• The gastrointestinal tract or GI tract, is a set of

organs, beginning in the mouth and ending in the

anus, that processes the food that we eat,
• from its intake till its eventual expulsion
after digestion.
• The gastrointestinal tract in humans begins at
the mouth, continuing through the esophagus,
stomach, small and large intestines.
• The GI tract is about 9 meters in length. There are
many supporting organs as well, such as the liver,
which helps by secreting enzymes that are
necessary for the digestion of food.
• The human GI tract can be divided into two
halves, namely,
• the upper GI tract
• the lower GI tract
• The organs of the upper GI tract are:
• Esophagus- It is a muscular tube that carries food from
the mouth to the stomach. Once the food reaches the
esophagus, the action of swallowing becomes
involuntary and is controlled by the esophagus.
• Stomach- This is where most of the digestion takes
place. The stomach is a J-shaped bag-like organ that
stores the food temporarily, breaks it down, mixes and
churns it with enzymes and other digestive fluids and
finally, passes it along to the small intestine.
• The lower GI consists of the following organs:
• Small intestine- The small intestine is a coiled thin
tube, about 6 meters in length, where most of the
absorption of nutrients takes place. Food is mixed with
enzymes from the liver and the pancreas in the small
intestine. The walls of the small intestine absorb the
nutrients from the food into the bloodstream, which
carries them to the rest of the body.
• Large Intestine- The large intestine, also known as the
Colon, is a thick tubular organ wrapped around the
small intestine. The primary function of the large
intestine is to process the waste products and absorb
any remaining nutrient and water back into the system.
The remaining waste is then sent to the rectum and
discharged from the body as stool.
Structure of wall of the GIT
• Digestive tract – cross section
• Lumen – contains mucus
• They lubricates food, protect the lining of the
digestive tract
• Epithelial cells – lining of GI tract, for
structure
• Smooth muscle layer – important in
contraction (it allows food to move through
digestive tract after ingestion)
• The teeth are embedded in the alveoli or sockets
of the alveolar ridges of the mandible and the
maxilla

• The tongue is a voluntary muscular structure

which occupies the floor of the mouth.
• It is attached by its base to the hyoid bone and
by a fold of its mucous membrane covering,
called the frenulum, to the floor of the mouth
• The superior surface consists of stratified
squamous epithelium, with numerous papillae
(little projections), containing nerve endings of
the sense of taste, sometimes called the taste
buds.
 Salivary glands
• Three pairs of salivary glands communicate with
the oral cavity
• Each gland is divided into smaller segments called
lobes
• Salivation occurs in response to the taste, smell
or even appearance of food
• This occurs due to nerve signals that tells the
salivary glands to secrete saliva to prepare and
moisten the mouth
• Each pair of salivary glands secretes saliva with
slightly different compositions
 NUTRIENT DIGESTION in the LARGE
INTESTINE
• Little digestion occurs in the large
intestine
• The large population of bacteria digests
small amounts of fiber
• This bacterial activity forms: Vitamin K,
Vitamin B12, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Biotin,
and gases
NUTRIENT ABSORPTION in the LARGE
INTESTINE
• Little absorption occurs in the large
intestine
• However, it does absorb: water,
sodium, potassium, chloride, and
some of the Vitamin K produced by
bacteria
• It does not absorb Vitamin B12
 Large intestine
• No digestive function.
• Absorption of water, Na+ and other
minerals.
• Secretion of mucus for lubrication.
• Storage of feces (undigested food).
• Bacteria in colon synthesize vitamin K and a
number of B complex vitamins.

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 Defecation reflex
• Stimulus: undigested material distending rectum.
• Receptor: stretch receptor in rectum.
• Afferent: sensory to sacral segment of spinal cord
• Centre: sacral segment of spinal cord
• Efferent: parasympathetic nerves to smooth
muscle of rectum and internal anal sphincter.
• External anal sphincter is under voluntary control.

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 Defecation reflex
• Causes the internal anal sphincter to relax and
the rectum and sigmoid colon to contract.
• If external anal sphincter is relaxed defecation
occurs.
• Defecation can be inhibited by voluntary
tightening of external anal sphincter.

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year Lab & Nutrition
 GIT physiology 2nd
10/29/2019 54
year Lab & Nutrition