AW 21 - Stomach and Intestines

Stomach and Intestines
Academic Week 21
1
In this lesson we will learn about:
• Stomach
• Intestines
2
STOMACH
3
Food moves down the
esophagus by peristalsis.
• Bolus – food is crushed and
covered with saliva.
4
Esophagus
• Eventually, the food bolus
enters the stomach.
Esophagus
Stomach
5
The entrance of the esophagus to
stomach is constricted by an
esophageal sphincter.
• Some books or website call this
the cardiac sphincter.
– Cardiac sphincter = esophageal
sphincter
The cardia = where the esophagus meets

and empties into the stomach.
“Heart of the stomach”.
6
Esophageal (cardiac)
sphincter is a ring of muscle.
• Contracts and closes the
tube.
• Relaxes and opens the
tube.
• When relaxed, it allows
bolus to enter stomach.
7
Rugae
(gastric folds)
8
Stomach
• A muscular, hollow, dilated part of the digestive system.
• In the (L) upper part of abdominal cavity.
• Top of stomach lies against the diaphragm.
• Most mechanical (or physical) digestion and some
chemical digestion occur in the stomach.
9
Rugae
• Folds (or ridges)in the
stomach. Stomach
• These allow the stomach to
expand for food.
• As it fills, the lining
becomes smooth.
• Empties and the rugae
reappear.
10
Actual image of
rugae in stomach.
• It can hold about
a liter of food = 1
quart.
11
Mechanical or physical digestion takes place
as the 3 strong layers of smooth muscle
contract and they produce a churning
motion.
12
Physical digestion
• Churning of the stomach
continues to break the
food into smaller chunks.
• It also mixes the food
with the digestive fluids
at the same time.
13
Chemical Digestion
• Stomach lining produces a liquid called gastric juice.
• Gastric juice – a mixture of many different chemicals,
including HCl, water, electrolytes, enzymes
• HCl = hydrochloric acid - Very powerful acid.
• Often called “stomach acid”.
• Stomach cells produce thick mucous to protect
stomach.
• HCl plays a major part of digestion.
14
HCl functions:
1. Activates digestive chemicals (pepsin and lipase) also
found in the gastric juice.
2. Kills bacteria that may be present in the food.
3. Helps to dissolve the food so it is easier to digest –
breaks down plant cell walls and connective tissue in
our foods.
15
Gastric juice or gastric acid also contains enzymes.
• One of these is pepsinogen.
• Pepsinogen is activated by the HCl and changes it into
pepsin.
• Pepsin is an enzyme that breaks proteins down into its’
component part – amino acids.
• Pepsin works best in the high acidity of the stomach.
16
Food will stay in the stomach until all of the solid material
has been broken down into liquid form.
• HCl is responsible for a lot of this.
• It takes a few hours for your stomach to complete
mechanical digestion.
• In that time most of the proteins have been chemically
digested into shorter amino acid chains.
17
The chemical and physical digestion that takes place in the
stomach, turns the bolus of food into a liquid mush –
contains partially digested food, water, HCl and various
enzymes.
• This thick liquid is now called chyme.
• Chyme passes from the stomach into the small intestine
in spurts – a little is allowed to leave the stomach at a
time.
• Another sphincter controls how much chyme leaves the
stomach at a time.
18
Pyloric sphincter -Controls the release of chyme from the
stomach into the small intestines.
19
Food is released from the stomach when the small
intestine is ready to receive it.
• This occurs about every 20 seconds.
• The stomach will release a little of the chyme at a time
into the next part of the digestive system – the
duodenum of the small intestine.
• This is done slowly to ensure that digestion and
absorption can take place efficiently.
20
21
SMALL INTESTINES
22
Chyme enters the small intestines.
Small intestines are divided into three parts.

1. Duodenum
2. Jejunum
3. Ileum
23
24
The small intestine is about 6 meters long – almost 20 feet
long.
• It is called small intestine because of its’ small
circumference – only 2-3 centimeters wide (about an
inch).
• When food reaches the small intestines it has already
been mechanically digested – but chemical digestion is
just beginning.
*****Almost all chemical digestion and absorption takes

