Digestive system

The digestive system consist of :

1- The alimentary tract which start with mouth and end with anus
2- The accessory glands which associated with it.

 Oral cavity : the oral cavity contains the following structure

1- Lips and checks
The lips divided into three region
a- Cutaneous area

The lips covered by a typical thin skin with cornified epithelium , hair
fonicles, sebaceous gland and sweat gland.

b- Red area
The red area covered by non-cornified, translucent stratified
squamous epithelium, the red color of the lips is due to the blood in
the vessels of the tall papillae , translucent of epithelium , gland are
absent.

c- The oral mucous

Is the inner surface of the lips and checks are similar in structure .
The epithelium is not cornified, numerous gland of mixed (ser-
mucous gland) present

Gums
The epithelium of the guns is cornified it consists of numerous
long vascular papilla which is responsible for it pink color.
Palate
1- Hard palate :
The epithelium of the hard palate is much like that of the
gums, it has a cornified layer in which the cell are hard scale
–like with long vascular papillae deeply indent it gives a
pinkish color.

2- Soft palate
The oral surface of soft palate is lined by non-cornified
St.sq .ep this epithelium extend for a variable distance into
the pharyngeal surface where it become continuous with
pseudostratified ciliated columnar epithelium .

Floor of the mouth

The floor of the mouth is lined by a non cornified
epithelium, the sub mucosa is loose and contain the
sublingual gland.

Tongue
The main bulk of the tongue particulary of the anterior two
third is skeletal muscle .
The interlacing muscle fibers course chiefly in three
direction, longitudinal , transversally and vertically which
gives maximal mobility and physical control.
 In the posterior third of the tongue , there are aggregation of
lymphatic tissue, the lingual tonsil .
 The lower surface of the tongue is covered by St.sq .ep
which is not cornified the lamina propria is thin and closely
bound down to the underlying muscle.
 The dorsal surface of the tongue divided into: an anterior
two- third and posterior one third by a V-shaped row of
circum vallate papilla, on the anterior two-third there are
numerous projection the filiform papilla

1- The filiform papilla : are formed by a central cone of C.T

and a covering layer of the St.sq.ep.k
They are numerous and distributed over the dorsal
surface.
Each papilla consist of a slender vascular con of C.T
covered by St.sq .ep. which is cornified , the epithelium
forms one or more secondary projection which like
thread.

2- Fungiform papilla : are few in number and inter spread

among the filiform papilla their summits are rounded and
broader than the base, they are covered by non- cornified
epith and contain scattered taste buds on their upper
surface.

3- Foliate papilla: along the postero-lateral border of the

tongue, there are fold of the mucous membrane sometime
called foliate papilla, they are not well develop in man
they are found in rodents and rabbits.
4- Circum – vallate papilla usually from 9-12, arranged
along av shaped line, they resemble the fungiform papilla
but are much longer and are surrounded by a trench or a
wall, hence their name vallate or circum vallate it covered
by non- cornified St. sq.ep. in the epithelium of the lateral
wall sometime in the trench a small oval bodies taste
buds which serve as receptors organs.

Glands of the tongue

1- Mixed gland (sero-mucous glands)
Are located in the anterior part of the tongue near
apeoc, they are embeded in the muscle but are close
to the ventral than to the dorsal surface , they have
several duct which open on the ventral surface .
2- Serous glands :
Located in the region of the vallate papilla , they
extend into the muscle ,their ducts open in to the
trenches of the circum vallate papilla .
3- Mucous glands of the root of the tongue are the most
numerous they lie in the posterior third of the tongue
&extend forward to mingle with the serous , their
duct open into the crypts of the lingual tonsil & into
depression between the tonsils.
Nerve supply
The nerve supply of the oral cavity is comply , the skeletal
muscle of the lips& checks is supplied by the 7 th cranial
nerve , the tongue by 12th nerve
The fibers carrying ordinary sensation are from the lingual
branch of the fifth nerve & from the ninth nerve .
The fibers carrying the special sense of tastes are from the
seventh nerve & from the ninth nerve.

Teeth
 Basically a tooth is derived from ectoderm and
mesoderm, the teeth are embedded in the bone of the
upper & lower jaws & are arranged in two archs , two
set of teeth are distinguished the primary (milk or
deciduous tooth) childhood 5in each half jaw(total 20)
,They are shed between 6-12year.
 Being gradually replaced by the permanent set of
adulthood , this set number 8 in each halfjaw(total 32).
 All teeth show a similar structure , although individual
teeth one modified in shape for specific function .

 A tooth has three anatomic division:

A visible crown project above gun with a root burried

in the alveolus maxilla or mandible the crown & root
meet at the neck .

