Body secretions

Noor Ullah
M.Phil, Biochemistry& Mol.Biology
Lecturer IPMS, KMU

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 Organization of the GIT

• The alimentary canal: Mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small

intestine, large intestine, rectum and anal canal.

• Associated glands: Salivary glands, pancreas, liver and gall bladder.

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 Functions of the GIT

• Ingestion
• Motility: mixing and propulsion
• Secretion
• Digestion
• Absorption
• Excretion

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 The Salivary glands
• 3 paired salivary glands made of ducts and acini that make between 1-1.5
Liters/day of saliva with a pH of 6-7

• Parotid glands

• Submandibular or submaxillary glands

• Sublingual glands

• Saliva composition differs from each gland

• parotid - watery saliva, amylase

• submandibular - thicker mucous, amylase

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• sublingual - mostly mucous, little amylase
 Composition of Saliva

• 99.5% water, 0.5% solutes

• Ionic content: low in Na+ and Cl-, high in K+ and HCO3-

• Enzymes: lingual lipase and -amylase (ptyalin), phosphatase, RNAase, DNAase.

• Mucins

• Lysozymes: proteolytic enzyme

• Immunoglobulin A (IgA)

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 Functions of saliva
• Digestive functions:
• Amylase breaks down starch, and lingual lipase breaks down triglycerides (active
in the stomach).
• It dissolves food materials so it can be sensed by taste buds.
• Lubrication:
• Keeps mouth moist and thus facilitates movements of lips and tongue during
speech.
• Moistens food and thus facilitates swallowing.
• Protection:
• Keeps mouth and teeth clean by dissolving and washing food particles from
between the teeth.
• Has an anti-bacterial action.
• Buffers acidic gastric secretions(HCO3-, and PO4- )
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 Regulation of Salivary secretion
A) Simple or unconditioned: The presence of food in the mouth results in reflex secretion of saliva.
• Stimulus: presence of food in the mouth.
• Receptors: taste buds.
• Afferent: nerves from taste buds carry impulses to salivary centre.
• Centre: salivary centre in medulla oblongata (in brain stem).
• Efferent: autonomic nerves supplying salivary glands.
B) Conditioned
• An acquired reflex and needs training.
• The centre is in the cerebral cortex.
• The sight, smell, thought of food in the absence of food in the mouth increase salivary secretion.

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 Stomach
Functions of the stomach:

• Motor: Storage, Mixing, Emptying

• Secretory: Exocrine (HCL, mucus, intrinsic factor, pepsinogen), Endocrine

(Gastrin)

• Digestive (proteins and lipids)

• Absorption: water, ions, alcohol and aspirin

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 Gastric secretion(HCL)

• 3 L/day, highly acidic (pH 1-2).

• Composition and function:

• Mucus cells secrete mucus: protection

• Chief (zymogen, peptic) cells, secrete pepsinogen: digestion.

• Parietal (oxyntic) cells, secrete HCL and intrinsic factor: Intrinsic factor is
important for vit B12 absorption from small intestine.
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 Functions of HCL

• Kills ingested bacteria.

• Aids protein digestion (activates pepsinogen into pepsin).

• Provides the optimum pH for pepsin action.

• Stimulates the secretion of hormones that promote the flow of bile

and pancreatic juice.

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 Pancreas

• Exocrine: Insert fig. 18.26

• Acini:
• Secrete pancreatic juice.

• Endocrine:
• Islets of Langerhans:
• Secrete insulin and
glucagon.

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 Composition and function of pancreatic
secretion
• Pancreatic juice
• 1.2-1.5 L/day
• Mostly water some salts, bicarbonate, enzymes
• alkaline, pH 7.1-8.2
• buffers acidic gastric juice, stops pepsin, creates proper pH for enzymes in intestine
• Enzymes include
• pancreatic amylase
• trypsin, chymotrypsin, carboxypeptidase - secreted in inactive protein forms
• pancreatic lipase
• ribonuclease and deoxyribonuclease

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 Pancreatic Juice

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 Regulation of pancreatic secretion
• Secretion of pancreatic juice is regulated by

• 1. Nervous(Vagal stimulation) which within minutes of taking a meal releases

acetylcholine, which activates phospholipase C to cause secretion of pancreatic
juice.

• 2. Hormonal regulation by secretin and cholecystokinin-pancreozymin (CCK-PZ).

