Physiology of Digestive system
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Introduction
➢ The gastrointestinal tract (GIT), is a long, hollow tube that
begins at the mouth and ends at the anus.
➢ Principal organs of GIT include the
➢ mouth,
➢ pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large
intestine.
➢ The teeth, tongue, salivary glands, liver, gallbladder, and
pancreas serve as accessory digestive organs.
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…Cont’d
➢ The breakdown of larger food molecules into smaller
molecules is called digestion
➢ The passage of these smaller molecules into blood and
lymph is termed absorption.
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Function of GIT
❖ Overall, the digestive system performs six basic processes:-
1. Ingestion:-taking food and fluid into the mouth
2. Secretion: release of water, acid, buffers, and enzymes into
the lumen of the GI tract.
3. Mixing and propulsion. Alternating contraction and
relaxation of smooth muscle for mix food and secretions and
propel them toward the anus.
➢ The ability of the GI tract to mix and move material along its
length is termed motility.
4. Digestion: mechanical and chemical breakdown of food.
..
✓ Mechanical digestion: larger pieces of food get broken down into
smaller pieces while being prepared for chemical digestion.
Mechanical digestion starts in the mouth and continues into the
stomach.
✓ Chemical digestion: starts in the stomach and continues into the
intestines. Several different enzymes break down macromolecules
into smaller molecules that can be absorbed.
5. Absorption: passage of digested products from the GI tract
into the blood and lymph.
6. Defecation: elimination of feces(wastes, indigestible
substances, bacteria & unabsorbed digested materials ) from
the GI tract .
Functional movement of the GIT
Two basic types of movts occur in the GIT:
1. Propulsive mov’ts:-which cause food to move
forward along the tract at an appropriate rate
for digestion and absorption.
➢ Peristalsis is the basic propulsive mov’t of the
GIT that appears in the form of contractile
rings around the gut and propels to the anal
ward direction.
➢Peristalsis is an inherent property of the smooth
muscles in the GIT that generate action
potential rhythmically
2.Mixing mov’ts:-which keep the intestinal
contents thoroughly mixed at all times. 6
Salivary Glands
➢ Saliva-The fluid secreted by
the salivary glands
❖ The 3 Salivary glands:
✓ Parotid, submandibular, and
sublingual glands
❖ Functions of Saliva:
✓ Lubrication-moistening
✓ Digestion of starch
✓ Protection (IgA)-antibody
✓ Lysozyme-kill bacteria 7
Swallowing
➢ Swallowing -Propulsion of food from the Mouth to the
Stomach by the peristalsis movement. It consists of 3 stages
A) A voluntary stage of swallowing(bolus is forced from the mouth
to the oropharynx )
B) Pharyngeal stage of swallowing (involuntary, the passage of
food through the pharynx to the esophagus), and
C) Esophageal stage of swallowing (involuntary, the passage of
food to the stomach.).
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STOMACH
➢ Connects the esophagus to the duodenum.
Function of the stomach include:-
➢ Storage of large quantities of food until it can be pumped into
the duodenum.
➢ Mixing of food (churning) with gastric secretion to form a
semi-fluid acidic chyme.
➢ Secretary function: HCl ( antiseptic action), mucous,
pepsin, gastrin, Intrinsic factor (IF).
➢ Digestion (proteins)
➢ Absorption (Alcohol and Aspirin)
➢ Facilitates Defecation (↑Abdominal pressure)
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Liver & Gall Bladder
❖ Liver- largest organ in the body
after skin (Weighs 1.4 kg).
• Gall bladder is attached to the
inferior surface of the liver &
stores bile.
• Bile-emulsification of fats,
(breakdown of large lipid globules
into a suspension of small lipid
globules)= S.A 10
Liver & Gall Bladder…
➢ Bile is secreted by liver cells (hepatocytes) and stored in the
gall bladder
❖ Functions of Bile
1. It facilitates fat digestion by emulsification and absorption in
the Small intestine.
