Components of the digestive system
Alimentary canal (gut) gastro intestinal tract)
Digestive glands
Alimentary canal (gut) gastro intestinal tract)
It is a muscular tube about 5 meters long extending
from the mouth to the anus
:It includes from above downwards
Buccal cavity, pharynx about 15 cm
Esophagus about 25 cm
Stomach about 30 cm
: Small intestine, which consists of
The duodenum about 25 cm
Jejunum and ileum about 260 cm
:Large intestine which consists of
.The colon about 110 cm
.Rectum and anal canal about 15 cm
The various parts of the GIT are separated
by special muscles called sphincters
These sphincters control the
passage of its contents from
.: one part to the other as
Upper and lower esophageal -1
sphincters
2- Pyloric sphincter : Separates
stomach from duodenum
3- Ileocolic (Ileocecal) sphincter : Separates ileum from
colon (Cecum).
.NB. After death the GIT relax and elongate
while the length of the small intestine during
,life is about 285 cm
it increases and becomes
.about 700 cm in cadavers
Digestive glands
Their secretions contains digestive enzymes
salivary glands
liver
gall bladder
and pancreas
Structure of the wall of GIT
Structure of the wall of GIT
Mucosa -1
Epithelial cells and
Connective tissue
:Composed of
Contains blood capillaries
and lymph vessels
Secretion of digestive juices
and certain hormones
Concerned of:
Absorption of various
nutrients
Submucosa -2
:Composed of Dense connective tissue
Contains Large blood and lymph
vessels
Submucosal (Meissner´s)
nerve plexus
Musculosa -3
outer longitudinal layer
:Composed of and
an inner circular layer
well developed nerve plexus
.
in between
.called myenteric or Auerbach' s) plexus
Both layers are arranged in bundles
Within each bundle the muscle fibers are electrically
connected through large number of gap junctions
.The bundles fuse with one another at many points
.Therefore each muscle layer functions as a syncytium
Serosa -4
It is the peritoneal covering of the GIT
:Functions of the digestive system
nutritive substances
The digestive system vitamins
provides the body by
minerals
and fluids
through performing the following functions
Motility -1 Secretion-2
Digestion-3 Absorption-4
Excretion-5
Motility -1
:Two types of motility occur in the wall of GIT
1- Propulsive (Peristaltic) movement
Move food along GIT towards
the anal side
2- Mixing (segmenting) movement
Help digestion by mixing food with digestive juices
Help absorption by bringing food in contact with
the absorbing surface
Secretion -2
Secretion of digestive juices
from digestive glands
It is an active process
needs ATP
Digestion -3
Breakdown of larger molecules into smaller molecules
Polysaccharides monosaccharide
Proteins amino acids
Fats fatty acids + monoglycerides
Absorption -4
Blood vessels
Absorption of products of digestion
Lymph vessels
Absorption occurs mainly in the small intestine
Simple
Diffusion
Absorption may be by Facilitated
Active transport
Primary Secondary
Excretion -5
Excretion of undigested and unabsorbed
substances in faces
Electrical activity of the GIT smooth muscles
Resting membrane potential is about – 56 mV
It is caused by:
.Selective permeability of the membrane**
**The Na+ , K+ pump.
The lower R.M.P. (of Smooth ms) (compared to SK ms) is
due to relatively higher permeability of the membrane of
smooth ms to Na+ ions
The smooth muscles of the GIT show continual but slow
.electrical activity
It shows two types of basic
- 40
electrical waves:
- 50
1- Slow waves
2- Spikes
- 60
N.B.: In addition, the voltage of the resting membrane
potential can change to different levels without the
generation of waves.
