What are the two groups of organs that make up the digestive system?
2. Accessory digestive organs
What are the organs of the gastrointestinal tract?
Mouth, most of the pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine
What are the organs of the accessory digestive organs?
Teeth, tongue, salivary glands, liver, gallbladder, pancreas
What are the six basic processes of digestion?
What is motility?
The capability of the GI tract to mix and move material along its length
What is mechanical digestion?
- smooth muscles of stomach and small intestine churn food
What is chemical digestion?
Food is split into smaller molecules by hydrolysis
What are feces or stool?
Eliminated material
- wastes, indigestible substances, bacteria
What are the four layers of the GI tract?
from deep to superficial
What is the mucosa?
Inner lining of the GI tract
- mucous membrane
What is the mucosa composed of?
Describe the structure and function of the epithelium layer of the mucosa?
Stratified squamous epithelium - serves a protective function (mouth, pharynx, esophagus, anal canal)
Columnar epithelium - functions in secretion and absorption (stomach and intestines)
- Tight junctions prevent leaks
What are enteroendocrine cells?
Secrete hormones into the GI tract
- regulate glucose levels, food intake, and stomach emptying
What is the lamina propria?
Connective tissue layer of GI tract (middle layer)
What does the lamina propria contain?
Blood and lymphatic vessels
- routes by which nutrients are absorbed to reach other tissues
What are mucosa-associated lymphatic tissues (MALT)?
What do they contain?
Lymphatic nodules
- contain immune system cells that protect against diseases
What is the muscularis mucosae?
Smooth muscle fibre layer of GI tract (superficial layer)
- creates folds in stomach and small intestine to increase surface area
What is contained in the submucosa layer?
Where is the muscularis skeletal muscle?
Mouth, pharynx, superior and middle parts of esophagus
- produces voluntary swallwoing
External anal sphincter
- voluntary control of defecation
Where is the muscularis smooth muscle?
The rest of the GI tract
- stomach, small intestine, large intestine
What is another name for the serosa?
Visceral peritoneum
- forms a portion of the peritoneum
What forms the superficial layer of the esophagus, since it lacks a serosa?
Adventitia
- single layer of areolar connective tissue
What is the enteric nervous syste, (ENS)?
“Brain of the gut”
- neurons that extend from esophagus to the anus
What two plexuses make up the ENS?
2. Submuscosal plexus