THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

Digestion
 Digestive system
 Gastrointestinal tract- continuous muscular
tube that extends from mouth to anus through
the thoracic and abdominopelvic cavities
 Accessory digestive organs
 Teeth
 Tongue
 Salivary glands
 Liver
 Gallbladder
 Pancrease
Digestive System Organization
 Gastrointestinal (Gl) tract
 Direct link/path between organs
 Structures
 Mouth
 Pharynx
 Esophagus
 Stomach
 Small intestine
 Large Intestine
 Rectum

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Main Functions
 Digesting food
 Physical and chemical breakdown of large food
into molecules: glucose, triglycerides, amino
acids
 Absorbing nutrients
 From intestines
 Circulated through the body by cardiovascular
system
 Eliminating waste
 Any food that cannot be digested or absorbed
is expelled
 Histological
Organization
Tube made up
of four 1
2
layers.

Modifications
Muscularis
along its 3 externa
length as
needed.
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 The 4 Layers of the Gut
1) Mucosa
Epithelium – usually simple columnar with goblets; may be
stratified squamous if protection needed
Lamina propria - connective tissue deep to epithelium
Muscularis mucosae -produces folds - plicae (small intestine) or rugae
(stomach)

2) Submucosa – made up of loose connective tissue contains

submucosal plexus and blood vessels

3) Muscularis – smooth muscle, usually two layers (controlled by the

myenteric plexus ) -
outer layer: longitudinal
inner layer: circular

4) Serosa
visceral layer of mesentery or adventitia depending on location
 Membranes
Peritoneum - generic serous
membrane in abdominal cavity
Mesenteries - double sheets of
peritoneum, surrounding and
suspending portions of the digestive
organs

 Greater omentum - "fatty apron",

hangs anteriorly from stomach, double
layer encloses fat
 Lesser omentum - between stomach
and liver
 Mesentery proper - suspends and
wraps the small intestine
 Mesocolon - suspends and wraps the
colon, parts are
i. transverse mesocolon
ii. sigmoid mesocolon
Oral Cavity/ Mouth
 First part of digestive
tube
 Divided into mouth
proper and vestibule
 Oral Cavity

 Also called buccal cavity -

lined with oral mucosa
 Hard and soft palates - form
roof of mouth
 Tongue - skeletal muscle
 Salivary glands - three pairs
 Teeth
Vestibule
 Boundaries of Vestibule
 Externally-lips and cheeks
 Internally-teeth and gums
 Communicates externally through oral fissure
Lips and Cheeks
 Lips /labia- fleshy folds surrounding the opening of mouth
 skin, superficial fascia, orbicularis oris muscle, submucosa
and mucous membrane
 frenulum

 Cheeks (Buccae)
 Fleshy flaps on each side of face
 Skin, buccinator muscle, parotid duct, vessels and nerves,
mucous glands and mucosa
Gums and Teeth
 Gums (Gingivae)
 soft tissues which cover the alveolar processes of
upper and lower jaws, surround the necks of teeth
 Teeth
 part of chewing apparatus
 Deciduous teeth(20) and permanent teeth(32)
 Structure of
Teeth

Crown - exposed surface of tooth

Neck - boundary between root and
crown

Enamel - outer surface

Dentin – bone-like, but noncellular
Pulp cavity - hollow with blood
vessels and nerves
Root canal - canal length of root
gingival sulcus - where gum and
tooth meet
Types and Numbers of
Teeth

Deciduous (baby, milk) teeth - 20, replaced by

Permanent teeth - 32 teeth
 Oral Cavity Proper
 Boundaries
 Anterolaterally-teeth,gums
and alveolar arches of jaws
 Roof-hard and soft palate
 Floor-tongue and
sublingual region
 Posteriorly-communicates
with pharynx through
oropharyngeal isthmus
Palate

 Separates the
nasal cavities and
nasopharynx from
oral cavity
 Parts of palate
 Anterior 2/3rd-hard
palate
 Posterior 1/3rd-soft
palate
Hard palate
 Formed by
palatine
processes of
maxillae and
horizontal
processes of
palatine bone
 Soft palate

 Movable, fibro-
muscular fold
 Separates the
nasopharynx from
oropharynx
 From posterior free
margin-uvula
 Three pairs of Salivary
Glands
1-1.5 l / day for
digestion (?)
lubrication (swallowing)
moistening (tasting)

 Parotid – lateral side of face, anterior to ear, drain by

parotid duct to vestibule near 2nd upper molar
 mumps
 Submandibular – medial surface of mandible – drain
near lingual frenulum drain posterior to lower molars
 Sublingual – in floor of mouth - drain near frenulum
 Clinical Anatomy

 Paralysis of
muscles
 Cleft palate
 Congenital defect-
non-fusion of right
and left palatine
process
 Tongue

 Highly mobile muscular

organ
 Situated partly in mouth
and oropharynx
 Parts
 Root, body, tip, dorsal
surface. ventral surface
and two lateral borders
Functions
 Mastication
 Taste
 Deglutition
 Speech
 Oral cleansing
Dorsal surface

 Divided into anterior

2/3rd or oral part and
posterior 1/3rd or
pharyngeal part.
 By V-shaped groove-
sulcus terminalis
 Foramen caecum
Types of papillae
1. Circumvallate papillae
2. Fungiform papillae
3. Filliform papillae
Ventral surface
 Covered by
smooth mucous
membrane
 Devoid of papillae
 Frenulum
linguae-median
mucosal fold
Clinical anatomy

 Ventral surface-good site for observation of

jaundice
 ankyloglossia
PHARYNX
Pharynx
 A funnel shaped tube that extends from
internal nares to esophagus posteriorly &
to larynx anteriorly
 Length: 12 to 14cms.
 After the food leaves the mouth it enters
the oropharynx
 Epiglottis
 Covers the larynx and trachea
 Food is shunted away from the lungs into
esophagus
Parts:
1. Nasopharynx
behind the nose.

