Human A&P II – THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

 

Part II

 

  D.  Digestive Processes Occurring in the Stomach

1.  Mechanical digestion consists of peristaltic movements called

___________________________.

2.  Chemical Digestion

a.  Chemical digestion consists mostly of the conversion of

proteins into peptides by ___________________________,

an enzyme that is most effective in the very acidic

environment (pH 2) of the stomach. The acid (HCl) is

secreted by the stomach’s parietal cells.

b.  _____________________________________________

splits certain molecules in butterfat of milk into fatty acids

and monoglycerides and has a limited role in the adult

stomach.

3.  Absorption

a.  the stomach wall is impermeable to most substances;

b.  those substances which can pass through the stomach

wall include…

1) 

2) 

3)

4) 

 

E.  Regulation of Gastric Secretion and Motility

1.  Gastric secretion (release of gastric juice) is regulated by

nervous and hormonal mechanisms. Stimulatory & inhibitory events

occurs in three overlapping phases: cephalic (reflex), gastric,

and intestinal.

2.  ___________________________ Phase – reflexes initiated by

sensory receptors in the head that stimulate gastric secretion and

motility.

            a.  Excitatory events – sight or thought of food & stimulation

            of taste or smell receptors

            b.  Inhibitory events – Loss of appetite or depression &

            decrease in stimulation of the parasympathetic division of

            the ANS

3.  ___________________________ Phase - begins when food

enters the stomach.

a.  Excitatory events result in waves of peristalsis and

continual flow of gastric juice.

            1)  Stretch of the stomach as food enters

2)  pH increases when proteins enter the stomach

b.  Hormonal negative feedback also regulates gastric

secretions during the gastric phase.

1)  Chemoreceptors and stretch receptors cause the

following cascade of events…

a)  the ANS releases acetylcholine

(___________________________)

b)  ACh stimulates the release of

___________________________ by G cells.

c)  Gastrin has the following effects…

            i)  Gastric glands secrete gastric juice

                                    ii)  Strengthens contraction of the lower

                                    esophageal sphincter

                                    iii)  increases motility of the stomach

                                    iv)  relaxes the pyloric and ileocecal

                                    sphincters

                                    c.  Inhibitory events – A pH lower than 2 or emotional upset

                                    that overrides the parasympathetic division.

                        4.  Gastric Contractile Activity

                                    a.  _____________________________________ move

                                    toward the pylorus at the rate of ____________________

                                    b.  This basic electrical rhythm (BER) is initiated by

                                    pacemaker cells (cells of Cajal)

5.  Intestinal Phase - due to activation of receptors in the small

                        Intestine (food has passed to the small intestine, the stomach

                        needs to stop its work).

a.  ___________________________ reflex - partially

digested food enters the small intestine, it triggers the

intestinal mucosa to secrete …

1) gastric inhibitory peptide (GIP)

2) secretin

3) cholecystokinin (CCK)

b.  The effect is inhibition of gastric secretion.

             

F.  Regulation of Gastric Emptying

1.  Gastric emptying is the periodic release of chyme from the

stomach into the duodenum.

2.  Gastric emptying is stimulated by two factors: distention of the

stomach and gastrin.

3.  Most food leaves the stomach ___________________________

after ingestion. Carbohydrates leave earliest, followed by proteins

and then fats.

4.  Gastric emptying is inhibited by the enterogastric reflex and by

the hormones CCK and GIP.

5.  Vomiting is the forcible expulsion of the contents of the upper GI

tract (stomach and sometimes duodenum) through the mouth.

 

V.  Small Intestine and Associated Structures

 

            A.  LIVER AND GALLBLADDER

            1.  The ___________________________ is the heaviest gland in

            the body and the second largest organ in the body after the skin.

2.  Anatomy of the Liver and Gallbladder

a.  The liver is divisible into ___________ and _________

lobes, separated by the ___________________________.

