SECRETORY FUNCTION OF

GASTROINTESTINAL SYSTEM

Irawan Yusuf
Department of Physiology
 INTRODUCTION
• Throughout the gastrointestinal tract secretory
glands serve two primary function;
– To produce digestive enzymes;
– To provide mucus for lubrication and protection
• Most digestive secretions are formed only in
response to the presence of food in the
gastrointestinal tract
• The types of enzyme and its component are
varied according to the types of food present.
 Daily Secretion of Gastrointestinal Fluid

Fluid Daily volume (ml) pH

Saliva 1000 6.0 – 7.0

Gastric secretion 1500 1.0 – 3.5
Pancreatic secretion 1000 8.0 – 8.3
Bile 1000 7.8
Small intestinal secretion 1800 7.5 – 8.0
Brunner’s gland secretion 200 8.0 – 8.9
Large intestinal secretion 200 7.5 – 8.0

Total 6700
Guyton, AC; 2000
 GENERAL PRINCIPLES
• Functions of gastrointestinal secretions
– Transport
– Digestion
– Protection
– Absorption
• The type of secretory glands
– Mucus gland or mucus cells (Goblet cells)
– Pits; invagination of surface lining epithelial
– Tubular glands (stomach and upper duodenum)
– Complex glands (Salivary glands, pancreas and liver)
• Basic mechanism of secretion by glandular cells
– Secretion of organic substances
– Water and electrolyte secretion
• Basic regulatory mechanism of glandular cells
 Basic Mechanism of Secretion
Secretion of Organic Substances (proteins)
1. The nutrient material needed for formation of secretion
must diffuse or actively transported from the capillary into
the base of glandular cell
2. ATP from the mitochondria, along with appropriate
substrates, is then used for synthesis of the organic
substances
3. The secretory materials are then transported to the Golgi
complex
4. In the Golgi complex the material are modified before
discharged into the cytoplasm in the form of secretory
vesicles, which are stored in the apical ends of the secretory
cells
5. These vesicles remain stored until nervous or hormonal
stimulation cause them to extrude their contents
 Basic Mechanism of Secretion
Secretion of Water and Electrolyte
1. Nerve stimulation on basal portion of the cell membrane,
causing active transport of Cl- ions to the inside the cell
2. The resulting increase in electronegativity inside the cell the
causes positive ions also move to the interior of the cell
3. The excess of both these ions inside the cell creates an
osmotic force that pulls water to the interior, thereby
increasing the hydrostatic pressure inside the cell and
causing the cell to swell
4. The pressure in the cell then results in ruptures of secretory
border of the cell causes flushing of water, electrolyte, and
organic materials out of the glandular cell into the lumen of
the gland
 Basic Regulatory Mechanism of
Glandular Cells
• Effect of Local Contact
– The mechanical present of food causes the glands to
secrete moderate to large quantities of digestive juice
• Effect of enteric nervous system
– Tactile stimulation
– Chemical irritation
– Distention of the gut wall
• Autonomic stimulation
– Parasympathetic increase the rate of secretion
– Sympathetic can have dual effect; increase or decrease
the secretion depend on the rate of stimulation
• Hormonal
 Basic Regulatory Mechanism of
Glandular Cells
Hormones that regulate secretion
• Gastrin
– Stimulates gastric acid/pepsinogen secretion
• Secretin
– Stimulates pancreatic and bile secretion
• Cholecystokinin (CCK)
– Stimulates pancreatic enzyme secretion and bile
secretion
 Basic Regulatory Mechanism of
Glandular Cells
CELLULAR MECHANISMS
• Second messengers
– IP3, calcium, cAMP
• Actions
– alter activity of ion transporters
– alter exocytosis rate of secretory vesicles
– regulate insertion of intracellular
canaliculi
 SALIVARY GLANDS AND
SALIVA
Saliva is secreted primarily by three pairs of glands:
1. Parotid, located near the angle of the jaw, are
largest glands and secrete a watery fluid
2. Submandibular, secrete a fluid that contains a
high concentration of proteins and so is
moderately viscous
3. Sublingual, produce viscous fluid
 Characteristics of each of the salivary glands
in human

Gland Histologic type Secretion1 % of total saliva2

Parotid Serous Watery 20

Submandibular Mixed Moderately 70
viscous
Sublingual Mucous Viscous 5
Ganong, WF, 2003
1Serous cells secrete ptyalin;mucous cells secrete mucin
2The remaining 5% of salivary volume is produce by lingual and minor glands In the

oral cavity
 Saliva Function

• Protection the mouth by:

– Cooling hot food
– Diluting gastric acid or bile regurgitated into the mouth
– Washing food away from the teeth
– Antibacterial and antiviral effects (IgA and peroxidase)
– Aids speech by facilitating movement of the lips and
tongue
• Digestion of glucose by amylase (ptyalin) and fat
by lingual lipase
• Lubrication; for easier swallowing, moisten the
mouth
 Composition of Saliva
• Salivary gland secrete saliva about 1-1.5
L/day containing:
– Electrolyte. In comparison with plasma, saliva is
hypotonic and contains higher concentrations of
K+ and HCO3- and lower concentration of Na+
and Cl-
– Proteins. Several proteins are found, -amylase
(ptyalin), lingual lipase, peroxidase, IgA and
growth factors (NGF, EGF)
– Mucin for food lubrication
 Control of Salivary Secretion
• Autonomic Nervous System
– Parasympathetic cause secretion of watery fluid, high
electrolyte but low in protein
• Increases secretion of amylase with large volumes of fluid
– Sympathetic cause secretion of small volume of fluid
containing high mucin
• Stimulates small volume of saliva rich in amylase,
bicarbonate and K+
• Salivary reflexes. Thought, aroma, or taste cause
salivary reflexes
 GASTRIC SECRETION

