The Digestive System

1
 The Digestive System
■ There are 4 main processes in the digestive system:
■ 1) Ingestion – consumption of nutrients
■ 2) Digestion – the breakdown of food into smaller
parts by physical and chemical means
■ 3) Absorption – the taking in of digested molecules into the
cells of your digestive tract
■ 4) Egestion – removal of waste from the body

2
 Digestive System Anatomy
Salivary
Glands

Mouth
Stomach

Esophagus
Pancreas
Liver

Small
Gallbladder Intestine

Rectum
Large
Intestine Anus

3
 Digestive System Anatomy
■ Food passes through a tube known as the
gastrointestinal tract or alimentary canal
■ Consists of two openings: mouth (in) and anus (out)
■ In humans, six organs are officially part of the GI tract:
mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small intestine,
large intestine
■ Other organs that are part of the digestive system are
accessory organs
■ GI tract is much longer in animals that are herbivores and
omnivores

Mouth Pharynx Esophagus

Small Large
Stomach
Intestine Intestine
4
 1) Ingestion - Mouth
■ We take in nutrients/food through our mouth

■ Also known as swallowing

5
 2) Digestion - Mouth
■ The first step of digestion is physical and involves
breaking down your food using your teeth
■ Also known as chewing

■ Different teeth in your mouth have different functions

Incisors – cut food into
smaller pieces

Canines and Bicuspids –

pierce and tear

Molars – crush and grind

6
 2) Digestion - Mouth
■ Certain processes (like chewing and seeing delicious
food!) activate the salivary glands around your mouth

■ The salivary glands secrete saliva which contains:

■ Water
■ Mucus
■ Amylase (enzyme that breaks down the complex
carbohydrate amylose into maltose )

Amylase

Amylose
Maltose
(starch) 7
 2) Digestion - Pharynx
■ When your food mixes with your saliva, it is called a
bolus (Greek word for ‘ball’)

■ The bolus travels to the pharynx

■ The pharynx is a two-way passage that receives food
from the mouth and air from the nose
■ Every time you swallow,
a small flap called the
epiglottis closes and seals
off the airway to ensure food
continues into the esophagus

Epiglottis
8
 2) Digestion - Esophagus
■ Your esophagus has smooth muscles that push food down
into your stomach

■ The movement of food throughout your digestive tract

is called peristalsis

■ This movement is a series

of rhythmic, wave-like
contractions

9
 2) Digestion – Stomach
■ The movement of food into and out of the stomach is
controlled by special muscles in your stomach called
sphincters
■ When the sphincters contract (squeeze), the opening closes
■ When the sphincters relax, food can enter or leave

Esophagus Esophageal
sphincter

Stomach

Small
intestine
Pyloric sphincter
10
 2) Digestion – Stomach
■ The stomach is mainly involved in digesting proteins .
It produces three main substances:

■ 1) Pepsin
■ Begins the digestion of protein

■ 2) Hydrochloric acid
■ Lowers the pH of your stomach so pepsin can work
■ Also helps breaks down protein

■ 3) Mucus
■ Protects the stomach from the hydrochloric acid

11
 2) Digestion – Stomach
■ Stomach also digests food physically as well by the
churning action in the muscular stomach wall

■ This churning turns the bolus into a nutrient-rich,

acidic liquid called chyme (think of it like porridge!)

12
 Ulcers Coevolution of parasite &
■ Used to think host
Colonized by Free of

ulcers were caused H. pylori H. pylori

by stress
■ tried to control with
antacids inflammation of
stomach
inflammation of
esophagus
■ Now know ulcers
caused by bacterial H. pylori

infection of
stomach cell damaging
inflammatory proteins
■ Helicobacter pylori proteins (VacA)
(CagA)
■ now cure with
antibiotics
cytokines
helper T cells

neutrophil cells
white blood cells
 Where does chemical digestion
begin?
A. mouth
B. esophagus
C. stomach
D. small intestine

14
 What is NOT secreted in the
stomach’s gastric juice?
A. hydrocholoric acid
B. pepsin
C. amylase
D. mucus

15
 Rhythmic contractions that move
food through the esophagus are
called?
A. bolus
B. muscular contractions
C. physical digestion
D. peristalsis

16
 2) Digestion – Small Intestine
■ The small intestine measures about 7 m in length

■ Most of the digestion in the small intestine occurs in the first

25 cm, known as the duodenum

Duodenum

Jejunum

Ileum

17
 2) Digestion – Small Intestine
■ Along with the small intestine, the liver and pancreas
make many important substances that help with
digestion in the duodenum
Liver Bile

