ciculares.
 FUNCTION OF SMALL
INTESTINES:
• Nearly, all food absorption occurs in the small
intestine and it also has local connections of
lymphatic tissue, Peyer's patches that is found in the
submucosa.
• Wherein, chemical digestion of food begins in earnest
in the small intestine.
•
LARGE INTESTINE
It is much larger in diameter than the small intestine but shorter in
length.
• It is about 1.5m (5ft) long and it extends from the ileocecal valve to
anus.

• FIVE SUBDIVISIONS:
• 1. Cecum - saclike.
• 2. Appendix - hanging from the cecum.
• 3. Colon - has several regions; ascending, transverse,descending and
sigmoid colon.
• 4. Rectum - connected in sigmoid colon.
• 5. Anal canal - end at anus. It has an external voluntary sphincter
and internal involuntary sphincter.
 FUNCTIONS OF LARGE
INTESTINE:
• Its major function is to dry out the
indigestible food residue vy
absorbing water and to eliminate the
residues from the body in the form
of feces.
 ALIMENTARY CANAL REVIEW:
• It consists of several organs such as;
• 1. Mouth - first process of the GI tract.
• 2. Pharynx - passageways for food, fluids and air.
• 3. Esophagus - passageway that conducts food down to stomach.
• 4. Stomach - temporary storage for food.
• 5. Small intestine - body's major digestive organ.
• 6. Large intestine - responsible for absorbing food and eliminates it in the
form of feces.
 ACCESSORY ORGANS

• It consists of tongue, teeth and

several large digestive glands.
• It assist the process of digestive
breakdown in various ways.
 SALIVARY GLANDS
CONSIST OF THREE SECRETION:
• 1. Parotid glands - lie anterior to the ears.
• 2. Submandibular glands
• 3. Sublingual glands

• Its product is saliva, a mixture of mucus and serous fluids.

• Its mucus moistens and help to bind food together into a mass called
bolus, which makes chewing and swallowing easier.
• Its clear serous portion contains enzyme called, salivary amylase.
ANATOMY OF SALIVARY
 FUNCTION OF SALIVARY
GLANDS:
• The main function of salivary glands is to produce
saliva, which keeps the mouth and other parts of the
digestive system moist.
• It also helps break down carbohydrates (with salivary
amylase, formerly known as ptyalin) and lubricates the
passage of food down from the oro-pharynx to the
esophagus to the stomach.
 TEETH
• Its role is widely known as by opening and closing the jaws and moving
them from side to side while continually using the tongue to move the
food in between is in the process of masticating or chewing.

• 2 SETS OF TEETH:
• 1. Deciduous teeth - also called baby teeth.
• 2. Permanent teeth - enlarge and develop.

• Teeth is also classified into: incisors, canines, premolars and molars.

ANATOMY OF
 FUNCTION OF TEETH:

•Its main purpose is to process food

by tearing and grinding the food,
breaking it down into smaller
fragments.
 PANCREAS
• It is a soft, pink triangular gland which
extends across the abdomen from the
spleen up to the duodenum.
• It lies posterior to the parietal
peritoneum; hence its location is referred
to as retroperitoneal.
 FUNCTION OF PANCREAS:

• Its main function is to neutralize the acidic

chyme that is coming from the stomach.
• Wherein, pancreas produces enzymes that
break down all categories of digestible food.
 LIVER AND GALLBLADER
• Liver is the largest gland in the body which located
under the diapgragm. It overlies and almost completely
covers the stomach. It also has four lobes which is
suspended in the diaphragm and abdominal walls.
• Gallbladder on the other hand, is a small, thin-walled
green sac that snuggles in the inferior surface of the
liver.
 FUNCTIONS OF LIVER AND
GALLBLADDER:
• Liver's main function in digestive system is to produce
bile, a watery solution containing bile salts, bile
pigments (chiefly bilirubin, a breakdown product of
hemoglobin), cholesterol, phospholipids and a variety
of electrolytes.
• In addition, gallbladder's main purpose is to contract
and spurt out bile.
 ACCESSORY ORGANS REVIEW:
• It consists of several organs such as;
• 1. Salivary glands - to breakdown food easily.
• 2. Teeth - tear and grind the food into smaller fragments.
• 3. Pancreas - creates enzyme to break down foods.
• 4. Liver and gallbladder - to regulate the food intake.
•
 PART II:
FUNCTIONS OF THE
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
CAN BE SUMMARIZED INTO
TWO WORDS:

1. Digestion
2. Absorption
 GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT
INCLUDE SIX PROCESSES:

1. Ingestion
2. Propulsion
3. Food breakdown: mechanical digestion
4. Food breakdown: chemical digestion
5. Absorption
6. Defecation
 1.INGESTION