• Gastric acid secretions aid in the breakdown of

food into small particles
• Continue the process of digestion begun by
salivary enzymes
• About 2 L/day of gastric secretion are produced
 Gastric Secretory Cells
• Gastric secretory cells are located on the surface of
the stomach and in glands that are buried within
the mucosa consits of:
– Oxyntic glands are located in the fundus and corpus.
They contain three types of secretory cells:
• The parietal (oxyntic) cells, secrete HCl and intrinsic factor
• Peptic (chief) cells secrete pepsinogen, the precursor of
pepsin
• Mucous cell secrete mucus
– Pyloric glands are located in antrum and pyloric. They
contain G cells and some mucous cell. G cells produce
gastrin hormone
 Secretion of the Stomach
• Hydrochloric Acid (HCl)
• Pepsinogen
• Intrinsic Factor
• Mucus
– Glycoprotein products which primary
function as lubricant, but can also have many
other regionally specialized function
 HCl Secretion
Mechanism HCl secretion
• HCl is secreted into the parietal cells canaliculi by three
step process:
– The active transport process is begun by the transport of K+ and
Cl- into the canaliculi
– H+ is then exchanged for K+ by a H+-K+ ATPase
– Water enters the canaliculi down the osmotic gradient created
by movement of HCl-
• The H+ entering the canaliculi is supplied by the
dissociation of H2CO3 into H+ and HCO3-
• The active transport process involved in the generation
of HCl- secretion require a large amount of ATP
• The pH of acid secretion as low as 0.8
 Control of HCl Secretion
• Stimulation of HCl secretion
– Acetylcholine (Ach)
– Histamine; histamine can stimulate HCl
secretion directly or can potentiate the
secretion produced by ACh or gastrin
– Gastrin
• Inhibition of HCl secretion
– Somatostatin
 Phases of Gastric Secretion
• Cephalic
– vagal cholinergic stimulation of HCl secretion
– directly
– indirectly via gastrin
• Gastric
– gastrin, local distension, vagal input increase gastric
acid secretion
• Intestinal
– increased acid in duodenum stimulates secretin
release which feeds back to inhibit gastrin release
and inhibit gastric acid secretion
 PEPSINOGEN SECRETION
• Function of pepsinogen. Pepsin the active form
of pepsinogen is proteolytic enzyme that begins
the process of protein digestion
• Regulation of pepsinogen secretion.
– Cephalic state, vagal nerve stimulate secretion of
pepsinogen
– Gastric phase, low pH stimulate secretion
– Intestinal phase, secretin stimulate pepsinogen
release
 MUCOSAL BARRIER
• The gastric mucosal barrier protects the gastric
lining cells from damage
• The main component of mucus is a thick
viscous alkaline mucous layer secreted by the
mucous cells
• Mildly injury results in increased mucus
secretion and surface desquamation
• More serious injury denudes the mucosal
surface, forming an ulcer, and produce
bleeding
 INTRINSIC FACTOR
• Intrinsic factor is a glycoprotein secreted
by the parietal cells of the gastric
mucosa, mostly in fundus
• Intrinsic factor is required for the
absorption of vitamin B12
– Intrinsic factor forms a complex with
vitamin B12
– The complex is carried to the terminal ileum,
where the vitamin is absorbed
 PANCREATIC SECRETION
• Pancreas contains endocrine and exocrine cells
• The exocrine cells have an internal structure similar to
that of salivary glands
• The exocrine cells produce four types of digestive
enzyme:
– Protease (trypsin, chymotrypsin, carboxypeptidase)
– Amylase
– Lipases (lipase, cholesterol esterase, phospholipase)
– Nucleases
• Each day pancreas produce 1200-1500 ml of pancreatic
juice containing high concentration of HCO3-
Anatomy and Histology of Pancreas
Pancreatic Secretory Cells
• Pancreatic exocrine cells are arranged
in grape-like clusters called acini.
• The exocrine cells themselves are packed
with membrane-bound secretory
granules which contain digestive
enzymes that are exocytosed into the
lumen of the acinus.
• From there these secretions flow into
larger and larger, intralobular ducts,
which eventually coalesce into the main
pancreatic duct which drains directly
into the duodenum.
Composition of Pancreatic Secretion

• Pancreatic juice is composed of two secretory

products critical to proper digestion:
– Digestive enzymes, secreted by acinar cells
– Bicarbonate (HCO3-), secreted from epithelial cells
• Digestive enzymes digesting all three major
types of nutrients
• HCO3- play important role in neutralizing the
acid chyme from the stomach
Composition of Human Pancreatic Juice

Cations Anions Digestive Enzymes

Na+ HCO3- Trypsin

K+ Cl- Chymotrypsins
Ca2+ SO42- Lipase
Mg2+ HPO42- -amylase
Carboxypeptidase A and B
Ribonuclease
Elastase
Phospholipase A2
Cholesteryl ester hydroxylase
 Control of Pancreatic Secretion

Hormonal Control
• Secretin (from increased HCl in duodenum)
– stimulates fluid and electrolyte secretion
• CCK (from increased fatty acids, peptides,
amino acids)
– stimulates release of enzymes
Nervous System
• Parasympathetic input
– initiates secretion during cephalic and gastric phases
 Phase of Pancreatic Secretion
Cephalic phase
• Vagal stimulation
– Stimulates enzyme secretion
• Non-cholinergic
– HCO3- secretion
Gastric phase
• Distension of the antrum and corpus
– Secretion of low volume of enzymes and HCO3-
• Food breakdown (primarily amino acids)
– Secretion of pancreatic secretion
Intestinal phase
• Cholecystokinin
• Secretin