Each tooth has pulp cavity filled with C.T , the pulp
cavity communicate via one or more small pones with
the surrounding C.T or periodontal membrane, that
holds the tooth in it socket or alveolus

The basal tissue of the tooth are dentin surrounding

the pulp cavity and forming the bulk of the tooth .
 Enamel covering the dentin of the crown and
cementum covering the dentin of the root the lower
edge of enamel contact cementum of the neck.

The general feather of the alimentary canal:

1- Mucosa
The innermost layer of the digestive tract , it has
three constant component :
a- An epithelial lining
b- Lamina propria which is formed of loose
C.Tcontain fibers, fibroblasts & macrophages
c- Beginning with esophagus a thin stratum of
smooth muscle appears subjacent to the lamina
propria .

2- Sub-mucous: consist of loose c.T.

3- Muscularis : A smooth muscle arranged in different direction.

4- Serosa : it consist of mesothelium and thin layer of C.T usually

surround the organ and connect with the surrounded organ or
tissue.

Pharynx

 The pharynx extend from the level of the base of the skull to
the level of cricoids cartilage where it become continuous with
the oesophagus it cavity is continuous with the cavities of nose ,
 mouth, larynx ,superiorly & laterally the eustachain tube open
into it.

 The wall of the pharynx consist of mucosa muscularis, and

serosa there is no submucosa except in the superior lateral
region near the junction with the oesophagus.

 The epithelium lining the pharynx is not the same, that lining
the nasopharynx is the pseudostratified ciliate columnar
epithelium and the part near the junction with oropharynx the
epithelium change to St.sq.ep.
 The muscularis layer is consist of skeletal muscle and serosa
consist of mesothelium and a loose C.T.

Oesophagus

Beginning with the oesophagus four layers are constantly present through
the remainder of the alimentary canal.

The oesophagus is the most muscular segment of the alimentary tract,

except during the passage of the food or water; the lumen is small and
irregular in shape.

1- Mucous :
Is lined with st.sq.ep the lamina, propria is formed of fine
interlacing c.T fibers with fibroblasts, muscular is formed of
smooth muscle running longitudinal direction with some inner
circular fibers it is thick in the oesophagus than in any other
segment of the digestive tube.
 2- Sub mucous
Is composed of loosely interweaving collagenous fiber which
permit the formation of extensive fold of mucous membrane.

3- Muscularis : composed of skeletal muscle it become more regularly

arranged into inner circular &outer longitudinal layer, skeletal
fibers extend for a variable distance it replaced by smooth muscle.

4- Serosa : composed of loosly arranged C.T which binds the

oesophagus to surrounding structures .

Stomach

 The stomach extend from the oesophagus to the duodenum , in the

empty state ,it is almost tubular shape except the upper part which has
a pear shaped.
 The stomach is divisible into upper& lower halve , the upper half act
as reservoir & has no or a only slight – peristattic contraction .
 The lower half has peristattic contraction which increase in intensity
toward the pyloric .
 It is in this part that the various constituent of the food are mixed with
each other with the secretion of the glands of the stomach.
 The stomach is flattened antheroposteriorly and is J- shaped with
upper concave side & lower convex side , the oesophago-gastric is
called “ cardinal “, the main body of the stomach fundus and pyloric
below the fundus which open into the duodenum .
a- Cardiac or oesophagus- stomach junction :
 o Mucous
1- The lining of mucosa is columnar epithelium
2- Muscularis has muscle fiber of smooth type.
3- Adventitia of areolar C.T with B.V
4- Glands are shallow but pits are relatively deep & lamina propria with
mucousa secreting glands

o Submucousa : Consist of C.T , blood vessel and nerve .

o Muscularis : smooth muscle consist of two layers the inner is
circular &outer longitudinal.

b- Fundus : the gastric glands are simple sometime branch tubular

gland which from 3to7 open into gastric pit, they extend down
ward through the entire thickness of the lamina propria to the
muscularis mucousa in the glands there is different type of cells
1- Chief cell
Are the most numerous cells of the gastric glands, the function
of pepsinogen which in the acid medium of the stomach is
transformed to the active enzyme pepsin , the function of which
is the hydrolysis of proteins to smaller peptide.

2- Parietal cells or oxgntic cells

Are scattered singly & in small groups between other cell type
secrete HCL
3- Mucous neck cells
Are located in the neck of gastric gland in small groups and as
single cell.
 c- Pyloric : The mucousa with deep pits & glands.

Intestine

a- Small intestine
Digestion occurs mainly in the small intestine where enzyme
complete the chemical break down of food into a state suitable for
absorption.
The enzyme come from two source, the pancreas and the glands in
the wall of the small intestine
Food is also exposed to non- enzymic fluid called “ bile mode in
the liver”.
The small intestine consist of duodenum, jejunum and ileum.

