Digestive System

Functions of the Digestive System

Digestion: breakdown of foods

-Mechanically: by movements of digestive organs
-Chemically: by enzymes

Ingestion: eating
Secretion: release of water, enzymes, buffers
Mixing and propulsion: movement along GI
tract
Absorption: moving products of digestion into
the body
Defecation: dumping waste products

Organs of the Digestive System

Gastrointestinal (GI) tract

A tube through which foods pass and where

digestion and absorption occur.
Includes: mouth, pharynx, esophagus,
stomach, small intestine, large intestine

Accessory organs:

Organs that help in digestion but through which

food never passes.
Includes: teeth, tongue, salivary glands, liver,
gallbladder, and pancreas

Organs of the Digestive System

Mouth (Oral Cavity)

Formed by

Uvula

Cheeks and tongue

Hard palate anteriorly, soft palate posteriorly
U-shaped extension of soft palate posteriorly
During swallowing, uvula blocks entry of food
or drink into nasal cavity

Tongue: muscular accessory organ

Maneuvers food for chewing

Adjusts shape for speech and swallowing

Salivary Glands

Salivary Glands

Three pairs of salivary glands

Parotid

Submandibular

In floor of mouth; medial and inferior to mandible

Sublingual

Largest; inferior and anterior to ears

Inferior to tongue and superior to submandibular

Saliva: 99.5% water, salivary amylase,

mucus and other solutes

Dissolves food and starts digestion of

starches

Teeth

Accessory organs in bony sockets of

mandible and maxilla
Three external regions

Crown: above gums

Root: part(s) embedded in socket
Neck: between crown and root near gum line

Three layers of material

Enamel: hardest substance in body; over crown

Dentin: majority of interior of tooth
Pulp cavity: nerve, blood vessel, and lymphatics

Teeth

Teeth
Humans have two sets of teeth

The 20 deciduous teeth are replaced by the

permanent teeth between ages 6 and 12 years.
The 32 permanent teeth appear between 6 years
and adulthood.

Four types of teeth

Incisors (8): used to cut food

Cuspids (canines) (4): used to tear food
Premolars (8): for crushing and grinding food
Molars (12): used for crushing and grinding
food

Digestion in the Mouth

Mechanical digestion

Chewing mixes food with saliva

Rounds up food into a soft bolus for swallowing

Chemical digestion

Salivary amylase (enzyme) breaks down

polysaccharides (starch) maltose and larger
fragments
Continues in the stomach for about an hour until
acid inactivates amylase

Pharynx and Esophagus

Food passages from mouth stomach

Swallowing: 3 stages

Voluntary stage: bolus of food oropharynx

Pharyngeal stage: oropharynx esophagus

Soft palate prevents food from entering nasopharynx

and larynx

Esophageal: food stomach by peristalsis

Pharynx and Esophagus

Stomach

J- shaped enlargement of GI tract

Mixing chamber and holding reservoir
Very elastic/expandable and muscular
Four regions

Cardia: surrounds upper opening

Fundus: superior and to left of cardia
Body: large central portion
Pylorus: lower part leading to pyloric sphincter
and duodenum

Pancreas

Location: behind stomach

Produces pancreatic juice

Passes into duodenum via pancreatic duct

Secretions that help digestion

Digestive enzymes: many

Pancreatic lipase: fat-digesting

Pancreatic amylase: starch-digesting
Proteases: proteolytic enzymes or proteinases.

Liver and Gallbladder

Weighs 1.4 kg (3 lb): 2nd largest organ in the body

In right upper quadrant, below diaphragm

Bile

Functions of bile

Formation and recycling of bile

Emulsification: breaking apart clusters of fats so

they are more digestible
Absorption of fats
Bilirubin from heme when RBCs broken down
Bile is digested stercobilin: gives feces brown
color

Gallstones may form from bile

Obstruct bile ducts from gallbladder pain

Liver Functions
1. Carbohydrate metabolism

Polysaccharide stored in liver as glycogen

Converts glycogen, fructose, galactose, lactic
acid, amino acids glucose to blood glucose

2. Lipid metabolism

Produces cholesterol, triglycerides; makes bile

Makes lipoproteins for lipid transport

3. Protein metabolism

Remove NH2 from amino acids ammonia

(NH3) urea to kidneys (urine)

Liver Functions
4. Removes many harmful substances from
blood

Detoxifies alcohol
Inactivates steroid and thyroid hormones
Eliminates some drugs (like penicillin) into bile

5. Excretion of bilirubin

From heme (in RBCs) to bile feces

6. Stores fat-soluble vitamins (ADEK) and

minerals (Fe, Cu)
7. Activates vitamin D

Small Intestine

Length

10 feet long in living person

Extends from pylorus of stomach to cecum of
large intestine

Three major regions: duodenum, jejunum,

ileum
Functions

Site of most of digestion

Essentially all nutrient absorption occurs here

Small Intestine

Digestion in Small Intestine

Mechanical digestion

Segmentation activity: for mixing

Peristalsis for movement of intestinal contents
after most absorption completed: slow waves

Chemical digestion:

Alkaline chyme due to bicarbonate

From pancreas and alkaline mucus from small intestine

Enzymes produced by cells on villi

Peptidases: breaks small peptides

Disaccharidases: sucrase, lactase, and galactase

Absorption in the Small Intestine

Chyme enters small intestine carrying

partially digested carbohydrates and proteins
Intestinal juice (composed of bile, pancreatic
juice, intestinal juice) completes digestion
90% of absorption of products of digestion
occurs in the small intestine

Large Intestine

Structure: 4 regions

Cecum
Ileocecal sphincter
Appendix attached
Colon: ascending, transverse, descending and
sigmoid
Rectum
Anal canal with sphincters

Large Intestine