Ch 8 Digestive System

Structures
Digestive System
• AKA alimentary canal
 Aliment means to nourish
 -ary means pertaining to

• Responsible for
• Intake & digestion of food
• Absorption of nutrients from digested food
• Elimination of solid waste products
Major Structures

• Oral Cavity
• Pharynx
• Esophagus
• Stomach
• Small intestine
• Large intestine
• Rectum
• Anus
• Accessory organs
– Liver
– Gallbladder
– pancreas
Gastrointestinal tract
• Divided into two sections
– Upper GI tract
• Mouth, esophagus, & stomach
– Lower GI tract
• Small intestine, large intestine, rectum, & anus
• Sometimes referred to as the bowels
Oral Cavity
• Lips aka labia
• Palate
– Hard palate -Soft palate
– Rugae -uvula
• Tongue
– Papillae aka taste buds
Oral Cavity
• Teeth
– Dentition refers to the natural teeth arranged in the
upper (maxillary) and lower (mandibular) arches.
• Primary or deciduous dentition
• Permanent dentition
– Edentulous means without teeth
• Periodontium – bone and soft tissues that surround teeth
– Gingiva aka gums, specialized mucous membranes
That surrounds the teeth
• Salivary glands secrete saliva that moistens food, begins the
digestive process, and cleanses the mouth
3 pairs; parotid, sublingual, & submandibular
Pharynx
• Aka throat
• Common passageway for both respiration &
digestion

• What structure closes off and prevents food from

entering
the trachea during swallowing?
Esophagus
• Sometimes called the gullet
• A collapsible tube that leads from the pharynx to
the
Stomach
• Has a ringlike muscle at the end that controls the
flow between the esophagus and the stomach
called the lower esophageal sphincter or cardiac
sphincter.
Stomach
• A saclike organ made of the fundus (upper,
rounded part), the body(main part), and the
antrum (lower part)
• Has folds in the mucosa lining called Rugae.
These folds have glands that make the gastric
juices.
• The pylorus is the narrow passage that connects
the stomach with the small intestine
• Pyloric sphincter is the muscle ring that controls
the flow from the stomach to the duodenum of
the small intestine.
Small Intestine
• Has 3 parts
– Duodenum, beginning
– Jejunum, middle
– Ileum, last portion
• Ileocecal sphincter controls the flow from the ileum of the
small intestine into the cecum of the large intestine
• Has little hairlike or fingerlike projections called villi that
line the walls. These absorb fats and fat soluble vitamins
Large Intestine
• Major parts;
– Cecum is a pouchlike structure at the beginning of the
large intestine. The vermiform appendix hangs from
the lower portion.
– Colon
• Ascending colon
• Transverse colon
• Descending colon
• Sigmoid colon
– Rectum is the third major division
– Anus is the lower opening of the digestive tract. Flow
of waste controlled by two anal sphincter muscles.
Accessory Digestive Organs
• Liver
– Found in the RUQ
– Removes excess glucose from bloodstream & stores it
as glycogen
– Destroys old erythrocytes
• Bilirubin is a pigment produced from the
destruction of hemoglobin
– Makes & secretes bile
• Digestive juice that has enzymes that break down
fat
Accessory Digestive Organs
• Gallbladder
– Pear shaped sac located inferior the liver
– Stores and concentrates bile for later use
• Pancreas
– Feather shaped organ located posterior to the stomach
– Has digestive and endocrine functions. We will discuss
the endocrine function in a different chapter.
– Synthesizes and secretes pancreatic juices. These
juices help the body process protein, carbs, & fats, as
well as helping to neutralize stomach acids.
DIGESTION
Digestion
• The process by which foods are broken down into nutrient
form the body can use.
• Enzymes are responsible for the chemical changes that
break foods down into simpler forms of nutrients the
body can use
• A nutrient is a substance, usually from food, that is
necessary for normal functioning of the body
Metabolism
• All the processes involved in the body’s use of nutrients.
– Anabolism, the building up of body cells or substances
– Catabolism, the breaking down of body cells or
substances
Miscellaneous Terms
• Mastication aka chewing
• Peristalsis - wavelike contractions of the smooth muscles
• Chyme – semifluid mass of partly digested food
• Emulsification – digestion of fats by pancreatic juices
• Feces or stools
• Defecation or bowel movement
• Flatulence, flatus, or gas
• Borborygmus is the rumbling noise created by the
movement of gas in the intestine