Gastrointestinal System

By Prof Dr Inas Zakaria Ahmed

 Objectives
• Describe the general organization of GIT
• Outline the role of GIT in the body
• Give a brief description of the musculature of the digestive tract
• Outline the generation of slow waves and action potentials in GI muscles
• Describe the phases of digestion
• Outline the control of digestive functions by the enteric nervous system
• Describe peristalsis and other movements of GIT
• Outline the roles of liver and pancreas in the GIT
 Introduction
Also called alimentary canal, digestive tract
& GI tract (GIT).

- is the tube that extends from the mouth to the

anus, in which movement of muscles & release
of hormones and enzymes digest food.
- Main function of GIT is to digest
ingested food into molecular forms that are
transported, with salts & water to the body’s
internal environment, where the circulatory
system can distribute them to cells.
The GI tract The accessory digestive
organs
(gastrointestinal tract)
Supply secretions
alimentary canal contributing to the
Mouth breakdown of food
Pharynx Teeth & tongue
Esophagus Salivary glands
Stomach Gallbladder
Small intestine Liver
Large intestine Pancreas
Anus
  Contains:
 lips

Mouth  Cheeks
 Palate
 Tongue
 Teeth
 salivary glands
 Masticatory/facial muscles
Structures in the mouth that aids digestion:
 Bones
Teeth – cut, tear, crush and grind food.
 Anteriorly bounded by the lips
 Posteriorly bounded by the
Salivary glands – produce and secrete
oropharynx.

saliva into the oral cavity.

– Parotid (beneath the cheeks)
– Sub-mandibular (below the jaw bone)
– Sublingual (below the tongue)
– saliva moistens the
Sublingual
food and contains enzymes (salivary amylase) that Salivary gland Parotid
begins digestion of starch into smaller polysaccharides.
Submandibular
Salivary gland
 Salivary glands
produce and secrete saliva into the oral cavity, Secrete
saliva only right before or during eating

Saliva: mixture of water, ions, mucus, enzymes

- keep mouth moist
- dissolves food so can be tasted
- moistens food
- starts enzymatic digestion Sublingual
- buffers acid Salivary gland Parotid
- antibacterial and antiviral
Submaxillary
Salivary gland
 Mouth
Functions:
– Tasting
– Mechanical breakdown of food
– Secretion of salivary glands (salivary
amylase) start digestion
 Anatomy of Mouth
Tongue (muscular)
Forms “bolus” of food (lump)
Help in swallowing & Speech
Taste buds covers upper surface of
the tongue.

Taste buds contained by circumvallate

and fungiform papillae
Lingual tonsil – back of tongue
 Mechanism
of Swallowing
Swallowing is a coordinated activity of the
tongue, soft palate, pharynx and esophagus.
Phases (buccal, pharyngeal & oesophygeal)
• Food is pushed into the pharynx by the tongue.
(voluntary)
• Tongue blocks the mouth
• Soft palate closes off the nose
• Larynx (Adam’s Apple) rises so the
• Epiglottis (a flap of tissue) can close the
opening of the trachea.
The wall of the digestive tract
 Esophagus
A straight muscular tube that is about 10 inches(25
cm) long which connects the mouth with stomach
Food takes 4 - 8 seconds as it passes through to
the stomach.
Walls contain smooth muscles that contracts in wavy
motion (Peristalsis).
Peristalsis propels food & liquid slowly down the
esophagus into stomach.
Cardiac Sphincter (ring-like valve) relaxes to allow
food into the stomach.
Movement in GIT
 Peristalsis (propulsive)
The involuntary constriction and
relaxation of the muscles of the following
segment of intestine or another canal,
creating wave-like movements which push
the contents of the canal forward.
 Segmentation (mixing)
Backward & forward movement within
single segment of GI tract.
helps breakdown & mixing food particles
& digestive juices.
Brings digested food in contact with
mucosa to facilitate absorption.
 Stomach
• J-shaped muscular sac
• Has inner folds (rugae) that increases the
surface area of the stomach.
• Mixes & grinds together the bolus into
smaller pieces.
• Food is mixed with gastric juices
(hydrochloric acid & enzymes) secreted by
the stomach wall cells.
• HCL helps break down food & kills bacteria
that came along with the food.
 Digestion in Stomach
Stomach movement and enzymes
• Pepsin – major enzyme; converts proteins
into peptides in the presence of HCL.
• Mucus – lubricates food and protects the
gastric lining from strong digestive juices.
• Converts the bolus into a liquid (chyme)
after 4 hrs of mechanical & chemical
digestion
• Chyme passes through the pyloric
sphincter into the small intestine.
Action potential In Smooth Muscle
 Slow wave potentials in GIT
A slow wave potential is a rhythmic
electro-physiological event in
the gastrointestinal tract.

The normal conduction of slow waves is

one of the key regulators of
gastrointestinal motility.

