GASTROINTESTINAL SYSTEM

• It is a pathway 7-7.9 meters (23-26 feet) in length from mouth to the esophagus, stomach,
small and large intestines, rectum to the terminal structure which is the anus.
• Tube that includes: mouth, Pharynx, Esophagus, Stomach, Small intestine, Large intestine
• Accessory organs: teeth, tongue, salivary glands, liver, gallbladder, and pancreas

Functions
• Ingestion: the consumption of food (liquid or solid) through the mouth
• Secretion: secretes enzymes to digest nutrients needed by the body
• Digestion- is the breakdown of large organic molecule into smaller molecule that can be absorb.
Digestion occurs through mechanical and chemical breakdown of foods
• Absorption: It is the movement of molecules out of the digestive tract and into the blood or
lymphatic system. Epithelial cells that line the lumen of small intestine absorb the small
molecules of nutrients (amino acids, monosaccharides, vitamins and minerals and water) result
from digestive process.
• Defecation/Elimination: the removal of undigested material such as fiber from blood, and feces
as waste products from the body.

Mouth (Oral or Buccal cavity)

 an oval-shaped cavity inside the skull. The two main functions of the mouth are eating and
speaking.
 Parts of the mouth include the lips, vestibule, mouth cavity, gums, teeth, hard and soft palate,
tongue and salivary glands
 Digestive process begins with the act of chewing
 Mechanical digestion- through mastication which break down large food particles into smaller
ones.
 Chemical digestion occurs through the action of salivary amylase that breakdowns starches into
maltose.
 Deglutition (swallowing) occurs once the food broken down into small pieces and mixed with
saliva (food bolus)
 Bounded by the lips, cheeks, contains the teeth and tongue.
 Formed by cheeks, hard & soft palate & tongue
 Soft palate at back includes a “hangy down” part = uvula
 During swallowing uvula prevents entry into nasal cavity
 Lips- are muscular structures formed by orbicularis oris muscle
 Cheeks- form the lateral wall of the oral cavity.
 Lips and cheeks are important in the process of mastication or chewing. It moves the food around
within the oral cavity and hold the food in place while teeth crush or tears it.

TONGUE
 muscular accessory organ that maneuvers food for chewing and occupy most of the oral cavity.
 It moves food in the mouth in cooperation with the lips ad cheeks.
 It plays a major role in the process of swallowing.
 A major sensory organ for taste as well as major organ for speech.
 Adjusts shape for speech & swallowing
 Lingual tonsils at base of tongue

TEETH
 32 teeth in normal adult
 Permanent teeth/SecondaryTeeth of adults
 8 Incisors, 4 Canines, 8 Premolars, 12 Molars (including 4 wisdom teeth)
  Incisors- to cut (central 6-8 months), (lateral- 8-11 months),  eight incisor teeth are located in
the front part of your mouth. four of them in your upper jaw and four in your lower jaw. use to
bite into your food
 Canine- erupt at 16-20months, canines are the next teeth that develop in your mouth. You have
four of them and they are your sharpest teeth, used for tearing apart food
 First and Second Pre Molars- are used for tearing and crushing food that have a flat biting
surface.
 First (10-16) and Second Molar (20-24), Third Molar (wisdom) occur at late teens or late
20/old, Molars are your largest teeth. Their function is similar to that of the premolars, to grind,
tear, and crush food. Molars have a large flat biting surface which makes them perfect for this job
 20 Primary teeth/Decidous- baby teeth or milk teeth which are lost during childhood
 It has three regions
 1. Crown- the visible portion of teeth
 2. Neck- the small region between the crown and the root
 3. Root- the largest region of the tooth and anchors in the jaw bone
 PULP CAVITY- located at the center of the tooth filled with blood vessels, nerves and
connective tissue
 DENTIN- surrounds the pulp cavity
 ENAMEL- extremely hard acellular substance that covered the dentin that protects the
tooth against abrasions and acids produced by bacteria in the mouth.

Salivary Glands- 1.5 liters of saliva is secreted daily.

Parotid-
 Serous glands located inferior & anterior to ears,  serous gland that produces saliva to moisten
the mouth, helping with chewing, swallowing, phonating, and digestion
 Mumps- inflammation of parotid glands.
Submandibular-
 in floor of mouth, medial & inferior to mandible/below the mandible
 bilateral salivary glands located in the face. Their mixed serous and mucous salivary secretions
are important for the lubrication of food during mastication to enable effective swallowing and
aid digestion.
 produce more serous than mucous,
Sublingual
 secrete saliva into your mouth from under the tongue.
 The smallest of the three major salivary glands, are almond-shaped and found under the floor of
your mouth.
 Beneath tongue and superior to submandibular
 Produced more mucous
 Saliva contains 99.5% water, salivary amylase, mucus and other solutes
 Dissolves food & starts digestion of starches

PHARYNX/ THROAT
 It is tube like structure that connects the nasal and oral cavities to the larynx.
 It is a passageway for air and food or common opening between the digestive and respiratory
system. It connects the mouth with the esophagus

