DIGESTIVE

SYSTEM

Romel M. Durante, RN, MAN ( C )

Clinical Instructor
 Functions
1. Take in food
2. Break down food
3. Absorb digested materials
4. Provide nutrients
5. Eliminate waste

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Pharynx
(throat)

Oral cavity Salivary

(mouth) glands
Esophagus
Stomach

Pancreas
Small
Liver intestine
Gallbladder Large
intestine

Appendix

Rectum
Anus

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 Layers of Digestive System
• Digestive system is one large tube from
mouth to anus plus the accessory organs
1. Mucosa:
- innermost layer
- secretes mucus
2. Submucosa:
- above mucosa
- contains blood vessels, nerves, small
glands
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3. Muscularis:
- above submucosa
- longitudinal, circular, and oblique
muscles
4. Serosa/adventitia:
- outermost layer
- peritoneum is present called serosa
- no peritoneum then called adventitia (Ex.
Esophagus)

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 Peritoneum
• Layer of smooth epithelial tissue
• Mesenteries:
connective tissue of organs in abdominal cavity
• Lesser omentum:
mesentery connecting lesser curvature of stomach
to liver and diaphragm
• Greater omentum:
mesentery connecting greater curvature of
stomach to transverse colon and posterior body
wall

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 Oral Cavity
• First part of digestive system
• Contains stratified squamous epithelia
• Salivary glands:
- produce saliva which contains enzymes
to breakdown carbohydrates into glucose
- cleanse mouth
- dissolve and moisten food

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• Amylase:
salivary enzyme that breaks down
carbohydrates

• Lysozyme:
salivary enzymes that are active against
bacteria

• Tongue:
house taste buds and mucus

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 Teeth
• 32 teeth in normal adult
• Incisors, canine, premolars, molars, wisdom
• 20 primary teeth (baby teeth)
• Each tooth has crown, cusp, neck, root
• Center of tooth is pulp cavity
• Enamel is hard covering protects against
abrasions
• Cavities are breakdown of enamel by acids from
bacteria

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 Figure 16.5

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 Palate
• Palate:
roof of oral cavity

• Hard palate:
anterior part

• Soft palate:
posterior part

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 Salivary Glands
• Salivary Glands:
- includes submandibular, sublingual,
parotid
- produce saliva contains enzymes to
breakdown food
- mumps is inflammation of parotid gland

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 Pharynx
• Throat

• Connects mouth to esophagus

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 Esophagus
• Tube that connects pharynx to stomach
• Transport food to stomach
• Joins stomach at cardiac opening
• Heartburn:
- occurs when gastric juices regurgitate into
esophagus
- caused by caffeine, smoking, or eating or
drinking in excess
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 Swallowing
• Voluntary phase:
bolus (mass of food) formed in mouth and
pushed into oropharynx
• Pharyngeal phase:
swallowing reflex initiated when bolus
stimulates receptors in oropharynx
• Esophageal phase:
moves food from pharynx to stomach
• Peristalsis:
involuntary/wave-like contractions moves
bolus/food through digestive tract
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 Stomach
• Located in abdomen
• Storage tank for food
• Can hold up to 2 liters of food
• Produces mucus, hydrochloric acid, protein
digesting enzymes
• Contains a thick mucus layer that lubricates
and protects epithelial cells on stomach wall
form acidic pH

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• 3 muscular layers:
outer longitudinal, middle circular, and inner
oblique to produce churning action

• Rugae:
large folds that allow stomach to stretch

• Chyme:
paste-like substance that forms when food
begins to be broken down
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• Pyloric opening:
opening between stomach and small
intestine
• Pyloric sphincter:
thick, ring of smooth muscle around pyloric
opening
• Hunger pangs:
stomach is stimulated to contract by low
blood glucose levels usually 12-24 hours
after a meal

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Regulation of Stomach Secretions

• Parasympathetic stimulation, gastrin,

histamine increase stomach secretions
• Cephalic phase:
- 1st phase
- stomach secretions are initiated by sight,
smell, taste, or food thought

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• Gastric phase:
- 2nd phase
- partially digested proteins and distention
of stomach promote secretion