1)  Associated with the right lobe are the caudate and

quadrate lobes.

2)  The falciform ligament suspends the liver from the

diaphragm & anterior abdominal wall.

                                    b.  The ___________________________ is a sac located in

                                    a depression on the posterior surface of the liver.

                        3.  Histology of the Liver and Gallbladder

a.  The liver is composed of hexagonal-shaped _________

that contain __________________ cells (liver cells or

hepatocytes), sinusoids (enlarged, leaky capillaries),

_____________________ cells (hepatic macrophages), and

a central vein.

b.  Hepatic cells produce ___________________________

that is transported by a duct system to the gallbladder for

concentration and temporary storage.

1)  Bile is partially an excretory product (containing

components of worn-out red blood cells) and partially

a digestive secretion.

2)  Bile is a yellow-green, alkaline solution.

3)  Bile’s contribution to digestion is the

___________________________ of triglycerides.

            c.  The liver receives a double supply of blood from the

            hepatic artery and the hepatic portal vein. All blood

            eventually leaves the liver via the hepatic vein.

            d.  The liver also functions in …

1)  carbohydrate, lipid, and protein metabolism;

2)  removal (detoxification) of drugs and hormones

from the blood;

3)  excretion of bilirubin;

4)  synthesis of bile salts;

5)  storage of vitamins and minerals;

6)  phagocytosis; and

7)  activation of vitamin D.

                                    e.  Anatomy of the Gallbladder – a thin-walled, green

                                    muscular sac

1)  The smooth muscle of the muscularis ejects bile

form the bile duct, leading to the duodenum of the

small intestine.

                                    f.  Bile usually does not enter the small intestine until the

                                    gallbladder contracts when stimulated by cholecystokinin

                                    (CCK).

                                    g.  The fusion of individual crystals of cholesterol is the

                                    beginning of 95% of all ___________________________.

1) Gallstones can cause obstruction to the outflow of

bile in any portion of the duct system.

 

            B.  PANCREAS 

                        1.  A retroperitoneal organ divided into a head, body, and tail.

                                    a.  The pancreas is connected to the duodenum.

                                    b.  The pancreas lies …

1)  deep to the greater curvature of the stomach.

2)  Its head is encircled by the duodenum.

3)  the tail abuts the spleen.

                                    d.  _____________________________________________

                                    secrete insulin and glucagons

                                                1)  ___________________________ – causes

                                                glucose to diffuse into tissue cells

                                                2)  ___________________________ – raises the

                                                blood glucose level by freeing sugar (stored as

                                                glycogen in the liver & skeletal muscles)

e.  ___________________________ (clusters of secretory

cells) secrete a mixture of fluid and digestive enzymes called

pancreatic juice.

2.  Pancreatic Juice

a.  Pancreatic juice contains inactive enzymes (that are

activated in the duodenum) that digest…

1) ___________________________ – pancreatic

amylase

2) ___________________________trypsin,

chymotrypsin, and carboxypeptidase

3) ________________________ – pancreatic lipase

4) ______________________________________

ribonuclease and deoxyribonuclease

b.  It also contains sodium bicarbonate which converts the

acid stomach contents to a slightly alkaline pH (7.1-8.2)

            1)  this halts stomach pepsin activity and promotes

activity of pancreatic enzymes.

3.  Inflammation of the pancreas is called pancreatitis and can

result in trypsin beginning to digest pancreatic cells.

4.  Pancreatic secretion is regulated by nervous and hormonal

mechanisms.

a.  Secretin & CCK are released when fatty or acidic chime

enters the duodenum which stimulates pancreatic juice

secretion

b.  Vagal stimulation also causes release of pancreatic juice.

 

            C.  SMALL INTESTINE – where the major events of digestion and

            absorption occur.

                        1.  Gross Anatomy

                                    a.  The small intestine extends from the pyloric sphincter to

                                    the ileocecal sphincter.