• Secretin causes release of alkaline watery pancreatic juice.

• CCK-PZ causes release of pancreatic juice rich in enzymes by stimulating discharge

from zymogen granules. CCK-PZ also causes contraction of gall bladder.
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 The Biliary system

• The Biliary system includes

• The liver

• The gall bladder

• Associated ducts:

– Hepatic ducts (right, left and common)

– Cystic duct
– Common bile duct
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 The Biliary system

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 Functions of the liver
• Synthesis & Secretion of bile.

• Carbohydrate metabolism - blood glucose levels

• glycogenesis
• glycogenolysis
• gluconeogenesis

• Lipid metabolism -
• stores, metabolizes some triglycerides
• cholesterol for bile salt production

• Protein metabolism
• deamination
• Remove, detoxify NH3 group from AA’s

• AA's used for ATP production or changed to carbos, fats

• synthesizes most plasma proteins

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• can convert AA's from one to another (transamination)
 Functions of the liver
• Removal of drugs, hormones
• detoxify or secrete into bile several drugs

• alter thyroid, steroid hormones

• Excretion of bile - bilirubin

• Synthesis of bile salts

• Storage - stores vitamins, iron

• Phagocytosis

• Activation of Vitamin D

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 Bile Secretion
• Bile is secreted by hepatocytes and stored in the gall bladder.
• 800-1000 ml/day

• Yellow, brownish, or olive-green liquid

• pH 7.6-8.6, mostly water, bile salts, bile acids, cholesterol, lecithin

(phospholipid), bile pigments, ions
• Partly excretory product, partly digestive secretion(Enters duodenum during
digestion of meals)

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 Composition of human bile (gm/dl)
Hepatic Gall bladder
Water 98% 89%
Bile salts 1.1 6
Bilirubin 0.04 0.3
Cholesterol 0.1 0.3-0.9
Fatty acids 0.12 0.3-1.2
Lecithin 0.04 0.3
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 Functions of bile

• Bile salts play an important role in fat digestion and absorption.

• Excretion of waste products (e.g. bilirubin).

• Bicarbonate in bile neutralizes acid in duodenum.

• Bile Salts: Most important component of the bile.

• They are Na+ and K + salts of bile acids.

• They are derivatives of cholesterol.

• Recycled through the enterohepatic circulation.
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 Function of bile salts

• Emulsify large fat particles into smaller ones that can be attacked by
lipase (detergent action).
• Help in the transport and absorption of fat (micelle formation).

• Prevent precipitation of cholesterol by keeping them in solution

(prevent gall stones).
• Stimulate bile secretion by liver cells.

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 Function of bile salts

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 Gall Bladder

• Pear shaped sac, 7-10 cm long

• No digestive role, Stores bile, Concentrates bile, Empties during

meals, Secretes mucus.

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 Regulation of bile secretion
• Chemical:
• Bile salts: most important stimulant of bile secretion by liver cells.
• Hormonal:
• Secretin: secreted in response to acid chyme, causes secretion of bile rich
in water and HCO3-
• CCK: secreted in response to fatty acids in duodenum, causes gall bladder
to contract.
• Neural:
• Vagal stimulation:
• Increases bile secretion
• Weak contraction of gall bladder
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 Small intestine

• Long tube (about 6m) extending from pyloric sphincter in stomach

and joins large intestine at the ileocecal sphincter

• duodenum (20 cm), jejunum (2.5 m) and ileum (3.5 m).

• Surface area greatly increased by intestinal mucosal foldings, villi and

microvilli.

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 Exocrine intestinal secretions

• Intestinal juice: alkaline fluid (water and electrolytes) with few

enzymes from desquamated cells (1000-1500 ml/day), pH 7.6

• HCO3-: neutralize acid.

• Mucus: protection and lubrication.

• No digestive enzymes.

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 Regulation of intestinal secretion

• Local: mechanical stimulation of intestinal mucosa by the presence of

chyme.

• Nervous: vagal nerve stimulation causes secretion of intestinal glands.

• Hormonal: Secretin and Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide (VIP)

stimulates production of intestinal juice

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 Large intestine

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 Large intestine

• No digestive function.

• Absorption of water, Na+ and other minerals.

• Secretion of mucus for lubrication.

• Storage of feces (undigested food).

• Bacteria in colon synthesize vitamin K and a number of B complex

vitamins.
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