DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY - LECTURE

LEGEND

MAIN TOPIC
SUBTOPIC
SUB-SUBTOPIC

THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM AND BODY

METABOLISM
• Digestion – breakdown of ingested food
• Absorption – passage of nutrients into
the blood
• Metabolism – production of cellular
energy (ATP)
• Organs of the Digestive System; ANATOMY OF ORAL CAVITY
o Alimentary Canal/Digestive • Lips (labia) – protect the anterior opening
Tract – continuous coiled hollow • Cheeks – form the lateral walls
tube • Hard palate – forms the anterior roof
o Accessory Digestive Organs • Soft palate – forms the posterior roof
ORGANS OF THE ALIMENTARY CANAL • Uvula – fleshy projection of the soft
• Mouth palate
• Pharynx
• Esophagus
• Stomach
• Small intestine
• Large intestine
• Anus

• Vestibule – space between lips externally

and teeth and gums internally
• Oral cavity – area contained by the teeth
• Tongue – attached at hyoid and styloid
processes of the skull, and by the lingual
frenulum
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ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY - LECTURE

• Nasopharynx – not part of the digestive

system; performs a respiratory function
• Oropharynx – posterior to oral cavity
• Laryngopharynx – below the oropharynx
and connected to the esophagus

TONSILS
• Two round, fleshy masses at the back of
your throat (pharynx)
• Filter out bacteria and other germs to FUNCTIONS OF THE PHARYNX
prevent infection in the body • Serves as a passageway for air and food
o Palatine tonsils • Food is propelled to the esophagus by
o Lingual tonsil two muscle layers
o Tubal tonsil o Longitudinal inner layer
o Pharyngeal tonsil o Circular outer layer
• Food movement is by alternating
contractions of the muscle layers
(peristalsis)

ESOPHAGUS
• Runs from pharynx to stomach through
the diaphragm
• Conducts food by peristalsis (slow
rhythmic squeezing)
• Passageway for food only (respiratory
system branches off after the pharynx)

PROCESSES OF THE MOUTH

• Mastication (chewing) of food
• Mixing masticated food with saliva
• Initiation of swallowing by the tongue
• Allowing for the sense of taste

ANATOMY OF THE PHARYNX

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ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY - LECTURE

o Fundus
o Body
o Pylorus – funnel-shaped terminal
end
• Food empties into the small intestine at
the pyloric sphincter
• Rugae – internal folds of the mucosa
• External regions
• Lesser curvature
• Greater Curvature

FUNCTIONS OF THE STOMACH

• Acts as a storage tank for food
• Site of food breakdown
• Chemical breakdown of protein begins
• Delivers chyme (processed food) to the
ANATOMY OF THE STOMACH small intestines
• Located on the left side of the abdominal SPECIALIZED MUCOSA OF THE STOMACH
cavity • Simple columnar epithelium
• Food enters at the cardio esophageal o Mucous neck cells – produces a
sphincter sticky alkaline mucus
• Regions of the stomach: o Gastric glands – secrete gastric
o Cardiac region – near the heart juice
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ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY - LECTURE

o Chief cells – product protein- • Finger-like structures formed by the

digesting enzymes (pepsinogens) mucosa
o Parietal cells – produce • Gives the small intestine more surface
hydrochloric acid area
o Endocrine cells – produce gastrin

SMALL INTESTINE
• The body’s major digestive organ
• Site of nutrient absorption into the blood
• Muscular tube extending from the pyloric
sphincter to the ileocecal valve
• Suspended from the posterior abdominal
wall by the mesentery
MICROVILLI OF THE SMALL INTESTINE
SUBDIVISIONS OF THE SMALL INTESTINES
• Small projections of the plasma
• Duodenum
membrane
o Attached to the stomach
• Found on absorptive cells
o Curves around the head of the
pancreas
• Jejunum
o Attaches anteriorly to the
duodenum
• Ileum
o Extends from jejunum to large
intestines

CHEMICAL DIGESTION IN THE SMALL

INTESTINE
• Source of enzymes that are mixed with
chyme
o Intestinal cells
o Pancreas
• Bile enters from the gall bladder

VILLI OF THE SMALL INTESTINE

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ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY - LECTURE

STRUCTURE INVOLVED IN ABSORPTION OF

NUTRIENTS
• Absorptive cells
• Blood capillaries
• Lacteals (specialized lymphatic
capillaries)

