Professional Documents
Culture Documents
- Represented by a musculo-membranous tube called the alimentary canal extending from the mouth (anterior
opening) to the anus (posterior opening) with a distance of 30ft. long.
- It is provided with accessory organs necessary for the proper functioning of the system.
Functions:
1. Digestion – breaking down of large food particles into smaller molecules for use of body cells.
Types of digestion:
A. Chemical digestion – series of catabolic reactions (hydrolysis) that breakdown the large carbohydrates,
proteins and lipids molecule into smaller molecules that are absorbable and usable by body cells.
B. Mechanical digestion – various movements of GIT that helps chemical digestion.
2. Absorption – passage of food from GIT into cardiovascular and lymphatic system
Digestive processes:
1. Ingestion – taking food into the mouth
2. Peristalsis – movement of food
3. Digestion – breaking down of food
4. Absorption
5. Defecation – elimination of indigested substances from GIT
1. Mucosa – lines the lumen of the GIT, both absorptive and secretory layer.
2. Submucosa – highly vascular
3. Muscularis – responsible for intestinal contractions and peristaltic movements thru GIT.
4. Serosa – outermost layer, also known as ‘visceral peritoneum’
1
I. Mouth (Oral cavity)
- also referred to as buccal cavity
- An oval shaped cavity limited in front by the lips, hard and soft palates, tongue, cheeks and isthmus of fauces
behind. For ingestion of food.
Divisions of mouth:
1. Vestibule – a space found in front, limited by the lips anteriorly, teeth and gums posteriorly.
2. Oral cavity proper – extends from vestibule to the fauces (an opening between oral cavity and the pharynx).
1. Tongue – a musculo-membranous organ that forms the floor of the mouth. At the surface are found different
papillae containing the taste buds (receptors for taste).
- It is attached to the floor of the mouth by means of “lingual frenulum”.
- Functions for speech (phonation), swallowing, and capturing prey in some animals
Types of papillae:
a. Filiform papillae – situated on the anterior 2/3
of the tongue, cone-shaped, whitish and contain
no taste buds.
2
2. Teeth (dentes) – are accessory structures located in the sockets of the alveolar processes of mandible and
maxillae.
- function for mastication (chewing)
Types of teeth:
a. Incisor – chisel-shaped for biting/cutting of food
b. Canine – cone-shaped for tearing/shredding of food
c. Molar – for crushing and grinding of food
d. Premolar – for crushing and tearing of food
Parts of teeth:
a. Crown – exposed portion above the gum
b. Neck – constricted portion between the crown and root.
c. Root – embedded part in the sockets
3
II. Pharynx (throat) – a musculo-membranous short tube common to both respiratory and digestive systems, with 3
parts found behind the nasal and oral cavities.
III. Esophagus (gullet) – a musculo-membranous tube about 9inches in length, has no digestive function but only for
the passage of food from the pharynx to the stomach, by means of peristalsis.
IV. Stomach – a J shaped dilated portion of the alimentary canal directly under the diaphragm in the epigastric,
umbilical and left hypochondriac regions of the abdomen.
Functions:
1. temporary storage of food
4
2. for mechanical and chemical digestion
3. transmission of “chime” into the small intestine
Divisions of stomach
1. Fundus – upper dome shaped portion, contains a
small amount of gas, and found only in mammals
2. Body – forms the main bulk of the stomach
3. Cardia – portion leading to esophageal opening,
anterior end of the stomach
4. Pylorus – it has a dilated proximal portion called
the “pyloric antrum” and tubular portion called the
“pyloric canal”. Posterior end of the stomach.
Gastric glands – produces “gastric juice” (a thin, colorless liquid with an acid reaction)
1. cardiac glands
2. fundic glands
3. pyloric glands
5
Important cells of gastric glands:
1. Chief/ central cell (peptic/ zymogenic cell) – secretes pepsinogen, precursor of protein enzyme pepsin.
2. Parietal/ oxyntic cell – secretes HCL
3. mucous cell – secretes mucin
Gastric enzymes:
1. Pepsin – for protein digestion
2. Gastric lipase – for carbohydrates digestion
3. Rennin – present in infants for milk digestion
Intestinal glands – secretes “intestinal juice” or succus entericus (a slimy liquid, alkaline in reaction)
1. Crypts of lieberkuhn – secretes intestinal juice
2. Brunner’s glands – found in duodenum, secretes mucus
1. Liver/ hepar – largest gland in the body about 1.36kg body wt, It has 4 lobes and suspended from the
diaphragm and abdominal wall by the falciform ligament.
- Functions of liver includes: secretions of bile, water metabolism, proteins, carbohydrates, and fats
metabolism, detoxify harmful substances, storage for vitamins.
- The digestive function of the liver is to produce 800-1000ml of “bile” (a yellowish green, watery solution
containing salts, bile pigments-bilirubin, cholesterol, phospholipids-lecithin and variety of electrolytes) each
day, to emulsify fats by physically breaking large fat globules into smaller ones, thus providing more surface
area for the fat-digesting enzymes to work on.
6
“Pathways of bile flow from the liver into the duodenum” :
Hepatocytes – bile capillaries – small bile ducts – right and left hepatic ducts – common hepatic duct – common bile
duct (or cystic duct for storage in gall bladder) – hepatopancreatic ampulla (ampulla of vater).
3. Pancreas – a retroperitoneal gland about 5-6 inches in length found at the back of the stomach, each day it
produces 1200 – 1500ml of pancreatic juice emptied into the duodenum by pancreatic duct. It also contains a
special cell called islets of Langerhans which secrete hormones insulin and glucagons.
- Consists of 2 ducts: accessory duct (duct of Santorini) and pancreatic duct (duct of Wirsung) that conveys
pancreatic juice to the duodenum, eventually the ducts joins the common bile duct forming the
hepatopancreatic ampulla (ampulla of Vater) and opens to the duodenal papillae.
- The pancreas produces 1200-1500ml of pancreatic juice (a mixture of clear, colorless fluid and digestive
enzymes) for digestion of carbohydrates, proteins and fats.
- The cells of the pancreas are the acini and the pancreatic islets of Langerhans.
7
VI. Large Intestine (Intestinum Crossum)
- forms the large part of the GIT, 5ft in length extending from the ileum to the anus, much wider and thicker than the
small intestine.
- With no villi and digestive enzymes (except in herbivores, with cellulose) thus no digestion takes place.
- Glands which are present secrete substances mainly for lubrication.
Functions:
1. Absorption of a large amount of water
2. production of vitamin K by the normal bacterial flora
3. temporary storage of undigested materials
2. colon
a. Ascending colon – continuation of caecum, short vertical portion.
b. Transverse colon – portion that passes horizontally across the abdomen
c. Descending colon – vertical in position, forms the sigmoid/pelvic colon
d. Sigmoid colon – omega shaped and terminates into the rectum
4. Anus – terminal opening of the large intestine which serves as exit of undigested and digestive residue.
8
altor