The Digestive Tract

GI: Overview: Organ systems

• Gastrointestinal (GI) tract [Alimentary canal] a continuous
muscular digestive tube
– Digests:
• breaks food into smaller fragments

– Absorbs:
• digested material is moved through mucosa into the blood

– Eliminates:
• unabsorbed & secreted wastes.
• The GI tract (gastrointestinal
tract)
The muscular alimentary canal
– Mouth
– Pharynx
– Oesophagus
– Stomach
– Small intestine
– Large intestine
– Anus

• The accessory digestive

organs
Supply secretions
contributing to the breakdown
of food
– Teeth & tongue
– Salivary glands
– Gallbladder
– Liver
– Pancreas

3
 The Digestive Process
• Ingestion
– Taking in food through the mouth
• Propulsion (movement of food)
– Swallowing
– Peristalsis – propulsion by alternate
contraction &relaxation
• Mechanical digestion
– Chewing
– Churning in stomach
– Mixing by segmentation
• Chemical digestion
– By secreted enzymes: see later
• Absorption
– Transport of digested end products into blood
and lymph in wall of canal
• Defecation
– Elimination of indigestible substances from
body as feces
4
• Chemical digestion
– Complex food molecules (carbohydrates, proteins
and lipids) broken down into chemical building
blocks (simple sugars, amino acids, and fatty acids
and glycerol)
– Carried out by enzymes secreted by digestive
glands into lumen of the alimentary canal

5
 HISTOLOGY OF GIT
• GI tract wall has 4 layers:
– Mucosa
– Submucosa
– Muscularis Externa
– Serosa or Adventitia
Histology of the Alimentary Canal

Figure 23.6
 Histology
• Mucosa: The epithelial membrane that lines the GI tract from
mouth → anus.
– Secretes mucous, digestive enzymes & hormones
– Absorbs nutrients
– Protects from disease & from the GI contents
 Histology
• Mucosa; 3 layers:
– Epidermis
– Lamina propria (loose ct : contain capillaries & some elements of
MALT)
– Muscularis mucosa
 Histology

• Submucosa: moderately dense CT with blood, nerve, lymph

vessels & lymphoid follicles; rich in elastic fibers
• Muscularis externa: smooth muscle
– Responsible for peristalsis &
segmentation
– Circular layer
– Longitudinal layer
– Sphincters: in some areas
the circular layer thickens;
act as valves
 Histology
• Serosa of intraperitoneal organs = visceral peritoneum
• Esophagus has an outer covering of fibrous connective tissue
= adventitia
• Retroperitoneal organs: visceral serosa on the surface facing
the peritoneal cavity & adventitia on the surface facing the
body wall.
 Neural Regulation of the GIT
functions

1. Enteric Nervous system

2. Autonomic Nervous System

(Extrinsic GIT Innervations)

12
 Nerves
• Enteric nervous system: the gut’s own
– Visceral plexuses within gut wall controlling the muscles,
glands and having sensory info
• Myenteric: in muscularis
• Submucosal
– 100 million neurons! (as many as the spinal cord)
• Autonomic input: speeds or slows the system
– Parasympathetic
• Stimulates digestive functions
– Sympathetic
• Inhibits digestion
• Largely automatic
13
 Nerves

• Intrinsic: (Local): Short reflex

– Submucosal nerve plexus:
regulates glands & mucosal muscle
– Myenteric plexus: controls GI wall & GI motility
• Extrinsic: (CNS): Long reflex
– Parasympathetic NS: enhances gut motility &
secretion
– SNS: inhibits gut motility & secretion
15
Summary of the pathway controlling digestive system activities

Mechanoreceptors
Chemoreceptors
Osmoreceptors

16
 Control pathways
• Both hormonal and neural
• Short pathways: involves automatic regulation within the enteric system
itself
• Long pathways: involves the CNS (somatic and autonomic)
• Three phases: cephalic, gastric and intestinal phases