Alimentary

System
Susy Purnawati

Actions of Digestive (GI) Tract

Ingestion
Occurs when material
enters via the mouth
Mechanical

Processing

Crushing / Shearing

makes material
easier to move
through the tract

Digestion
Chemical breakdown
of food into small
organic compounds
for absorption

Secretion
Release of water acids,
buffers, enzymes &
salts by epithelium of
GI tract and glandular
organs
Absorption
Movement of organic
substrates,
electrolytes, vitamins
& water across
digestive epithelium
Excretion
Removal of waste
products from body
fluids

Digestive (GI) Tract

Histological Structure of the

Digestive (GI) Tract

The autonomic and the enteric

nervous system

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Movement of Digestive
Materials
By muscular layers of digestive tract
Consist of visceral smooth muscle
Along digestive tract:
Has rhythmic cycles of activities (PERISTALSIS)
Consists

of waves of muscular contractions

Move a bolus along the length of the tract
Law of Gut Receptive relaxation

Peristalsis

Mouth
Teeth mechanically break

down food into small pieces.

Tongue mixes food with saliva
(contains amylase, which
helps break down starch).

Functions of Oral Cavity

Sensory analysis
Of material before

swallowing

Mechanical processing
Through actions of teeth,

tongue, and palatal

surfaces

Lubrication
Mixing with mucus and

salivary gland secretions

Limited digestion
Of carbohydrates and lipids

Esophagus
Functions include:
1.Secrete mucus
2.Moves food from the throat

to the stomach using

muscle movement called
peristalsis

Stomach
Mixes food with digestive juices
Food found in the stomach is called

chyme.
Retropulsion for mixing
Pyloric pump for emptying

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Digestion in the Stomach

Stomach performs preliminary digestion

of proteins by pepsin

Some digestion of carbohydrates (by salivary

amylase)
Lipids (by lingual lipase)

Stomach contents

Become more fluid

pH approaches 2.0
Pepsin activity increases
Protein disassembly begins

Although digestion occurs in the stomach,

nutrients are not absorbed there

Small Intestine
90% of absorption occurs in the small

intestine

Small Intestine
Intestinal Movements
Chyme arrives in duodenum
Weak peristaltic contractions move it

slowly toward jejunum

Myenteric reflexes
Parasympathetic stimulation accelerates

local peristalsis and segmentation

Peristalsis

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Small Intestine
Nutrients from the food pass

into the bloodstream through

the small intestine walls.

Absorbs:
80% ingested water
Vitamins
Minerals
Carbohydrates
Proteins
Lipids
Secretes digestive enzymes
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Accessory Organs
Not part of the path

of food, but play a

critical role.
Include: Liver, gall

bladder, and
pancreas

Pancreas
Produces digestive
enzymes to digest fats,
carbohydrates and
proteins
Functions of the Pancreas
1. Endocrine cells of the

pancreatic islets:
Secrete insulin and
glucagon into
bloodstream
2. Exocrine cells:
Acinar cells and
epithelial cells of
duct system
secrete pancreatic
juice

Pancreas
Pancreatic Enzymes
Pancreatic alphaamylase
A carbohydrase
Breaks down starches
Similar to salivary amylase

Pancreatic lipase
Breaks down complex lipids
Releases products (e.g., fatty
acids) that are easily
absorbed

Pancreatic Enzymes
Proteolytic enzymes
Tripsin, chemotripsin,

carboxipeptides
Break certain proteins apart
Proteases break large
protein complexes
Peptidases break small
peptides into amino acids
70% of all pancreatic enzyme
production
Secreted as inactive
proenzymes
Activated after reaching
small intestine

Liver Function

Liver Function .
(cont.)
The liver is a complex, indispensable, multipurpose organ. You
would die within 24 hours if it stopped working. The liver has a
major role in dealing with the nutrient products of food
digestion.
The gallbladder, to form the common bile duct, which drains
into the duodenum.
About 60% of the liver is made up of liver cells (hepatocytes).
The liver receives its blood supply via the hepatic
artery (30%) and the hepatic portal vein (70%), which
transports nutrients from the intestine.
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Liver Function .(Cont.)

The Functions of Bile
Dietary lipids are not water soluble
Mechanical processing in stomach creates

large drops containing lipids

Pancreatic lipase is not lipid soluble
Interacts only at surface of lipid droplet

Bile salts break droplets apart

(emulsification)
Increases surface area exposed to enzymatic attack
Creates tiny emulsion droplets coated with bile salts

ENTEROHEPATIC CYCLE

Digestion
Digestive Enzymes
Break molecular bonds in large organic
molecules
Carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids
In a process called hydrolysis

Are divided into classes by targets

Carbohydrases break bonds between simple sugars
Proteases break bonds between amino acids
Lipases separate fatty acids from glycerides

Digestion of Charbohydrat
Stomach

Polisacharida

small intestine
1

Polisacharida

1 = ptyalin
2 = amilase pancreas
3 = disacharidase
(maltase, lactase,
sucrase)

maltosa
lactosa
sucrosa

3
Monosacharida
glucosa, galactosa,
fructosa

Digestion of protein
stomach

Protein

small intestine
Proteosa
Pepton
Polipeptida

Tripeptida
Dipeptida
As. amino
3

1 = pepsin
2 = tripsin, chemotripsin,
carboxypeptidase, dll
3 = erepsin (dipeptidase,
tripeptidase)

Amino acid

Fat digestion
stomach

small intestine

Fat

Monogliserida
Lipase, bile salt

glycerol
Fatty acid

Digestive tract secretion

and
Water absorption

Parts of Colon

Large Intestine Functions

Compaction of

intestinal contents
into feces
Absorption of

important vitamins
produced by bacteria
Storage of fecal

material prior to
defecation

Large Intestine
Functions
Bacterial digestion

(Ferment
carbohydrates)
Absorbs more water
Concentrate wastes

Movements of the Large

Intestine
Gastroenteric reflexes
Move materials into cecum while you

eat
Movement from cecum to transverse
colon is very slow, allowing hours for
water absorption
Segmentation movements
(haustration movement) mix contents
of adjacent haustra

Movements of the Large

Intestine
Movements from transverse colon through

rest of large intestine results from powerful

peristaltic contractions (mass
movements)
Stimulus is distension of stomach and

duodenum; relayed over intestinal nerve

plexuses
Distension of the rectal wall triggers

defecation reflex

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