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
They are action potential
Consists of depolarization
and repolarization waves
Due to slow entry of large
amounts of Ca++ and small
amounts of Na+ through Ca++
- Na+ channels
Can cause muscle
contractions
Slow waves (BER)
They are not action
potential
Consists of slow
undulating changes in
RMP
Due to undulations of
Na+ K+ pump
Can cause spike potentials
(Which occur at the peak of
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