Slow waves generated in

interstitial cells of Cajal spread to the
surrounding smooth muscle cells and
control motility.
 Slow wave potentials in GIT
Continual, slow electrical activity:
(slow wave potentials)

- Not action potential (too low)

- Generated by interstitial Cajal
cells, due to periodic opening
of ions channels
- Usually don’t cause muscle
contraction (only alert state)
 Spike Potentials in GIT
- Action potentials
- Generated when resting
membrane potentials goes over
-40 mV
- With greater frequency &
greater rise in potential
- Lasts longer than normal action
potential (10-20 msec)
- Generated due movement of
calcium ions (slower channels)
 Nerve Regulators
Extrinsic, or outside
impulses come to the digestive organs from the brain or
spinal cord. They release two chemicals, acetylcholine &
adrenaline.
Intrinsic, or inside
nerves make up a very dense network embedded in the
walls of the esophagus, stomach, small intestine & colon.
The intrinsic nerves are triggered to act when the walls of
the hollow organs is stretched.
 Small Intestine
• Chyme takes about 4 – 8 hrs to complete
its journey in intestine.
Duodenum receives
• Mucosa (inner wall) – secretes several - bile from liver and gallbladder via bile duct*
enzymes to digest food, with pancreatic - enzymes from pancreas via main pancreatic duct*
enzymes & gall bladder bile.

• Digested nutrients are absorbed through intestinal walls.

• Absorbed materials cross the mucosa into the blood then other parts
of the body for storage or further chemical change.
 Small Intestine

Long (20 ft), coiled tube beneath the stomach. It

has three parts:
Duodenum – upper part; about 10 inch;
connected to the stomach.
– where the digestive juices from the pancreas &
the liver combine with chyme making it thin &
watery.
Duodenum & Jejunum about 8 ft, Ileum about
12 ft.
 Small Intestine
Has folded inner walls covered with fingerlike
projections (villi; sing. – villus)
Each villus has smaller projections called
microvilli that absorbs digested food.
Villi & microvilli increases the surface
area of the small intestine for greater
absorption.
Peristalsis moves the undigested food to the
Intestinal villi &
large intestine. microvilli of small
intestine
 Large intestine
Large intestine

 Approximately 5 feet long, with parts:

 1. Cecum widest diameter, prone to
rupture
 2. Appendix
 3. Ascending colon
 4. Transverse colon
 5. Descending colon
 6. Sigmoid colon most mobile, prone to
twisting
 7. Rectum Appendix hangs on the right side of
the large intestine.
 Large intestine (colon)
larger diameter, but shorter than small intestine
Main function: to absorb water & electrolytes,
making the waste harder until it becomes solid.

Waste is pushed into the expanded portion

(rectum) of the large intestine.
Solid waste stays in the rectum until it is excreted
through the anus as feces.
Defecation Evacuation of rectum
 Digestion phases
Ingestion
 Takingin food through the mouth
 Swallowing
Propulsion (movement of food)
 Peristalsis
– propulsion by alternating
contraction & relaxation
Mechanical digestion
 Chewing
 Churning in stomach
 Mixing by segmentation
 Digestion phases
Chemical digestion
 By secreted enzymes:
Absorption
 Transport of digested end products
into blood and lymph in wall of canal
Evacuation/Defecation
 Elimination of indigestible substances
from body as feces
Enteric Nervous system
Autonomic control of GIT
 Liver
 Largest gland of the body
 Stores vitamins A,D,E,K
 Stores sugar & glycogen
Liver
 Produces bile (watery, greenish substance)
 Largest gland of human body
 Secretes bile to the gall bladder via hepatic duct.
 Largest internal organ
 Rests under the diaphragm
 Weighs 1.4 on– 1.6
thekg right side of the
abdomen Rests on diaphragm on the right side of abdomen
 Gall bladder
 Stores bile in between meals
 Secretes bile to the duodenum through the
bile duct during mealtime.
 Bile contains bile salts, pigments,
cholesterol and phospholipids.
 Bile is an emulsifier NOT an enzyme.

 Emulsifier – dissolves fat into the watery

contents of the intestine
 Pancreas
 A gland that produces a juice that
contains enzymes (amylase and
insulin) to break down
carbohydrates, fats and protein.

 Secretes the juice into the duodenum

through the pancreatic duct.
 Abdomen surface divided for study & examination

The nine regions are:

1) Epigastric Region
2) Umbilical Region
3) Hypogastric Region
4) Right Hypochondric Region
5) Left Hypochondric Region
6) Right Lumbar Region
7) Left Lumbar Region NINE REGIONS
8) Right Inguinal (Iliac) Region
9) Left Inguinal (Iliac) Region
 References
 Gray’s textbook of human anatomy
 Marieb, E. N. (2012). Essentials of human anatomy & physiology (10th ed.).
San Francisco, CA: Benjamin Cummings.
 Clinically Oriented Anatomy by K.L.Moore
 Atlas of Anatomy
Prof Dr Inas Zakaria
Thank you