2. Serves as a means of excretion of waste products (bilirubin
and cholesterol)
❖ Compositions of Bile: contains water, bile salts, bile
pigments, cholesterol, fats & phospholipids
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Regulation of Bile Release
Acidic, fatty chyme causes the
duodenum to release:
Cholecystokinin (CCK) and
secretin into the bloodstream
CCK and secretin transported in
blood stimulate the liver to produce
bile
Vagal stimulation causes weak
contractions of the gall bladder
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Pancrease
• The pancreas- lies behind the stomach
(Retroperitoneal organ)
• Found in the C-shaped structure of Duodenum.
❖ Pancrease is both exocrine & endocrine
gland.
➢ Pancrease has 2 types of cells.
1. Acinar cells: Secrete pancreatic digestive
enzymes
2. Pancreatic islets: produce insulin & glucagon
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Hormonal regulation of pancreatic secretion
➢ Fats and amino acids stimulate the duodenum to releases CCK
and Secretin.
-These hormones flow through the blood and reach the pancreas.
➢ In the Pancreas two processes take place
a . CCK stimulates acinar cells to release digestive enzymes
b. Secretin stimulates duct epithelium to release H2O & HCO3
➢ Both flow through common bile duct to duodenum to do their
specific job.
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Small Intestine(SI)
➢ SI is extends from the pyloric sphincter (distal part of stomach ) to
the ileocecal sphincter
➢ The small intestine is where the digestion of protein, fat, and nearly
all CHO is completed and where most nutrients are absorbed.
➢ It divided into three parts:
✓ Duodenum:-is a hollow jointed tube connecting the stomach to the
jejunum.
✓ Jejunum:-is a part of the small bowel, located between the distal
end of duodenum and the proximal part of ileum.
✓ Ileum:-Its function is to absorb vitamin B12 and bile salts.
➢ Most digestion occurs in the duodenum, where the small intestine
receives digestive secretions from the pancreas, gallbladder, and its
own glands.
➢ The remainder of the small intestine primarily absorbs previously16
digested nutrients.
……………………………
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Digestion of Carbohydrates
Starch
- Salivary amylase (20-40%)
- Pancreatic amylase (50-80%)
Maltose
Lactose Sucrose
-Maltase -Lactase -Sucrase
Glucose + Glucose Glucose and Glucose and
Galactose Fructose
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2. Proteins Digestion:
▪ pepsin in the stomach changes protein polymer in to peptides
Enzymes acting in the small intestine
* Pancreatic enzymes
– trypsin, chymotrypsin, and carboxypeptidase
* Brush border enzymes
✓ enzymes break peptide bonds that attach terminal amino acids to
carboxyl ends of peptides → carboxypeptidases:
✓ enzymes break peptide bonds that attach terminal amino acids to
amino ends of peptides → aminopeptidases:
✓ enzymes split dipeptides to amino acids (dipeptidase)
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3. Digestion of Fats
Happens mainly in the small intestine
Two phases:
1. Emulsification
By bile salts
Emulsion droplets
2. Chemical digestion
Pancreatic lipase
Free fatty acids
Monoglycerides
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Absorption and transport
➢ Carbohydrates are degraded into their simpler forms;
glucose, galactose, and fructose and absorbed by
secondary active transport (diffusion together with Na+
ion).
➢ Fats are degraded into free fatty acids and glycerol and
taken by lacteals that enter the thoracic duct and finally
join the circulation.
➢ Proteins are absorbed as amino acids by active transport.
➢ Electrolytes; Na+, Ca2+, iron etc are absorbed by active
transport. They have specific carrier proteins situated in
the cell membrane of the small intestine.
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Ileocecal sphincter
• Function: prevents back flow
of fecal matter from the cecum
to the ileum
Factors regulating the
sphincter
• Pressure and chemical
irritation of ileum relax it and
initiates peristalsis
• Pressure and chemical
irritation of cecum inhibit
peristalsis of ileum and closes
the sphincter
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Large intestine
➢ The large intestine extends from the ileocecal sphincter
to the anus.
➢ Its regions include the cecum, colon, rectum, and anal
canal.
Function of Large intestine
• Expulsion of feces from the body (defecation).
• Absorption of water (10%) & some ions in small amount
• Production of certain vitamins (B&K) by colon bacteria.
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Defecation Reflex
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