                                    b.  The small intestine is (going from the stomach to the

                                    large intestine) is divided into the…

1)  ___________________________ ~ 25 cm (10

inches)

            a)  The bile and pancreatic ducts connect here

            b)  The submucosa contains duodenal glands

            which secrete an alkaline mucus that helps

            neutralize gastric acid in chyme.

2)  ___________________________ ~ 2.5 m (8 feet)

3)  ___________________________ ~ 3.6 m (12

feet)

            a)  The submucosa contains lymphatic nodules

            (Peyer’s patches).

                                    c.  _____________________________________________

                                    (circular folds) – are permanent ridges in the mucosa that

                                    enhance absorption by increasing surface area and causing

                                    chyme to spiral as it passes through the small intestine.

                        2.  Histology of the Small Intestine

a.  The mucosa forms fingerlike ______________________

which increase the surface area of the epithelium available

for absorption and digestion.

b.  Embedded in each villus is a ______________________

(lymphatic capillary) for fat absorption.

c.  The cells of the mucosal epithelium include…

1)  ___________________________ cells – absorb

digested food stuffs

                        a)  The free surface features ______________

                        that increase surface area.

                        b)  This forms the _______________________

                        c)  The brush border contains enzymes that

                        break down foods

2)  ___________________________ – produce

mucus

3)  enteroendocrine cells – produce hormones that

help regulate the digestive process.

d.  ___________________________________________

cavities of the mucosa that are lined by glandular epithelium.

1)  These cavities secrete intestinal juice.

            2)  Intestinal juice is mostly water, slightly alkaline,

            enzyme-poor, but contains mucus

            3)  Intestinal juice provides a vehicle for absorption of

            substances from chyme as they come in contact with

the villi.

 

VI.   DIGESTIVE PROCESSES (MOSTLY OCCURRING IN THE SMALL

INTESTINE)

 

            A.  Mechanical Digestion in the Small Intestine

1.  ___________________________, the major movement of the

small intestine, is a localized contraction in areas containing food.

2.  ___________________________ propels the chyme onward

through the intestinal tract.

 

            B.  Chemical Digestion

1.  Carbohydrates (long chains of simple sugars) are broken down

into ___________________________ (simple sugars) for

absorption.

            a.  The digestible polysaccharide is starch; other

            polysaccharides, such as cellulose, aren’t broken down by

            humans.

            b.  Disaccharides are composed of 2 monosaccharides

            bonded together

                        1)  Maltose, lactose, & sucrose

c.  Monosaccharides are simple sugars that are absorbed

immediately

                        1)  Glucose, galactose, & fructose

            d.  Digestion of carbohydrates begins in the mouth with

            ____________________________________________

            e.  _____________________________________________

            continues the digestion of starch.  Intestinal enzymes that

            break down starches include…

1)  Maltase breaks maltose into glucose

2)  Sucrase breaks sucrose into glucose & fructose

3)  Lactase breaks lactose into glucose & galactose 

                        2.  Proteins are converted into ___________________________

                        and ___________________________ by the following enzymes…

                                    a.  ___________________________, secreted by the chief

                                    cells, begins the digestion of proteins in the stomach

                                    b.  ___________________________ is produced in infants

                                    & breaks down milk             proteins

                                    c.  Pancreatic enzymes – ___________________________

                                    & ___________________________ – convert proteins into

                                    peptides in the small intestine

                                    d.  Brush border enzymes free single amino acids in the

                                    small intestine.

                        3.  Most lipid digestion, in an adult, occurs in the small intestine.

a.  Bile salts break the globules of triglycerides (fats) into

droplets, a process called ___________________________.

b.  ______________________________________, due to

the increase exposed surface area of the droplets, can

hydrolyze more triglycerides into fatty acids and

monoglycerides.

                        4.  Nucleic acids are broken into nucleotides monomers by

                        pancreatic ribonucleases and deoxyribonuclease in the small

                        intestine for absorption.