ABSORPTION IN THE SMALL INTESTINE

• Water is absorbed along the length of the
small intestine
• End products of digestion
o Most substances are absorbed by
active transport through cell
DIGESTION IN THE SMALL INTESTINE
membranes
• Enzymes from the brush border
o Lipids are absorbed by diffusion
o Break double sugars into simple
• Substances are transported to the liver by
sugars
the haptic portal vein or lymph
o Complete some protein digestion
• Pancreatic enzymes play the major PROPULSION IN THE SMALL INTESTINE
digestive function • Peristalsis is the major means of moving
o Help complete digestion of starch food
(pancreatic amylase) • Segmental movements
o Carry out about half of all protein o Mix chyme with digestive juices
digestion (trypsin, etc.) o Aid in propelling food
o Responsible for fat digestion
(lipase) LARGE INTESTINE
• Larger in diameter, but shorter than the
o Digest nucleic acids (nucleases)
small intestine
o Alkaline content neutralizes
acidic chyme • Frames the internal abdomen
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ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY - LECTURE

FUNCTIONS OF THE LARGE INTESTINE o Defecation occurs with relaxation

• Absorption of water of the voluntary (external) anal
• Eliminates indigestible food from the sphincter
body as feces
ACCESSORY DIGESTIVE ORGANS
• Does not participate in digestion of food
• Salivary glands – producing glands
• Goblet cells produce mucus to act as a
o Parotid glands – located anterior
lubricant
to ears
STRUCTURES OF THE LARGE INTESTINE o Submandibular glands
• Cecum – saclike first part of the large o Sublingual glands
intestine • Saliva
• Appendix o Mixture of mucus and serous
o Accumulation of lymphatic tissue fluids
that sometimes becomes o Helps to form a food bolus
inflamed (appendicitis) o Contains salivary amylase to
o Hangs from the cecum begin starch digestion
• Colon o Dissolves chemicals so they can
o Ascending be tasted
o Transverse
o Descending
o S-shaped sigmoidal
• Rectum
• Anus – external body opening

• Teeth
o Role is to masticate food
o Two sets of teeth
PROPULSION IN THE LARGE INTESTINE ▪ Deciduous (baby or milk)
• Sluggish peristalsis teeth
• Mass movements ▪ 20 teeth are fully formed
o Slow, powerful movements by the age of two
o Occur three to four times per day ▪ Permanent teeth –
• Presence of feces in the rectum causes a replace deciduous teeth
defecation reflex beginning between the
o internal anal sphincter is relaxed ages of 6 to 12; a full set
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ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY - LECTURE

is 32 teeth, but some o Alkaline fluid introduced with

people do not have enzymes neutralizes acidic
wisdom teeth chyme
o Classification of Teeth o Endocrine products of pancreas
▪ Incisors ▪ Insulin
▪ Canines ▪ Glucagons
▪ Premolars
▪ Molars

• Liver
o Largest gland in the body
o Located on the right side of the
body under the diaphragm
o Consists of four lobes suspended
from the diaphragm and
abdominal wall by the falciform
ligament
o Connected to the gall bladder via
the common hepatic duct

• Pancreas
o Produces a wide spectrum of
digestive enzymes that
breakdown all categories of food
o Enzymes are secreted into the
duodenum
• Gall bladder
o Produced by cells in the liver
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ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY - LECTURE

o Sac found in hollow fossa of liver • Mechanical Digestion

o Stores bile from liver by way of o Mixing food into the mouth by
the cystic duct the tongue
o Bile is introduced into the o Churning of food in the stomach
duodenum in the presence of o Segmentation in the small
fatty food intestine
o Gallstones can cause blockages • Chemical Digestion
o Composition: o Enzymes breakdown food
▪ Bile salts molecules into their building
▪ Bile pigment (mostly blocks
bilirubin from the o Each major food group uses
breakdown of different enzymes:
hemoglobin) ▪ Carbohydrates are
▪ Cholesterol broken to simple sugars
▪ Phospholipids ▪ Proteins are broken to
▪ Electrolytes amino acids
▪ Fats are broken to fatty
acids and alcohols
• Absorption
o End products of digestion are
absorbed in the blood or lymph
o Food must enter mucosal cells
and then into blood or lymph
capillaries
• Defecation
o Eliminate indigestible substances
as feces

ROLE OF LIVER IN METABOLISM

• Several roles in digestion
• Detoxifies drugs and alcohol
• Degrades hormones
• Produce cholesterol, blood proteins
(albumin and clotting proteins)
• Plays a central role in metabolism

PROCESSES OF THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

• Ingestion – getting food into the mouth
• Propulsion – moving food from one
region of the digestive system to another
• Peristalsis – alternating waves of
contraction
• Segmentation – moving materials back
and ford to aid in mixing