place in the small intestines.*****
25
Duodenum
• First part of the small intestine.
• Shortest part.
• Most of the chemical digestion takes place here.
• Duodenum makes some digestive proteins.
• Other digestive juices are poured into the duodenum
from the liver, pancreas, and gall bladder to continue
digestion.
26
• The liver, gall bladder and pancreas deliver the
substances that they make into the small intestines
through small tubes.
• Bile is released into the duodenum from the gall
bladder. It is made in the liver but sent to the gall
bladder to be stored until it is needed.
• The role of the liver in the digestive system is to
produce bile.
27
• Bile is not an enzyme – it does NOT chemically digest foods.
• It PHYSICALLY breaks up large fat particles into smaller fat
droplets.
• Bile mixes with the fats in foods to form these droplets.
• At this point, the fat droplets can be broken down by enzymes
produced by the pancreas.
28
Pancreas – triangular shaped organ that lies between the
stomach and the first part of the small intestine.
• It plays a role in a lot of body processes.
But, as part of the digestive system, the pancreas produces
enzymes that flow into the small intestine and help break
down starches, proteins and fats.
• Part of the pancreatic juice is bicarbonate that
neutralizes the HCl from the stomach.
29
Bile and
pancreatic juices
empty into the
duodenum
30
Bile and pancreatic juices have everything needed to finish
breaking down food into component parts.
31
Jejunum
• The second part of the small intestine.
*****Where most of the nutrients are absorbed into the

bloodstream.*****
32
Digested food continues to move down the jejunum of the
small intestine.
• Along the way, blood absorbs the nutrients in the
chyme.
• Absorption of all the nutrients takes a long time - one of
the reasons the intestines are so long.
33
The lining of the jejunum is not smooth.
• Covered with millions of finger-like projections - called
intestinal villi.
• These villi absorb nutrient molecules.
• They have a blood supply running through the middle of
them and the nutrients are absorbed into the blood
stream.
• Villi increase the surface area of the small intestine
which allows more nutrients to be absorbed faster and
sent to the body.
34
Inside the villi
there are many
blood capillaries.
• Nutrients pass
into villi and
into blood
stream.
• So many villi
Increases the
surface area.
• Can get more
absorption. Villi make the inner surface of the
jejunum as large as a tennis court!
35
Villi absorb various
items:
• Vitamin B12
• Bile salts (after fats
are digested; taken
back to liver.)
Cross-section of villi showing the

blood vessels.
36
Villi contain microvilli – which increases the
surface area for absorption even more.
Each villi is coated with digestive enzymes
that finish off the digestion of CHO, fats and
proteins.
37
If there were no villi:
• Length of small intestine would need to be 2.25 miles
long, rather than 20 feet long.
• However, without the villi, very little nutrient absorption
would take place.
38
If there were no villi:
• Length of small intestine would need to be 2.25 miles
long, rather than 20 feet long.
• However, without the villi, very little nutrient absorption
would take place.
39
Ileum
• Third and last part of the small intestine.
• A few remaining nutrients are absorbed here.
• The final stages of chemical digestion occurs here.
• Inner lining is also covered in villi to increase absorption.
40
LARGE INTESTINES
41
Once digested, chyme reaches large intestines.
Large intestines job is to treat the waste so it can be
expelled from the body.
• Chyme composed of indigestible material (such as fiber,
vegetable roughage).
• Body considers it waste.
• As the material moves through the large intestines,
water is absorbed into the bloodstream.
• The remaining material is readied for elimination from
the body.
42
Large intestines composed of three parts.
1. Cecum – where ileum meets large intestines.
2. Colon
a. Ascending colon
b. Transverse colon
c. Descending colon
3. Rectum
43
(R) side of body (L) side of body
44
Cecum is at the beginning of colon.
• This tube has a much larger diameter than the small
intestine.
• Chyme enters cecum from small intestine.
• Smooth muscles push chyme into colon.
45
Colon is larger in diameter than small intestines.
• It encircles the small intestines.
– Food travels upward - Ascending colon.
– Goes from right to left - Transverse colon.
– Food travels downward - Descending colon.
46
47
Colon’s main functions:
– Absorb water in the chyme.
– Packs the waste together.
– Helps to conserve water.
48
Many bacteria live in colon.
• Feed on the chyme as it travels through colon.
• Digest some of the chyme for their own food.
• This further breaks it down.
• Some of the byproducts released by the bacteria are
useful to your body.
49
Good bacteria in colon – could be as many as 300 – 1000
types.
• One type is E. coli.
• One type of bacteria produces a useful Vitamin K.
• Other types produce Vitamin B.
• Vitamins are absorbed in large intestine and then
distributed throughout body.
50
Rectum is the last part of the large intestine.
• Any waste products that make it here are called feces.
• Must be expelled from the body.
• Pass to the outside through the anus.
51
Appendix
• Dead end branch off of the cecum of the large intestine.
• Sometimes becomes infected and filled with pus.
• Must be removed.
52
Appendix functions are still a mystery.
• May serve as a source of good bacteria when they are
wiped out by disease or antibiotics in the rest of the
body.
53

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Stomach and Intestines

The cardia = where the esophagus meets

Small intestines are divided into three parts.

*****Almost all chemical digestion and absorption takes

*****Where most of the nutrients are absorbed into the

Cross-section of villi showing the

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