2. Oropharynx
behind the oral
cavity.

3. Laryngopharynx
behind the larynx.
Esophagus
 Esophagus
 Collapsible Muscular tube
 10 inches long in adults
 Food enters from pharynx
 Delivered to the stomach
 Propelled along by wavelike
muscular movements
 Peristalsis
 Pushes food through the
entire gut tube
Histology of esophagus
 Mucosal epithelium - non-keratinized
stratified epithelium,
 mucosa and submucosa form folds
when esophagus is empty
 submucosa contains glands
 Muscular layer- upper part of the
esophagus contains skeletal muscle and
the rest contains smooth muscle.
 Adventitia layer
C.S. of Esophagus Junction at
stomach (L.S.)
Applied anatomy
 Oesophagoscope
 Oesophagus
varices
 Heartburn
Regions of abdomen
 Stomach
• J-shaped muscular bag that stores the food
you eat, breaks it down into tiny pieces.
• Mixes food with Digestive Juices that
contain enzymes to break down Proteins
and Lipids.
• Acid (HCl) in the stomach Kills Bacteria.
• Food found in the stomach is called Chyme.

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 External features
 2 orifice
 Cardiac and pyloric orifice
 2 curvature
 Lesser and greater curvature
 2 surface
 Antero-superior and postero-inferior surface

Parts:
 Cardiac

 Fundus

 Body

 Pyloric antrum
Histology

Mucosal epithelium- Simple

Columnar Epithelium, many goblet
cells

Gastric pits are also visible, these

open into gastric glands.
a. Mucous neck cells- secret
a
mucus
b. Parietal (oxyntic) cells-
produce the hydrochloric
acic
c. Chief (zymogenic) cells-
pepsinogen that becomes
pepsin when activated by
the
hydrochloric acid.
 Sphincters
 Muscular valves
 Control flow of food in one direction only
 Cardiac sphincter located near the heart
 Lower esophageal sphincter keeps food
from backing up into the esophagus
 Pyloric sphincter opens and closes
 Allows small amount of highly acidic chyme
to enter small intestines at a time
 Pylor/o means gatekeeper
 Applied anatomy

Congenital
hypertrophic pyloric
stenosis
 vomiting, visible peristalsis,

constipation, loss of wt
Gastric ulcers-
disruption of gastric
mucosal barrier
Gastric pain-epigastrium
(T6-T10 segment of spinal
cord)
Gastroscopy,
radiological study
The small intestine
 Extent-pylorus to ileo-caecal junction
 L-6m
 Parts
1. Upper fixed part-duodenum (25cm)
2. Lower mobile part
proximal 2/5th –jejunum
distal 3/5th -ileum
Important features
 Presence of circular mucosal fold(plicae
circularis)
 Presence of villi and microvilli
 Intestinal glands
Duodenum
 Extent-pylorus to
duodenojejunal
flexure
 Position-opp. L1,L2

n L3
 Retroperitoneal

organ
 Parts

1. First part(5cm)

2. Second part(7.5cm)

3. Third part(10cm)
Regions of Small
Intestine

SI is longest part of dig. tube

 Duodenum (short, 12 inches)
 fixed shape & position
 Mixing bowl for chyme & ?
 Jejunum (2.5 m long)
 Most of digestion
 Ileum (longest at 3.5 m)
 Most of absorption, ends in
 Ileocecal valve – slit valve into large intestine (colon)
 Structure of Small Intestinal Wall

Plicae circulares – circular pleats around the interior of the

small intestine
Villi – minute finger-like projections, contain capillaries &
lacteals
Microvilli – sub-microscopic size, projections on single cells
Function of all three?

Intestinal glands (crypts)

 intestinal juice production
 Cell regeneration

Histology in lab
Applied anatomy
 Duodenal ulcer
 Superior mesenteric artery syndrome-
compression of 3rd part of duodenum
produce duodenal stasis
Difference bet jejunum n ileum
Applied anatomy
 Volvulus-twisting
of intestines and
SMV-lead to
ischaemia-necrosis
 Meckelʼs
diverticulum-
Lead to
 Intestinal
obsturction
 Acute inflammation
of diverticulum
On a sheet of paper, write the
name of each colored organ:

 Green:
 Red:
 Pink:
 Brown:
 Purple:
 Green:
 Yellow:
 How’d you do?
 Green: Esophagus
 Red: Stomach
 Pink: Small Intestine
 Brown: Large
Intestine
 Purple: Liver
 Green: Gall Bladder
 Yellow: Pancreas
Great Job!
The End