Digestive System

Digestion = 5 stages

 Ingestion – intake, breakdown = teeth, swallowed

 Digestion – breakdown large insoluble small soluble = can be absorbed

 Absorption – small molecules into blood

 Assimilation (taking gas/liquid) – molecules into tissues

 Undigested/indigestible – remains leave body through anus = egestion

Digestion of Proteins
Peptide bonds are broken by acids/alkalis/protease enzymes:

Proteins  polypeptides  peptides  amino acids

Digestion of Carbohydrates
Carbohydrate enzymes = amylase / maltose:

Mouth:

 Starch  maltose (by salivary amylase)

Small Intestine:

 Pancreatic juice = pancreatic amylase continuation of starch to maltose

 Intestinal enzymes =
Maltase= maltose  glucose + glucose
Sucrase = Sucrose  glucose + fructose
Lactase = Lactose  glucose + galactose

They are membrane bound enzymes cell surface membrane of epithelial cells, attached to microvilli.

Absorption of products of carbohydrate digestion as monosaccharide sugars pass into blood capillaries
of villi = rest of body by blood system
Lactose Intolerance
They can’t digest milk sugar because no lactase produced. Undigested lactose causes water to be taken
into Lumen of intestine from epithelial cells lining lumen, by osmosis so lowers water potential =
abdominal discomfort. Unaltered lactose colon (absorbs water) = broken down by bacteria = gas.
Glucose + Lactase now produced. Sugar produced isn’t absorbed so less water absorbed into epithelial
cells lining Colon Lumen = more discomfort. Excess water = diarrhoea

Symptoms: bloating/vomiting/cramps

Cheese/yoghurt = no symptoms because lactose lactic acid (by bacteria)

Important for babies = milk only source of carbohydrates

Absorption of Food - How substances absorbed? / cross membrane

Active Transport: molecules/ions moving against concentration gradient (with help from protein
carriers) using energy  ATP most digested products absorbed this way. Cells carrying out this process =
lots of mitochondria  ATP

Sodium co-transport: After meal = higher conc. of monosaccharide & amino acids in ileum = conc.
gradient so diffusion for these molecules will occur across epithelium  blood capillaries = slow process
can’t absorb all the digested food so supplemented by active transport involving a sodium – k pump.

Lumen of small intestine – see diagram

Epithelial cells = membrane  glucose transporter protein = binding sites  glucose & sodium ions.
Sodium – k pump actively transports sodium ions out of cell, into blood  lowers concentration of Na in
epithelial cells. Glucose & sodium molecules & sodium ions in gut bind to transporter proteins & Na +
diffuses into cells down diffusion gradient carrying glucose with itself.

Products of digestion are transported via blood to the liver  processed if necessary & then
redistributed. Any excess carbohydrate is converted to glycogen & stored as granules in the liver cells.

From ileum, un/indigested remains pass into large intestine.

Cholera
Produced by infection from bacterium = Vibrio cholerae.  Example of prokaryotic cell

 Columnar epithelium – lines ileum

 Taller than wide. Polygonal in cross section giving irregular hexagonal mosaic in surface view
 Striated border – microvilli  increases surface area for uptake
 Many mitochondria to produce energy for active uptake
 Vesicles produced by pinocytosis – containing products of digestion. SEE DIAGRAM SHEETS