Digestion

Introduction or Overview
p The mechanical and chemical breakdown of food
so that its components may be used by the body.
p 6 Functions of Digestive System
n ingestion
n propulsion
n mechanical digestion
n chemical digestion
n absorption
n defecation
 Cont…
p Digestion-cleaves macromolecules into their
component monomers,
n Polysaccharides and disaccharides are
split into simple sugars.
n Fats are digested to glycerol and fatty
acids.
n Proteins are broken down into amino
acids.
n Nucleic acids are cleaved into nucleotides.
Cont….
p enzymatic hydrolysis.
n A variety of hydrolytic enzymes catalyze
the digestion of each of the classes of
macromolecules found in food
Organs of Digestion
p Alimentary Canal organs: Mouth, Pharynx,
Esophagus, Stomach, Small intestine ,Large
intestine, Anus
p Accessory Organs: Salivary glands
p Teeth
p Pancreas
p Liver
p Gall bladder
 Parotid gland
Mouth (oral cavity) Sublingual gland Salivary
Tongue Submandibular glands
gland

Esophagus Pharynx
Stomach
Pancreas
Liver (Spleen)
Gallbladder
Transverse colon
Duodenum Descending colon
Small Jejunum Ascending colon
intestine Ileum Cecum Large
Sigmoid colon intestine
Rectum
Vermiform appendix
Anus Anal canal
Figure 23.1
The Mouth
p Used For: Mastication (chewing) of food

p Allowing for the sense of taste

p Mechanical digestion

p Digestion of sugars
Salivary Glands
Saliva
p Mixture of mucus and serous fluids
p Mostly water 97-99%
p form a food bolus
p Contains salivary amylase to begin starch
digestion
p Dissolves chemicals so they can be tasted
p Saliva contains a slippery glycoprotein called
mucin
p Saliva also contains buffers that help prevent
tooth decay by neutralizing acid in the mouth.
p Lysozyme, IgA, defensins, and a cyanide compound
protect against microorganisms
p Urea and Uric Acid
Pharynx
p What does it do: passageway for air and food
p (peristalsis)
n When we swallow, the top of the
windpipe moves up such that its
opening, the glottis, is blocked by a
cartilaginous flap, the epiglottis.
Esophagus
p Conducts food to
stomach by
peristalsis
Layers of Alimentary Canal Organs
p Mucosa:Innermost layer
p Submucosa
n Soft connective tissue with blood vessels, nerve
endings, and lymphatics
p Muscularis externa – smooth muscle
p Serosa
n Outermost layer – visceral peritoneum
Innervation of the Canal
p All are part of the autonomic nervous system

p parasympathetic impulses – increase activities of

digestive system

p sympathetic impulses – inhibit certain digestive

actions
The Stomach
p Hold 2 L of food.
p cardioesophageal sphincter
p Regions of the stomach:
n Cardia
n Fundus
n Body
n Phylorus
n pyloric sphincter
 Falciform ligament

Liver
Gallbladder

Spleen
Stomach

Ligamentum teres

Greater omentum

Small intestine

Cecum

(a)

Figure 23.30a
Stomach Functions
p Acts as a storage tank for food

p Site of food breakdown

p Chemical breakdown of protein begins

p Deliverschyme (processed food) to

small intestine
Cells of the Stomach
p Simple columnar epithelium
n Mucous neck cells – produce a sticky
alkaline mucus
n Gastric glands
n Chief cells – (pepsinogens)
n Parietal cells – produce HCl = pH of 2
n Endocrine cells – produce gastrin-cause HCl
release
n epithelium is continually eroded, and the
epithelium is completely replaced by
mitosis every three days.
Internal View
Gastric Secretions
p Pepsin- protein splitting enzyme breaks peptide
bonds adjacent to specific amino acids, producing
smaller polypeptides.

p hydrochloric acid- convert pepsinogen to pepsin

p Mucus- from goblet cells protective to stomach wall

p intrinsic factor- from parietal cells, required for

vitamin B12 absorption
Gastric Gland Secretions
p Enteroendocrine cells
n Secrete chemical messengers
pParacrines

§ Serotonin and histamine

pHormones

§ Somatostatin and gastrin

 Bacteria

Mucosa
layer of
stomach

(a) A gastric ulcer lesion (b) H. pylori bacteria

Figure 23.16
Enterogastric Reflex (Rate of Release)
Small Intestine
p The body’s major digestive organ
p Site of nutrient absorption into the blood
p Muscular tube extending form the
pyloric sphincter to the ileocecal valve
p With a length of over 6m in humans, the
small intestine is the longest section of
the alimentary canal.
Subdivisions of the Small Intestine
p Duodenum-
n most digestion occurs here. Why?

p Jejunum
n Middle section
n absorbtion

p Ileum
n attach to large intestine
n absorbtion
Cont….
p Pancreas Enzymes:
n pancreatic amylase

n pancreatic lipase

n trypsin, chymotrypsin, and carboxypeptidase

n nucleases

n bicarbonate ions
How the Pancreas Knows to Turn on
Cont….
Bile is produced by cells of the liver and housed in the
gall bladder

p Bile is made of: water, bile salts that function in the

emulsification of fats and absorption of fatty acids,
cholesterol, and fat-soluble vitamins
Where Digestion occurs and Why
LIVER
Liver Functions
Small Intestine cont…
p peptidase
p sucrase, maltase, lactase
p lipase
p enterokinase – converts trypsinogen to trypsin
p somatostatin –inhibits acid secretion by stomach
p cholecystokinin – hormone that inhibits gastric
glands, stimulates pancreas to release enzymes in
pancreatic juice, stimulates gallbladder to release
bile
p secretin – stimulates pancreas to release
bicarbonate ions in pancreatic juice
 Slide 1

1 Chyme enter- 4 Bile salts and,

ing duodenum to a lesser extent,
causes release of secretin
cholecystokinin transported via
bloodstream
(CCK) and stimulate liver to
secretin from produce bile
duodenal more rapidly.
enteroendocrine
cells. 5 CCK (via
bloodstream)
2 CCK (red causes
dots) and gallbladder to
secretin (yellow contract and
dots) enter the hepatopancreatic
bloodstream. sphincter to
relax; bile enters
duodenum.
3 CCK induces
secretion of 6 During
enzyme-rich cephalic and
pancreatic juice. gastric phases,
vagal nerve
Secretin causes stimulation
secretion of causes weak
HCO3–-rich contractions of
pancreatic juice. gallbladder.
Figure 23.28
Villi of the Small Intestine
p Give the small
intestine more
surface area
Absorption
Large Intestine
p Larger in diameter, but shorter than the
small intestine
p Frames the internal abdomen
Functions:
p Absorption of water
p Eliminates indigestible food from the body as
feces
p Absorb Vit K and B vits from bacteria
p Does not participate in digestion of food
p Goblet cells produce mucus
Cont…
Parts
p Cecum –
p Appendix: Accumulation of lymphatic tissue that
sometimes becomes inflamed (appendicitis) Hangs
from the cecum (vestigial)
p Colon
n Ascending
n Transverse
n Descending
n S-shaped sigmoidal
p Rectum and Anus – external body opening
Time?
p 5 to 10 seconds for food to pass down the
esophagus to the stomach, where it spends
2 to 6 hours being partially digested.
p Final digestion and nutrient absorption occur
in the small intestine over a period of 5 to 6
hours.
p In 12 to 24 hours, any undigested material
passes through the large intestine, and feces
are expelled through the anus.
Overview for The
Visual Learner