 

C.  Regulation of Intestinal Secretion and Motility

1.  The most important mechanism for regulating small intestinal

secretion is the action of local reflexes in response to the presence

of chyme.

2.  Hormones (vasoactive intestinal polypeptide or VIP) also

assume a role.

3.  Parasympathetic impulses increase motility; sympathetic

impulses decrease motility.

 

            D.  Absorption in the Small Intestine – occurs along the entire length of

            the small intestine, & most of it is completed before the chyme reaches the

            ileum.

1.  ___________________________ is the passage of the end

products of digestion from the GI tract into blood or lymph.

                        2.  Essentially all carbohydrates are absorbed as _____________.

3.  Most proteins are absorbed as _________________________.

                        4.  Absorption of Lipids

a.  Long-chain fatty acids and monoglycerides become

associated with bile salts & lecithin to form _____________,

which are necessary for lipid absorption.

1)  Micelles are resynthesized to triglycerides, and

formed into protein-coated spherical masses called

___________________________.

2)  Chylomicrons are taken up by the lacteal of a

villus.

c.  The plasma lipids - fatty acids, triglycerides, cholesterol –

are insoluble in water and body fluids.

1) In order to be transported in blood and utilized by

body cells, the lipids must be combined with protein

transporters called ___________________________

to make them soluble.

                        5.  Absorption of Electrolytes – occurs along the entire length of the

                        small intestine, except for ___________________________ &

                        ___________________________ which are absorbed in the

                        ___________________________.

                        6.  Absorption of Vitamins – the small intestine absorbs dietary

                        vitamins, while the ___________________________ absorbs

                        vitamins ___________________________.

a.  Fat-soluble vitamins (___________________________)

are included along with ingested dietary lipids in micelles.

b.  Water-soluble vitamins (_________________________)

are absorbed by simple diffusion.

                        7.  Absorption of Water

a.  Water is the most abundant substance in chyme & ___%

of it is absorbed in the ___________________________ by

osmosis.

 

VII.  LARGE INTESTINE – absorbs water from indigestible food residues &

eliminates them as feces.

 

A.  Anatomy of the Large Intestine

1.  The large intestine (colon) extends from the ileocecal sphincter

to the anus.

2.  Its subdivisions include the cecum, colon, rectum, and anal

canal.

3.  Hanging inferior to the cecum is the _____________________.

a.  Inflammation of the appendix is called appendicitis.

b.  A ruptured appendix can result in gangrene or peritonitis,

which can be life-threatening conditions.

4.  The colon is divided into the ascending, transverse, descending,

and sigmoid portions.

 

            B.  Histology of the Large Intestine

1.  The mucosa of the large intestine has no villi or permanent

circular folds. It does have a simple columnar epithelium with

numerous globlet cells.

2.  The muscularis contains specialized portions of the longitudinal

muscles called ________________________________ (3 bands of

longitudinal smooth muscle), which contract and gather the colon

into a series of pouches called ___________________________.

3.  The last stages of chemical digestion occur in the large intestine

through ___________________________, rather than enzymatic,

action.

4.  Substances are further broken down and some vitamins are

synthesized by bacterial action and absorbed by the large intestine.

 

            C.  Absorption and Feces Formation in the Large Intestine

1.  The large intestine absorbs ___________________________,

___________________________, and some _________________.

2.  Feces consist of water, inorganic salts, sloughed-off epithelial

cells, bacteria, products of bacterial decomposition, and undigested

parts of food.

3.  Although most water absorption occurs in the small intestine, the

large intestine absorbs enough to make it an important organ in

maintaining the body’s water balance.

 

            D.  Defecation Reflex

1.  The elimination of feces from the rectum is called defecation.

2.  Defecation is a reflex action aided by voluntary contractions of

the diaphragm and abdominal muscles. The external anal sphincter

can be voluntarily controlled (except in infants) to allow or postpone

defecation.

