• DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

• The gastrointestinal tract starts from the

mouth and ends in the anus. Gastrointestinal
tract physiology has to do with the digestive
tract physiology which involves the ingestion,
digestion and absorption of food. It also
involves the voiding of unused waste
products after absorption.
• Digestion itself is the process by which food is
broken down into simple chemical substances
that can be absorbed for nutrition of the
body 1
 Dietary food substances are too
large to be absorbed into the body.
They have to be broken down to
absorbable units capable of being
absorbed into the blood. For this to
occur, it involves the breakdown of
large macromolecular food
substances both by mechanical and
enzymatic activities
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 The main classes of food ingested
everyday are:
Carbohydrates for example Starch,
Yam, Bread etc
Protein for example Beans, Fish, Meat
etc
Fats/Lipids for example Cheese,
butter, Oil etc
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The alimentary tract provides the body
with a continual supply of water,
electrolytes and nutrients. To achieve
this requires
-- movement of food through the
alimentary tract
--secretion of digestive juices and
digestion of the food
--absorption of water, various
electrolytes and products of digestion
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--circulation of blood through the
GI organs to carry away digestive
products
--- control of all these functions by
local, nervous and hormonal
systems

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 NAME OF SOURCES FUNCTION
NUTRIENTS
Carbohydrate(Ener Rice, Wheat, Provides energy
gy giving food Potato, Sugar

Fats(Energy giving) Butter, Milk, Provides more

Cheese, Ghee energy than
carbohydrates
Vitamins and Fruits and For normal growth
Minerals vegetables and development
(Protective )

Protein Milk ,fish, eggs, Build and repair

(body building) soybean, beans
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 FUNCTIONAL ANATOMY OF THE DIGESTIVE
SYSTEM
These are the anatomical adaptations useful
in its function. The system comprises of:
Gastrointestinal tract or Alimentary canal
extending from mouth to anus
Accessory organs which help in digestion
and absorption

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PRIMARY DIGESTIVE ORGANS– where
actual digestion takes place which are
Mouth
Pharynx
Esophagus
Stomach
Small intestine
Large intestine
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ACCESSSORY DIGESTIVE ORGANS
which are
Teeth
Tongue
Salivary glands
Exocrine part of Pancreas
Liver
Gall bladder
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 Physiologic Anatomy of Gastrointestinal
motility
Cross sectional view of ideal intestinal wall
shows the following layers from outside
inward:
-- The serosa /Fibrosa
--Lomgitudinal muscle layer
--Circular muscle layer
-- Submucous layer
--Mucous layer
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 The motor functions of the gut are
performed by the different layers of
smooth muscle. The characteristics of
the smooth muscles are:
They function as a syncytium. They are
arranged in bundles of as many as 1000
fibers. These could be arranged
longitudinally along the length or in
circular form
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 Within each bundle, the fibers are
electrically connected through gap
junctions that allow low resistant
movement of ions across muscle fibers
Each bundle is separated from another by
loose connective tissue The electrical
activity of the smooth muscle has 2 basic
electrical waves
--Slow waves
--Spike waves
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Slow waves are not action potential. They are
slow undulating changes in the resting
membrane potential linked to interstitial cell
of Cajal
Spike potentials are true action potentials.
The factors that depolarize the membrane
are
-Stretch
-Acetyl choline
Parasympathetic stimulation
Specific GIT hormones 14
The GIT is modified in different parts
along its length
The epithelial lining which is the
innermost layer of the mucous layer
is in contact with the contents of the
GIT. Type of cell present in this layer
varies from from one part of the GI
to the other
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 This layer in the mouth, surface of
the tongue. Pharynx and oesophagus
have stratified squamous epitheliar
while that lining the stomach, small
intestine and large intestines have
simple collumnar epithelium
The muscularis mucosa which is a thin
layer of smooth muscle fibers is
absent in the mouth and Pharynx but
present from oesophagus downwards 16
 The submucous layer is the layer
beneath the mucous layer. It is
present in all parts except the mouth
and pharynx
The muscular layer is present in all
layers but the muscle types are not
the same. That in the lips, cheeks and
wall of pharynx contain skeletal
muscles for voluntary chewing 17
 The Oesophsgus has both skeletal and
smooth muscle fibers
The wall of the stomach and intestine is
formed by smooth muscle fibers
Smooth muscle fibers in stomach are
arranged in three layers; inner oblique,
middle circular and outer longitudinal layers
Smooth muscles of the intestine are
arranged into two layers; inner circular and
outer longitudinal layers
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 The smooth inner circular muscles of the
anal canal forms the internal anal sphincter
The external anal sphincter is formed by
skeletal muscle fibers
Serous or fibrous layer: Serosa is formed by
connective tissue and mesoepithelial cells
and covers stomach, small intestine and
large intestine
Fibrosa is formed by connective tissue and
covers pharynx and oesophagus
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 NERVE SUPPLY TO GIT
The GIT has its own nervous system
called the enteric nervous system
--Intrinsic nerve supply(Within the GIT)
--Extrinsic nerve supply(From outside)
The intrinsic supply form the enteric
nervous system that controls all the
secretions and movement of the GIT.
This is present within the wall from
esophagus to the anus 20
 The enteric nervous system is
composed of two plexuses
--an outer plexus lying between
the longitudinal and circular
muscle known as myenteric plexus
or aurbach’s plexus
--an inner plexus called
submucousal or Meissner’s plexus
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 The myenteric plexus is concerned
mainly with controlling muscle activity ie
motility. Stimulation increases tonic
contraction of gut wall, increased
intensity of contraction,Increased rate of
contraction and increased velocity of
conductance of excitatory waves along
the gut wall
The meissner’s plexus is concerned with
secretion in the GIT 22
The extrinsic nervous supply is via the
autonomic nervous system ie
sympathetic and parasympathetic
fibers. In general, stimulation of
sympathetic nervous system inhibits
activity of the gastrointestinal tract
causing many effects opposite to that
of the parasympathetic
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Parasympathetic nerve fibers(Cranio sacral)
pass through some cranial nerves and
sacral nerves. Preganglionic and post
ganglionic nerve fibers to the mouth pass
through the facial and glossopharyngeal
nerves
Preganglionic parasympathetic to
esophagus, stomach, small intestine and
upper part of large intestine pass through
the vagus nerve. Preganglionic to lower
large intestine comes fron S2 to S4 24
 Parasympathetic accelerates the
movements and increase secretions

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Overview of the GIT from mouth to
anus
Mouth
Pharynx
Esophagus
Stomach
Small intestine
Large intestine
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