Small Intestine

Bicarbonate
Pancreas Trypsin
Lipase
Pancreatic
Amylase
Peptidases
Maltase
18
 2) Digestion – Small Intestine
■ Notice that the liver and pancreas are both connected
to the duodenum

19
2) Digestion – Small Intestine
Organ Substance/ Job
Secretion
Liver Bile Emulsifies fats (break the fat into smaller pieces
– not chemical)

Pancreas Bicarbonate Neutralizes the HCl that enters from stomach

Trypsin Converts big proteins into smaller proteins

Pancreatic Continues breakdown of amylose into maltose

Amylase

Lipase Breaks down fat into fatty acids and glycerol

Small Peptidases Converts small proteins into amino acids

Intestine
Maltase Breakdown of maltose into glucose
20
 3) Absorption – Stomach
■ Although the stomach is mainly involved in digestion,
some absorption occurs here

■ What is absorbed by the stomach?

■ A bit of water
■ Some types of medicine (aspirin, tylenol)
■ Alcohol

21
3) Absorption – Small Intestine
■ Digestion is important because the small intestine can
only absorb small substances like glucose (a subunit
of carbs) and amino acids (a subunit of proteins)

■ Most absorption of nutrients from food happens here

■ Once the nutrients are absorbed here, they are

transported to other parts of the body where they are
needed

22
3) Absorption – Small Intestine
■ Small ‘fingers’ on the surface of the small intestine called villi
increase the surface area of the small intestine so absorption is
much better

■ The villi have even smaller ‘fingers’ on them called microvilli

which increase absorption even more!

23
3) Absorption – Small Intestine
■ Villi are connected to your circulatory system
through capillaries and your lymphatic system
through lacteals
■ Capillaries – absorb carbs and proteins
■ Lacteals – absorb fats (then transport them into your
circulatory system)

24
3) Absorption – Small Intestine
■ Nutrient-rich blood (travelling away from the small
intestine) goes to the liver
■ Some smaller nutrients re-synthesized into larger ones
(amino acids → proteins, glucose → glycogen)
■ Modifies and detoxifies this nutrient-rich blood
■ Takes blood to the heart, where the blood can now be
distributed to the rest of the body

25
 The liver secretes a substance
called
A. amylase
B. bile
C. bicarbonate
D. lipase

26
 The structures that increase
absorption in the small intestine
are called?
A. villi
B. rugae
C. lacteals
D. capillaries

27
 The purpose of bicarbonate
secreted by the pancreas is
A. allow for the emulsification of fats
B. help with the breakdown of lipids and proteins
C. increase the pH of the liquid coming from the
stomach
D. increase absorption of nutrients in the small
intestine

28
3) Absorption – Large Intestine
■ Large intestine is also called your colon

■ Thicker than your small intestine but only 1.5 m long

■ Mainly absorbs water ; also absorbs some vitamins

and minerals

29
 4) Egestion – Large Intestine
■ Egestion is the removal of waste from your body

■ The waste in your body is called feces

■ Feces is mainly made of:

■ Cellulose (fiber)
■ Bacteria
■ Water

■ The more fiber you eat, the more bowel movements

you have. This is important in removing toxic waste
from your body and avoiding colon cancer
30
 Flora of large intestines
■ Living in the large intestine is a rich
flora of harmless, helpful bacteria
■ Escherichia coli (E. coli)
■ a favorite research organism
■ bacteria produce vitamins
■ vitamin K; biotin, folic acid & other B vitamins
■ generate gases
■ by-product of bacterial
metabolism
■ methane, hydrogen sulfide
Gut Microbiome

32
 Gut & Mood

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6469458/

33
 Rectum
■ Last section of colon (large intestines)
■ eliminate feces
■ undigested materials
■ extracellular waste
■ mainly cellulose from plants

■ roughage or fiber

■ salts
■ masses of
bacteria
 The main function of the large
intestine is to

A. eliminate waste
B. breakdown nutrients
C. absorb water
D. both a and c
E. all the of above

35
 mouth stomach
▪break up food ▪kills germs
▪moisten food ▪break up food
▪digest starch ▪digest proteins
▪kill germs ▪store food

liver
▪produces bile
- stored in gall
bladder
▪break up fats small intestines
▪breakdown food
pancreas - proteins
▪produces enzymes to - starch
digest proteins & carbs - fats
▪absorb nutrients

large intestines
absorb water
 FYI: insulin & glucagon
- discovered in 1921 at U of T (Banting & Best)

https://www.medimagic.com/blog/insulin-types-benefits 37
38