3.  ___________________________ refers to frequent defecation

of liquid feces. It is caused by increased motility of the intestine and

can lead to dehydration and electrolyte imbalances.

4.  ___________________________ refers to infrequent or difficult

defecation and is caused by decreased motility of the intestines, in

which feces remain in the colon for prolonged periods of time. It

may be alleviated by increasing one’s intake of dietary fiber and

fluids.

 

VIII.  SUMMARY OF DIGESTIVE HORMONES

 

A.  The effects of the four major digestive hormones - gastrin, secretin,

CCK, and GIP - are to regulate gastric secretion and motility, as well as

secretion of the pancreas, liver, and gallbladder.

 

B.  ___________________________ promotes secretion of gastric juice

and increases gastric motility.

 

C.  ___________________________ promotes secretion of bicarbonate

ions into pancreatic juice and bile. It inhibits secretion of gastric juice and

promotes normal growth and maintenance of the pancreas. It enhances

the effects of CCK. Overall, it causes buffering of acid in chyme.

 

D.  ___________________________ (Cholecystokinin) stimulates

secretion of pancreatic juice rich in digestive enzymes and ejection of bile

into the duodenum. It also slows gastric emptying.

 

E.  ___________________________ (Gastric inhibitory peptide) inhibits

gastric gland secretion and gastric motility during the gastric phase.

 

XV.  DISORDERS: HOMEOSTATIC IMBALANCES

 

A.  ___________________________ – cavities are started by acid-

producing bacteria that reside in dental plaque.

 

B.  ___________________________ – crater-like lesions in the mucous

membrane of the GI tract in areas exposed to gastric juice.  The three

well-defined causes of peptic ulcer disease (PUD) are…

1)  the bacterium Helicobacter pylori

2)  nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin

3)  hypersecretion of HCl.

 

C.  ___________________________ – saclike outpouchings of the wall of

the colon in places where the muscularis has become weak.

1)  Inflammation within the diverticula, known as diverticulitis, may

cause pain, nausea, vomiting, and either constipation or

an increased frequency of defecation.

 

D.  One of the most common and deadly malignancies of the GI tract is

colorectal cancer, second only to lung cancer in males and third after

lung and breast cancer in females

 

E.  ___________________________ is an inflammation of the liver and

can be caused by viruses, drugs, and chemicals, including alcohol.

1.  Hepatitis A (infectious hepatitis) is spread by

___________________________.

a.  It does not cause lasting liver damage.

2.  Hepatitis B is spread primarily by _______________________,

_______________________, and _________________________.

a.  It can produce ___________________________ and

possibly ___________________________ of the liver.

b.  Vaccines are available to prevent hepatitis B infection.

3.  Hepatitis C is often spread by _________________________.

a.  It can cause cirrhosis and possibly liver cancer.

4.  Hepatitis D is transmitted like hepatitis B.  A person must be

infected with hepatitis B before contracting hepatitis D.

a.  It results in severe liver damage and has a

___________________________.

5.  Hepatitis E is spread like hepatitis A.

a.  It is responsible for a very high mortality rate in

___________________________.

 

F.  ______________________________________________________ is a chronic

disorder characterized by self-induced weight loss, body-image and other

perceptual disturbances, and physiologic changes that result from

nutritional depletion.

 

            G.  In some individuals, there is a failure of the intestinal mucosal cells to

            produce the enzyme lactase. This results in ___________________________

___________________________, the inability to digest the sugar lactose found

in milk and other dairy products.

1.  It is characterized by diarrhea, gas, bloating, and abdominal

cramps after ingestion of diary products.

           

I.  ______________________________________________________

disease occurs when the lower esophageal sphincter fails to close

adequately after food has entered the stomach, resulting in stomach

contents refluxing into the inferior portion of the esophagus.

1.  HCl from the stomach contents irritates the esophageal wall

resulting in heartburn.