Physiology of the Gastrointestinal Tract

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The Human Digestive System

The alimentary tract provides the

body with a continual supply of
water, electrolytes, vitamins, and
nutrients.

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 The Human Digestive System

This requires :

1- movement of food through the alimentary tract.

2- secretion of digestive juices and digestion of
food.
3- absorption of digestive products ،water,
electrolytes, and vitamins.
4- circulation of blood to carry away absorbed
Substances.
5- nervous and hormonal control of all these
functions

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 The Human Digestive System
Main organs of the Digestive System:

 Mouth
 Pharynx
 Esophagus
 Stomach
 Small intestine
 Large intestine.

Together this makes a tube called the Digestive tract

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 The Human Digestive System
Accessory organs of the Digestive System:

1) Teeth
2) Tongue
3) Liver
4) Pancreas
5) Gall Bladder
6) Salivary Gland

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 The Human Digestive System
Functions of Digestive System:-
1-Ingestion.
2-Secretion.
3-Mixing & Propulsion.
4-Digestion
A-Mechanical :-Food is broken down mechanically, with movement.

B-Chemical:- Food is broken down with a chemical or enzyme

5-Absorption.
6-Defecation.
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The Human Digestive System
The Gastrointestinal Tract Has Its Own Nervous
System Called the:
( Enteric Nervous System) in the wall
of the gut beginning in the esophagus and
extending all the way to the anus. The
enteric system is composed mainly of two
plexuses:

1-The Myenteric plexus, or Auerbach’s plexus

outer plexus located between the muscle
layers, Stimulation cause :
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 The Human Digestive System
1-The Myenteric plexus, or Auerbach’s plexus
Stimulation cause :
1- Increased intensity of rhythmical
contraction.
2- Increased rate of contraction.
3- Increased velocity of conduction.
4- The myenteric plexus is also useful for
inhibiting the pyloric sphincter which
controls emptying of the stomach.

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The Myenteric plexus, or Auerbach’s plexus

The Myenteric Plexus

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2-The Submucosal plexus, or Meissner’s plexus:

is an inner plexus that lies in the

submucosa.
1- Controls function within small
segments of the Gastrointestinal
wall.
2- Helps control local intestinal
secretions, absorption, blood flow and
local contraction of the muscularis
mucosa.

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Submucosal plexus, or Meissner’s plexus

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 The Human Digestive System
Autonomic Control of the Gastrointestinal Tract:
1-The Parasympathetic Nerves
Increase the Activity of the Enteric Nervous System.
The parasympathetic supply to the gut is made up of cranial
and sacral divisions:

The cranial parasympathetics innervate, by way of the vagus

nerves, the esophagus, stomach, small intestine ،pancreas,
and first half of the large intestine.

The sacral parasympathetics innervate, by way of the pelvic

nerves, the distal half of the large intestine
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The Human Digestive System

2- The Sympathetic Nervous System

Usually Inhibits Activity in the
Gastrointestinal Tract, Causing Many
Effects Opposite to Those of the
Parasympathetic System

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 The Human Digestive System

Ingestion of food: followed by Mastication

(Chewing) and Swallowing (Deglutition).

Mastication (Chewing): The teeth are

designed for chewing, the anterior teeth
(incisors) providing a strong cutting
action and the posterior teeth (molars), a
grinding action
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The Human Digestive System
Part: 1
Mouth
 Digestion actually begins in the mouth.
Food enters in the mouth or oral cavity.
Tasting, Mechanical breakdown of food.
, and the tongue moves the pieces around
so that saliva can be mixed with them, this
begins the digestion.

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 The Human Digestive System
Part: 1
Structures in the mouth that helps digestion:
 Teeth-cut, tear, crush and grind food.
 Salivary glands- produce and secrete saliva
into oral cavity.
 Parotid (beneath the cheeks).
 Submaxillary (below the jaw bone).
 Sublingual(below the tongue).

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 The Human Digestive System
Part: 1
Functional Movements in the
Gastrointestinal Tract
Two types of movement occur in the
gastrointestinal tract:-
1-Propulsive (Peristalsis) movements
2- Mixing movements

Peristalsis is the basic propulsive movement

of the gastrointestinal tract
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Chewing is important for:
1-Digestion of all foods, but especially important for
most fruits and raw vegetables because these have
indigestible cellulose membranes around their nutrient
portions that must be broken before the food can be
digested.
2- Chewing the digestion of food for simple reason:
Digestive enzymes (in saliva) act only on the surfaces of
food particles; therefore the rate of digestion is
absolutely dependent on the total surface area exposed
to the digestive secretions

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Saliva & Salivary glands:
The principal glands of salivation are the parotid,
submandibular ،and sublingual glands.
Saliva contains two major types of protein secretion:
1- The serous secretion (watery saliva) contains
ptyalin (α-amylase),which is an enzyme for digesting
starches.
2-The mucous secretion contains mucin for
lubrication and for surface protection.

Saliva Contains low Concentrations of potassium and Bicarbonate

Ions and high Concentrations of sodium and chloride Ions.

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Swallowing (Deglutition)
Swallowing is a complicated mechanism, principally
because the pharynx subserves respiration as well
as swallowing. In general, swallowing can be divided
into:
1- A voluntary stage in oral cavity which initiates
the swallowing process; When the food is ready for
swallowing, it is voluntarily pushed into the pharynx
by the tongue.
2- A pharyngeal stage, which is involuntary and
constitutes passage of food through the pharynx into
the esophagus.
3- An esophageal stage, involuntary phase that
transports food from the pharynx to the stomach
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Stomach
There Are Three Functions of the Stomach:-
1- Storage of food until the food can be
processed in the duodenum
2- Mixing of food with gastric
secretions until it forms a
semifluid mixture called chyme.
3- Emptying of food into the small
intestine at a rate suitable for
proper digestion and absorption.
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Stomach

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 The Human Digestive System
Part: 1
Tongue
 Mixes and rolls food into tiny mashed up bits
(Bolus).
 Pushes the bolus toward the pharynx and
into the esophagus when swallowing.

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1-Essentials of Physiology for Dental Students. K
Sembulingam and Prema Sembulingam ,2016, four
Edition , Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers.

2- Human Physiology. Stuart Ira Fox., TWELFTH

EDITION,2017. Published by McGraw-Hill

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