1- Duodenum
a- Mucousa it consist of the leaf-like villi covered by columnar
epithelium with some goblet cells, the cove of villi has B.V and
lymph vessel , the lamina propria is a thin loose C.T , the
mucousal glands are closely situated near each other, the
muscularis consist of outer longitudinal &inner circular smooth
muscle fibers.
b- Submucousa : is areolar C.T , with a branched tubular gland
called Brunner glands secret alkaline mucous there glands
present only in this region of the small intestine.
c- Muscularis : consist of the smooth muscle arranged in outer
longitudinal layer and inner circular layer
d- Serosa
e-
 Ileum
1- Mucousa : villi are club-shaped, presence of a tubular
glands at the bases of the villi called “ crypt of lieberkiiln ,
the mucousa contain lange module (payer’s patche) that
might reach to submucousa .
2- Submucousa: similar to dnodenum but without brunner
gland
3- Muscularis : same
4- Serosa: same

b- Large intestine
a- Colon
1- Mucousa :absence of villi, the colon has semi lunar folds, covered
with columnar epithelium with goblet cells, the muscularis in
mucousa normal , many mucous gland found deep in mucousa, a
lymphoid nodule found in mucousa which may bulge to
submucousa.

b- Vermiform appendix
1- Mucousa : the pits are shallow, the folds covered by s. columnar
ep with goblet cells, it contain few tubular mucus gland with
lymphoid nodules mostly extending in the sub. M.
c- The rectum & anus
The upper portion of the rectum has a series of transverse folds and
the lower portion or anal canal has longitudinal folds called anal
columnar.
The epithelium of the anal canal become st.sq. Keratin.ep , the circular
layer of the muscularis external & thicker forming the internal
sphincter, and a circular band of skeletal muscle forms the external
sphincter .
The skin near anus has apocrine sweat gland and many blood vessel
surround the anus.
Accessory glands
1- Liver (function )
1- The liver is the largest exocrine gland in the body it secret large
amount of bile, bile salts emulsify fats in the small intestine and
the gastrointestinal tract.
2- The liver also perform endocrine function it synthesize & secret
blood protein such as : serum albumin , it regulate blood sugar
level by storing massive amounts of glycogen .
3- Liver is the primary site for the detoxification and elimination
of body waste & poisons.

Structure
The liver consist of large number of lobule each lobule contains
many vertical plate of liver cell arranged radially around a
central B.V which is a branch of the hepatic vein.
The hepatic vein drains blood from the lobule & release into
the general circulation .
The blood supply each lobule is form two source
The hepatic artery and hepatic portal vein , branches of these
vessel are found between the liver lobule , the artery delivers
oxygenated blood from the general circulation and the portal
vein delivers food- laden blood from the gut blood from the
hepatic artery& hepatic portal vein flows between the plate of
 the liver cell towards the central vein in channel called
sinusoids .
The sinusoids are vascular space are lined by discontinuous
capillaries also contain phagocytic cell called Kuffer cells.
The kuffer cell contain ingested debris whole cells or iron
deposits from destroyed red cell.
Between the plate of liver cells are other channel called
canaliculi which receive bile.
The bile moves out wards to the periphery of the lobule where it
connect into bile ducts.
Bile is stored temporarily in a sac like gall- bladder before it
periodic release into the small intestine.
C.s in liver

Gall bladder

1- The gall bladder located behind the liver, stores & concentrate
bile.
2- Bile from the liver drains into the right & left hepatic duct than
into the common hepatic duct & finally into the gall bladder.
3- When food enters the duodenal lumen bile drain from the gall
bladder into the duodenum through a cystic duct & bile duct.
4- It is a distensible cul-de-sac with a capacity of 50ml when
distended , the wall of gall bladder is relatively smooth, however,
when gall bladder is empty the wall has conspicuous fold called
Rokitansky-As crypts
5- Which can extend into the gall bladder muscularis external .
6- The mucousa is covered by S .columnar epithelium containing
cells with many microvilli
7- The lamina propria is thin contains fibroblasts B.V
8- The muscularis contain several layers of smooth muscle arranged
in layers
9- The bile in the gall is highly concentrated.

Pancreas
1- The pancreas like liver perform exocrine and endocrine
function.
2- The pancreatic a linar cells secret most of the enzyme
neccssory for digestion and endocrine cells , is the islet of
langerhanse secret insulin and glucogen.
3- The pancreas is situated just beneath the stomach & is
connected to small intestine by a pancreatic duct through
which pancreatic juice is discharged .
4- The pancreatic acini is composed of many pyramidal epithelial
cells tightly joined toeach other by junctional complex &
surrounded by a B.M.
5- The secretory product drain into intralobular ducts then empty
the product into longer interlobular ducts
6- in the C.T between lobs the acini comprise more than 80% of
pancreas these cells are specialized to secret the proteins used
in the digestion process
7- while the endocrine cells comprise only 20% of the volume of
the pancreas
8- These cells from the islets of langerhans which surrounded by
delicate C.T, lack ducts& supplied with rich capillary plexus to
drain the hormones.