3 PARTS OF PHARYNX
a. Nasopharynx- behind the nasal cavities, passageway for air only.
b. Oropharynx- located in the middle portion of the pharynx located behind the mouth, and a
passageway for both air and food. extends from uvula to epiglottis
 c. Laryngopharynx- located in the lower portion of the pharynx that opens into the larynx and the
esophagus that serves a passageway for both air and food. extends from epiglottis to esophagus

NOTE: Oropharynx and laryngopharynx carry food to the esophagus

ESOPHAGUS
 Located in the mediastinum, anterior to the spine and posterior to the trachea and heart It is about
25 cm long
 It serves as the passage of food bolus from mouth the stomach by peristalsis
 The upper two thirds of the esophagus has skeletal muscle on its wall while the lower one third
has smooth muscle
 It passes into the diaphragm and ends into the stomach
 Transport food from the pharynx to the stomach
 two structures, the UES and the LES/ sphincters located at the upper and lower end of the
esophagus.
 UES and LES prevents gastric reflux, prevent retrograde movement of food by contracting and
closing the lumen of the esophagus. During swallowing, these sphincters relax to allow forward
passage of food.
 On swallowing:
 Bolus of food  oropharynx
 Laryngopharynx esophagus
 Muscular contractions in pharynx help
 Upper esophageal sphincter (UES)
 Skeletal muscle –controls entry to esophagus
 Lower esophageal sphincter (LES)
 Smooth muscle- regulates entry to stomach

STOMACH
 A hollow muscular organ with a capacity of 1500 ml,
 Located in the left upper quadrant of the abdomen, under the left lobe of the liver and diaphragm
 It stores and mixed the food with secretions during eating, secretes digestive fluids and propels
partially the digested food into the stomach.
 Serves as mixing chamber and holding reservoir, Very elastic & muscular
 the opening from the esophagus into the stomach is called Gastroesophageal opening.
 It has the following regions Cardiac region, fundus, body, and antrum or pyloric region.
 4 regions
 Cardia- surrounds upper opening/entrance
 Fundus- superior part of the stomach
 Body – largest part of the stomach
 Pylorus- lower part leading to pyloric sphincter & duodenum
 Persistaltic contractions in the stomach propels the stomach’s content into the pylorus in order to
enter in the small intestines that permits efficient absorption of nutrients.
 It has five epithelial cells

1. Surface mucous cells- located in the inner surface of the stomach which produce MUCUS that
protects the stomach lining.

2. Mucous neck cells- produce mucus

3. Parietal cells- produce hydrochloric acid and intrinsic factor

4. Endocrine cells- produce regulatory chemicals

5. Chief cells- produce PEPSINOGEN-a precursor of the protein digesting enzyme PEPSIN- an
important enzyme for protein digestion, the end product of the conversion of pepsinogen from the chief
cells.

Functions
a. Mechanical Digestion.
 Storage, mixing and liquefaction of bolus of food into a semisolid mixture call chyme.
 The rugae liquefy solid food particles through grinding motion
b. Secretion
 Secretes gastric juices from the gastric glands includes hydrochloric acid, Pepsin, Mucus,
and intrinsic factor
 1500-3000 ml of gastric juice in the gastric mucosa.
 The gastric juice is composed of mucus, HCL, pepsinogen and water.
 HCL- produces a pH of 2.0 in the stomach. The acid kills microorganisms and activates the
enzyme, PEPSIN.
 Pepsin is converted from its inactive form called Pepsinogen. Pepsin is a digestive enzyme
produced by the stomach to digest protein into smaller peptide chains.
 Mucus- forms a thick layer which lubricates the cells of the stomach wall and protects from the
damaging effect of acidic chyme and pepsin. Irritation of the stomach mucosa stimulates the
secretion of greater amount of mucus
 Intrinsic factor- is secreted by the gastric mucosa that binds with vit B 12 and makes it readily
absorb in the small intestine. Vit B 12 is important in DNA synthesis and in RBC production. If
vitamin B 12 cannot be reabsorbed, Pernicious anemia results.
c. Chemical Digestion
 Digestion of CHON starts in the stomach through the action Pepsin which converts CHON
into peptides
d. Protection.
 The acid medium is responsible for the reduce activity from harmful bacteria that may have taken
in with food
e. Absorption minimal water, alcohol, glucose and some drugs in gastric mucosa
 CHO- empties within 1-2 hours
 CHON- within 3-4 hours
 Fats- within 4-6 hours

SMALL INTESTINES
 The longest segment of the GI tract
 about it folds back and forth on itself approximately 70 m or 230 ft.
 consists of the duodenum-proximal section, jejunum- middle section, and ileum-distal section.
 major site of digestion and absorption of food where digestive process is completed in the
duodenum
 The site where the ileum connects to the large intestines is called the Ileocecal junction/valve.
This valve or sphincter controls the flow of material from the ileum into the cecal portion of the
large intestine and prevents reflux of bacteria into the small intestine.