Spike potential Slow waves (BER)
They are action potential They are not action
potential
Consists of depolarization Consists of slow
and repolarization waves undulating changes in
RMP
Due to slow entry of large Due to undulations of
amounts of Ca++ and small Na+ K+ pump
amounts of Na+ through Ca++
- Na+ channels
Can cause muscle Can cause spike potentials
(Which occur at the peak of
contractions slow waves )but not muscle
contractions
Factors affecting excitability of GIT smooth muscles
Excitability is decreased Excitability is increased
(RMP becomes more (RMP becomes less
negative) negative)
Stretch
Stim. of the sympathetic Stim. of the
system parasympathetic system
Epinephrine and Acetylcholine
norepinephrine
Specific GIT hormones Specific GIT hormones
Neural control of GIT functions
:Nerve supply of the GIT
:Parasympathetic fibers-1
The vagi nerves supply the esophagus, stomach, small•
,intestine and the upper part of the large intestine •
The pelvic nerves supply the lower part of the large intestine•
.as well as the rectum and the anal canal •
They mostly terminate at the neurons of the intrinsic•
.nerve plexus •
Parasympathetic stimulation generally increases the•
secretory and motor activities of the GIT and causes •
.relaxation of the sphincters •
:Sympathetic fibers -2
They arise from the prevertebral (collateral) autonomic ganglia in the abdomen
.and reach the GIT via splanchinic nerves )e.g. the celiac & mesenteric ganglia(
Many of these fibers terminate at the neurons of the intrinsic nerve plexus
while others innervate the blood vessels (producing V.C.) and some bypass
.these nerve plexuses and directly supply the smooth muscle cells
Sympathetic stimulation generally decreases the motor and secretory
activities of the GIT, and causes contraction of both its sphincters as well
.as muscularis mucosa
:The Enteric Nervous System -3
.This consists of the myenteric and the submucosal nerve plexuses
Such system extends in the gut wall from the lower third of the
.esophagus to the large intestine
,Each of these plexuses is formed of a large number of neurons
.which are connected by interneurones
There are group of neurotransmitters in the enteric nervous
,system, most of them are also found in the brain e.g. serotinin
acetylcholine, nor epinephrine, ATP, GABA, and many peptides
.as CCK, serotinin and VIP
The outer plexus lying between the longitudinal
and the circular muscle layers
Parasym.
Symp.
.It is called (Myenteric or Auerbach s plexus)
Myenteric
It is concerned mainly in
.the control of the GIT motility
The inner plexus lying in the submucosal
.submucosa
It is called Meissners plexus
It controls mainly the gastrointestinal blood flow and
.secretion
:Effects of stimulation of Myenteric plexus
.Increase tone of GIT -1
.Increase intensity of rhythmic contractions -2
Some fibers are inhibitory to the gastrointestinal -3
sphincters decreasing their resistance to the passage
.of food
:Reflexes for nervous regulation of GIT
:Short (local enteric )(local axon) reflexes -1
.All the components of the reflex are present in the wall of the gut
Receptors - in the wall of the gut
Stimulus - Stretching of the wall Digestive products
Intramural stimuli
Osmotic pressure
- Afferent - dendrites
- Center and - Cell body and Local
are Present in plexuses
Center
- efferent - Axons
Eff Affer.
- Effector organ Smooth ms or gland in GIT
- Effect Change in motility or secretion
Local enteric R.
Ganglionic reflexes -2
Prevertebral gauglion
These are also local axon reflexes
Receptors - in the wall of the gut
- Center Prevertebral sympathetic ganglia Ganglionic R.
Enterogastric Arise from the duodenum to
Inhibit gastric motility
- Examples
Colonoileal Arise from the colon to
Inhibit ileal contractions
Gastrocolic Arise from the gut to evacuate
the colon
:Long (central nervous) reflexes -3
Receptors - in the wall of the gut
- Center Spinal cord and brain stem
Conditioned (Acquired) reflexes: need
cerebral Cortex and training
- Types
Unconditioned (inborn) reflexes: does
not need cerebral Cortex
- Examples Defecation reflex
Reflexes that regulate GIT
secretions and motility
