INTRODUCTION

Digestion
• Is defined as the process by which food is
broken down into simple chemical
substances that can be absorbed and used
as nutrients by the body.
• Digestive process is accomplished by mechanical
and enzymatic breakdown of food into simpler
chemical compounds.
• A normal young healthy adult consumes about 1
kg of solid diet and about 1 to 2 liter of liquid
diet every day
Functions of digestive system
1. Ingestion or consumption of food substances
2. Breaking them into small particles
3. Transport of small particles to different areas of the digestive tract
4. Secretion of necessary enzymes and other substances for digestion
5. Digestion of the food particles
6. Absorption of the digestive products (nutrients)
7. Removal of unwanted substances from the body.
FUNCTIONAL ANATOMY OF
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
• Tubular structure
• Extending from the mouth up to anus,
• length - 30 feet.
• It opens to the external environment on both sides
GI tract is formed by two types
of organs:

1. Primary digestive organs.

2. Accessory digestive organs
1. Primary Digestive Organs

organs where actual digestion takes place.

• Primary digestive organs are:
Mouth Pharynx
Esophagus Stomach
Small intestine Large intestine
2. Accessory Digestive Organs
which help primary digestive organs in the
process of digestion.
Accessory digestive organs are:
• Teeth Tongue
• Salivary glands Exocrine part of
pancreas
• Liver Gallbladder
WALL OF GASTROINTESTINAL
TRACT

In general, wall of the GI tract is formed by four

layers which are from inside out
1. Mucus layer
2. Submucus layer
3. Muscular layer
4. Serous or fibrous layer
1. MUCUS LAYER ( gastrointestinal mucosa or
mucus membrane)

Innermost layer of the wall of GI tract.

• It faces the cavity of GI tract.
• Mucosa has three layer of structures:
i. Epithelial lining
ii. Lamina propria
iii. Muscularis mucosa
Epithelial lining Lamina propria Muscularis mucosa

Is in contact with the formed by connective consists of a thin layer of

contents of GI tract tissues smooth muscle fibers

inner surface of mouth, contain fibroblasts, It is absent in mouth and

surface of tongue, inner macrophages, pharynx.
surface of pharynx and lymphocytes and
esophagus have stratified eosinophils.
squamous epithelial cells

mucus membrane lining It is present from

the other parts such as esophagus onwards
stomach, small intestine
and large intestine has
columnar epithelial cells
2. SUBMUCUS LAYER

• present in all parts of GI tract, except the

mouth and pharynx.
• It contains loose collagen fibers, elastic
fibers, reticular fibers and few cells of
connective tissue.
• Blood vessels, lymphatic vessels and nerve
plexus are present in this layer
 3. MUSCULAR LAYER
skeletal muscle skeletal and smooth muscle
fibers. smooth muscle fibers.
fibers

lips, cheeks and wall esophagus stomach and

of pharynx intestine
 Smooth muscle arrangements
stomach Intestine

i. Inner oblique layer i Inner circular layer

ii. Middle circular layer ii. Outer longitudinal layer.
iii. Outer longitudinal layer
Auerbach nerve plexus in between the circular and
longitudinal muscle fibers.

internal anal sphincter smooth muscle fibers present in

inner circular layer of anal canal

external anal sphincter skeletal muscle fibers

4. SEROUS OR FIBROUS LAYER
• Outermost layer of the wall of GI tract is either serous
or fibrous in nature.
• The serous layer is also called serosa or serous
membrane- connective tissue and mesoepithelial
cells.
• It covers stomach, small intestine and large intestine.
• The fibrous layer is otherwise called fibrosa -
connective tissue.
• It covers pharynx and esophagus.
NERVE SUPPLY TO
GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT
GI tract has two types of nerve supply:
• I. Intrinsic nerve supply
• II. Extrinsic nerve supply
INTRINSIC NERVE SUPPLY – ENTERIC
NERVOUS SYSTEM
• It controls all the secretions and movements
of GI tract.
• Present -esophagus to anus
• Two major networks called
1. Auerbach plexus
2. Meissner plexus.
• These nerve plexus contain nerve cell bodies,
processes of nerve cells and the receptors.
• The receptors in the GI tract are stretch
receptors and chemoreceptors.
• Enteric nervous system is controlled by extrinsic
nerves.
1. Auerbach Plexus/ myenteric
nerve plexus

Location -Present in between the inner circular

muscle layer and the outer longitudinal muscle
layer .
Functions of Auerbach plexus
• Major function -regulate the movements of GI
tract.
• Some nerve fibers of this plexus accelerate the
movements by secreting the excitatory
neurotransmitter substances like acetylcholine,
serotonin and substance P.
• Other fibers of this plexus inhibit the GI motility by
secreting the inhibitory neurotransmitters such as
vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), neurotensin
and enkephalin
2. Meissner Nerve Plexus/
submucus nerve plexus
Location - situated in between the muscular layer
and submucosal layer of GI tract.
Functions of Meissner plexus
• Function of Meissner plexus is the regulation of
secretory functions of GI tract.
• These nerve fibers cause constriction of blood
vessels of GI tract.
EXTRINSIC NERVE SUPPLY

• Extrinsic nerves that control the enteric

nervous system are from autonomic
nervous system.
• Both sympathetic and parasympathetic
divisions of autonomic nervous system
innervate the GI tract
Sympathetic Nerve Fibers

• Preganglionic sympathetic nerve fibers to GI tract

arise from lateral horns of spinal cord between fifth
thoracic and second lumbar segments (T5 to L2).
From here, the fibers leave the spinal cord, pass
through the ganglia of sympathetic chain without
having any synapse and then terminate in the celiac
and mesenteric ganglia.
The postganglionic fibers from these ganglia are
distributed throughout the GI tract.
Functions of sympathetic nerve
fibers
• Sympathetic nerve fibers inhibit the
movements and decrease the secretions of
GI tract by secreting the neurotransmitter
noradrenaline.
• It also causes constriction of sphincters
Parasympathetic Nerve Fibers
• Parasympathetic nerve fibers to GI tract pass
through some of the cranial nerves and sacral
nerves.
• The preganglionic and postganglionic
parasympathetic nerve fibers to mouth and
salivary glands pass through facial and
glossopharyngeal nerves.
•Preganglionic parasympathetic nerve
fibers to esophagus, stomach, small
intestine and upper part of large
intestine pass through vagus nerve.
• Preganglionic nerve fibers to lower part of large
intestine arise from second, third and fourth
sacral segments (S2, S3 and S4) of spinal cord
and pass through pelvic nerve.
• All these preganglionic parasympathetic nerve
fibers synapse with the postganglionic nerve
cells in the myenteric and submucus plexus.
Functions of parasympathetic
nerve fibers

Parasympathetic nerve fibers accelerate the

movements and increase the secretions of GI
tract.
The neurotransmitter secreted by the
parasympathetic nerve fibers is acetylcholine
(Ach