TWO TYPES OF CONTRACTION in SMALL INTESTINES

Segmentation Contractions
 Produces mixing waves that move the intestinal content back and forth in a churning/mixing
motion.
Intestinal Contractions
 Propels the contents of the small intestines toward the colon
 Both contractions are stimulated by the presence of Chyme.
 Emulsify

Functions
A. Mucus secretions
 Goblet cells and Duodenal glands secretes mucus to protect the mucosa
B. Secretion of enzymes.
 Food ingested as fats, proteins and carbohydrates should be broken down into absorbable
particles by the process of digestion.
 CARBOHYDRATES are broken down into DISACCHARIDES (sucrose, maltose, galactose)
and MONOSACCHARIDES (glucose and fructose). Glucose is the major CHO that the tissue
cells use as a fuel
 PROTEINS are source of energy after they are broken down into AMINO ACIDS and
PEPTIDES.
 FATS become MONOGLYCERIDE AND FATTY ACIDS to absorb.
 In the presence of chyme in the duodenum, the presence of CHO, fats and CHON stimulate the
secretion of PANCREOZYMIN. This enzyme stimulate the pancreas to secrete of AMYLASE,
LIPASE TRYPSIN).

ENZYMES THAT DIGEST CHO

 PTYALIN (salivary amylase) produce by salivary glands that converts starch into dextrin,
maltose and glucose ,
 AMYLASE- complete the digestion of CHO secreted by the pancreas and intestinal mucosa that
converts starch to dextrin, maltose and glucose,
 MALTASE produced by intestinal mucosa that converts maltose to glucose
 SUCRASE produced by intestinal mucosa that converts sucrose
 LACTASE is an enzyme produced by intestinal mucosa converts lactose to glucose

ENZYMES THAT DIGEST PROTEIN

 Trypsin-secreted by pancreas that complete the digestion of CHON
 PEPSIN- produce by gastric mucosa that converts CHON into polypeptides
 Aminopeptidase- secreted by intestinal mucosa that converts polypeptides into deptides and
amino acids
 DIPEPTIDASE is secreted by intestinal mucosa that converts dipeptides into amino acids
 HYDROCHLORIC ACID is secreted by gastric mucosa that converts protein into polypeptides to
amino acids

ENZYMES THAT DIGEST FATS

 Pharyngeal Lipase- complete the digestion of fats, from triglycerides into fatty acids, diglycerides
to monoglycerides
 STREPSIN- is secreted by gastric mucosa that converts triglycerides into fatty acids, diglycerides
to monoglycerides
 Pancreatic LIPASE is secreted by pancreas that converts triglycerides into fatty acids,
diglycerides to monoglycerides
 Bile is secreted by liver and gallbladder that emulsify fats
 C. Hormones
 Cholecystokinin is produce if there is fat in duodenum, gall bladder is the target tissue in order to
release bile into the duodenum
 secretin inhibit gastric secretions and inhibit stomach contractions
 GASTRIN it increases secretions of gastric juice rich in HCl

d. Absorption.
 VILLI- small, fingerlike projections that lines the entire intestines and it produce digestive
enzymes and to absorb nutrients. Absorption is the major function of the small intestines through
the process of active transport and diffusion across the intestinal wall into the circulation.
Duodenum and jejunum it absorbs fats, CHO, CHON sodium and chloride, Vit B 12, and bile
salts are absorb in the ileum.
 Mg, phosphate, K are absorb throughout the small intestines.

Large intestine
 Extends from the ileocecal valve to the anus.
 It is approximately 1.5 meters (5-6 feet long)
 Consist of cecum, ascending colon, transverse colon, descending colon, sigmoid colon, and
rectum and anal canal
 It absorbs fluids and electrolytes, synthesizes vitamin k. And stores fecal material.
 Bacteria as a major component of the contents of the large intestine that completes the breakdown
of waste material particularly the undigested proteins and bile salts

FUNCTIONS
 Peristalsis that is slow or weak that moves the colonic contents along the tract to allow efficient
absorption of water and electrolytes as a major function of the colon
 Absorb of water, sodium and chloride approximately 800 to 1000ml of water
 Secretion of mucus that protects the mucosa. Electrolyte solution a bicarbonate solution that acts
to neutralize the end products formed by the bacterial action, MUCUS protects the colonic
mucosa from the interluminal contents
 Vitamin synthesis- colonic bacterial flora synthesis vit K, thiamine, riboflavin, vit B 12, folic
acid, biotin and nicotinic acid
 Formation of feces- ¾ water and ¼ solid material. The brown color of feces results from the
breakdown of bile by the intestinal bacteria
 Defecation-the act of expelling feces in the body when the rectum is distended that initiates reflex
contractions of the rectal musculature and relaxes the internal anal sphincter.

RECTUM

 the last part of the large intestine and connects the sigmoid colon to the anal canal. The rectum
begins at the height of S2-S3 and ends at the perineum.
 It is important for the water resorption as well as for the resorption of electrolyte from the stool and
plays an important role in the defecation process.

ANUS
 Last section of the GI tract, outlet of the waste product from the GI system.
 The anus starts at the bottom of the rectum, the last portion of the colon (large intestine).