• It is the introduction of solid or liquid food

into the stomach. The normal route of
ingestion is through the oral cavity, but
food can be introduced directly into the
stomach by a nasogastric, or stomach, tube.
 2. PROPULSION
• It is the process of passing foods into different organs.
• One of its example is swallowing in which food movement
depends largely on the propulsive process called peristalsis.
• Peristalsis is involuntary and involves alternating waves of
contraction and relaxation of the muscles in the organ.
• Segmentation also helps to propel food stuffs, however it is
more an example of mechanical digestion.
PROPULSION PROCESS
3. FOOD BREAKDOWN: MECHANICAL
DIGESTION
• It is the mixing of food in the mouth by the
tongue, churning of food in the stomach and
segmentation in the small intestine.
• It prepares the food for further degradation
by enzymes.
 4. FOOD BREAKDOWN: CHEMICAL
DIGESTION

• It breaks down different nutrients, such as proteins,

carbohydrates, and fats, into even smaller parts:
• Fat breaks down into fatty acids and monoglycerides
• Nucleic acids break down into nucleotides
• Polysaccharides, or carbohydrate sugars, break down into
monosaccharides.
• Proteins break down into amino acids.
 5. ABSORPTION

• It transports digested end products from the lumen of

the GI tract to the blood or lymph.
• For absorption to occur, the digested foods must first
enter the mucosal cells by active or passive transport.
• Small intestine is the major absortive area.
 6. DEFECATION

• It is also called bowel movement, the act of

eliminating solid or semisolid waste materials
(feces) from the digestive tract.
• Defecation can be involuntary and voluntary.
 PART III:
NUTRITION AND
METABOLISM
 NUTRITION
• It is a substance in food that is used by the body to promote
normal growth, maintenance and repair.
• it is divided into six categories however, its major nutrients
consists of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins.
• Water is also considered to be a major nutrient which
accounts 60 percent of the volume of the food intakes.
DIETARY SOURCE OF THE
MAJOR NUTRIENTS:

1. Carbohydrates
2. Lipids
3. Proteins
4. Vitamins
5. Minerals
 1. CARBOHYDRATES

• Major in starches and sugar.

• In which, sugars come mainly from fruits, sugar cane
and milk.
• Wherein, it provides roughage or fiber which increases
the bulk of the stool and aids defecation.
 2. LIPIDS

• It is a neutral fat, triglycerides.

• It is in the form of saturated and unsaturated fats.
• Wherein, saturated fats comes from meat and dairy
foods and in a few plant like coconut.
• On the other hand, unsaturated fats are present in
seeds, nuts and most vegetabol oil.
 3. PROTEINS

• It's mostly found in the highest quality of animal

products.
• Wherein, it can also be suspended in eggs, milk and
most meat proteins or also called complete proteins that
meet all of the body's amino acid requirements for
tissue maintenanxe and growth.
 4. VITAMINS
• Are organic nutrients of various forms that the body
requires in small amounts.
• It is found in all major food groups, however, no
one food contains all the required vitamins.
• Most vitamins function as coenzymes as it acts with
an enzyme to accomplish a particular type of
catalyst.
 5. MINERALS

• It includes seven major supplies: Calcium,

phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, sodium, chloride
and magnesium.
• The most mineral rich foods are vegetables,
legumes, milks and some meats.
• It is mainly use in metabolism.
 METABOLISM

• It is referring to all chemical reactions that

are necessary to maintain life.
• It involves catabolism (broken down to
smaller substance) and anabolism (
structures that requires building smaller
substance).
METABOLISM IN BODY CELLS:

1. CARBOHYDRATE
METABOLISM
2. FAT METABOLISM
3. PROTEIN METABOLISM
 BODY ENERGY BALANCE

• It is the body's energy intake and its energy

output, which can be calculated as:
• Energy intake = total energy ouput
(heat+work+energy storage)
 PART IV:
COMMON DISEASES
IN DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
Disorders of Motility
• Dysphagia
– Dysphagia is difficulty swallowing
– Types
• Mechanical obstructions (tumors, diverticular
herniations)
• Functional obstructions (neural or muscular)
– Achalasia
• Denervation of smooth muscle in the esophagus
and lower esophageal sphincter relaxation
Gastroesophageal reflux
disease(GERD)

–Heartburn
– Reflux of chyme (high acid) from
stomach to
esophagus
– If inflammation of esophagus
esophagitis
– Less LES pressure means more
reflux
Hiatal hernia

– Defect in esophageal hiatus permits part of stomach to

enter thoracic cavity
– Caused by:
• Ascites
• Pregnancy
• Obesity
• Constrictive clothes
• Bending, straining, coughing
– Occurs with:
• Reflux, peptic ulcer, g.b. disorders (inflammation &
stones), pancreatitis, diverticulosis
Gastritis

- inflammatory disorder of the

gastric mucosa
• Acute gastritis – erosion of
superficial
epithelium (due to drugs or
chemicals)
• Chronic gastritis – thinning
degeneration of
stomach wall (elderly)
Cirrhosis
•
Irreversible inflammatory chronic disease that
disrupts liver function and structure
• Decreased hepatic function caused by nodular
and fibrotic tissue synthesis (fibrosis)
• Disorganized hepatic tissue
cobbled appearance
impeded blood flow portal HT
increased pressure esophageal varicies GI
bleeds