• Intestinal phase:
- 3rd phase
- acidic chyme stimulates neuronal reflexes
and secretions of hormones that inhibit
gastric secretions by negative feedback
loops
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 Movement in Stomach
• Mixing waves:
- weak contraction
- thoroughly mix food to form chyme
• Peristaltic contraction/waves:
- stronger contraction
- force chyme toward and through pyloric
sphincter to small intestine
• Hormonal and neural mechanisms stimulate
stomach secretions
• Stomach empties every 4 hours after regular
meal, and 6-8 hours after high fatty meal
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 Small Intestine
• Measures 6 meters in length
• Major absorptive organ (most nutrient
absorption occurs)
• Chyme takes 3-5 hours to pass through
• Contains enzymes to further breakdown
food
• Contains secretions for protection against
chyme’s acidity

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 Parts of Small Intestine
• Duodenum:
- 25 cm long
- contains absorptive cells, goblet cells,
granular cells, endocrine cells
- contains microvilli and many folds
- contains bile and pancreatic ducts
• Jejunum:
2.5 meters long and absorbs nutrients
• Ileum:
3.5 meters long
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 Large Intestine
• Function is to absorb water from indigestible
food
• Contains cecum, colon, rectum, anal canal
• Cecum:
- joins small intestine at ileocecal junction
- has appendix attached
• Appendix:
9 cm structure that is often removed

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• Colon:
- 1.5 meters long
- contains ascending, transverse, descending,
sigmoid regions

• Rectum:
straight tube that begins at sigmoid and ends at
anal canal

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• Anal canal:
last 2-3 cm of dig. tract

• Food takes 18-24 hours to pass through

• Feces is product of water, indigestible food,

and microbes

• Microbes synthesize vitamin K

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 Liver Anatomy
• Weighs about 3 lbs.
• In right upper quadrant of abdomen under
diaphragm
• Right, left, caudate, quadrate lobes
• Porta:
gate where blood vessels, ducts, nerves enter
and exit
• Receives blood from hepatic artery

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• Lobules:
divisions of liver with portal triads at corners

• Portal triad:
contain hepatic artery, hepatic portal vein,
hepatic duct

• Hepatic cords:
- between center margins of each lobule
- separated by hepatic sinusoids

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• Hepatic sinusoids:
contain phagocytic cells that remove
foreign particles from blood

• Central vein:
- center of each lobule
- where mixed blood flows towards
- forms hepatic veins

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 Liver Ducts
• Hepatic duct:
transport bile out of liver
• Common hepatic duct:
formed from left and right hepatic duct
• Cystic duct:
- joins common hepatic duct
- from gallbladder
• Common bile duct:
formed from common hepatic duct and cystic
duct
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 Gallbladder
• Small sac on inferior surface of liver

• Stores and concentrates bile

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 Functions of Liver
• Digestive and excretory functions
• Stores and processes nutrients
• Detoxifies harmful chemicals
• Synthesizes new molecules
• Secretes 700ml of bile each day
• Bile:
dilutes and neutralizes stomach acid and
breaks down fats

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 Pancreas
• Located posterior to stomach in inferior
part of left upper quadrant
• Head near midline of body
• Tail extends to left and touches spleen
• Endocrine tissues have pancreatic islet
that produce insulin and glucagon
• Exocrine tissues produce digestive
enzymes

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 Digestive Process
1. Digestion:
breakdown of food occurs in stomach and
mouth
2. Propulsion:
moves food through digestive tract includes
swallowing and peristalsis
3. Absorption:
primarily in duodenum and jejunum of small
intestine
4. Defecation:
elimination of waste in the form of feces
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 Carbohydrate Digestion
• Polysaccharides split into disaccharides by
salivary and pancreatic amylases
• Disacchardies broken down into
monosaccharides by disaccharidases on
surface of intestinal epithelium
• Glucose is absorbed by cotransport with
Na+ into intestinal epithelium
• Glucose is carried by hepatic portal vein to
liver and enters most cells by facilitated
diffusion
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 Lipid Digestion
• Bile salts emulsify lipids
• Lipase breaks down lipids which form
micelles
• Micelles are in contact with intestinal epi.
and diffuse with cells where they are
packaged and released into lacteals
• Lipids are stored in adipose tissue and
liver

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 Proteins Digestion
• Proteins are split into polypeptides by
enzymes secreted by stomach and
pancreas
• Peptides and amino acids are absorbed
into intestinal epi. cells
• Amino acids are actively transported into
cells (help from GH and insulin)
• Amino acids used to build new proteins

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 Water and Minerals
• Water can move across intestinal wall in
either direction
• Depends on osmotic conditions
• 99% of water entering intestine is
absorbed
• Minerals are actively transported across
wall of small intestine

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