11) Digestive system Flashcards
(42 cards)
Ingestion
Taking in of food through mouth
Digestion
Break down of large insoluble molecules into small soluble ones using enzymes
Absorption
Movement of small molecules from walls of small intestine into blood
Assimilation
Movement of digested food molecules into cells to become part of the cell
Egestion
Removal of undigested food molecules out of the rectum through anus in form of faeces
Physical digestion
1.The break down of large food pieces into smaller ones
2.with no chemical change
3. To increase the surface area, for faster chemical digestion by enzymes
Examples of physical digestion
- Chewing and grinding food in mouth by teeth
- Tongue mixes food with saliva, softening the food for easier swallowing
- Churning action in stomach to help mix food with gastric juice
- Emulsification by bile salts
Chemical digestion
breaking down large insoluble food molecules into small soluble ones by enzymes to be absorbed into the blood
Enzymes for chemical digestion and where they are found
- Amylase: Mouth, small intestine
- Pepsin: stomach
- Trypsin : small intestine
- Lipase : small intestine
- Maltase : small intestine
Digestion in mouth
Physical digestion:
1. Teeth: Premolars and molars, crush and grind large complex insoluble food pieces to smaller ones, to increase surface area for better amylase activity.
2. Tongue : mixes food with saliva
Chemical digestion:
By saliva which contains
1. Water: to soften food
2. Mucus: to facilitate swallowing
3. Amylase: breaks down starch into maltose
(food becomes a bolus)
Digestion in stomach
Physical digestion:
1. Churning action: done by muscular walls of stomach to help mix the food with gastric juice
Chemical digestion:
Gastric juice which contains
1. Pepsinogen (inactive pepsin)
2. Hydrochloric acid (HCL)
3. Mucus and water
proteins are broken down into amino acids by pepsin
(Chyme forms)
What does hydrochloric acid do
- Provide optimum acidic pH for pepsin
- Kill microorganisms as bacteria by denaturing their enzymes
- Activates pepsinogen to active pepsin
Digestion in duodenum
Physical digestion:
1. Bile produced in liver, stored in gallbladder is secreted into duodenum
Chemical digestion:
Pancreatic juice which contains
1. Mucus
2. Water
3. Amylase for breakdown of starch into maltose
4. Trypsin for breakdown of proteins into amino acids
5. Lipase for breakdown of lipids into fatty acids and glycerol
6. HCO3- : neutralizes acidity of chyme
Bile function
- Bile salts : emulsification of large fat droplets into smaller fat droplets to increase surface area for better lipase activity
- HCO3- : Neutralises the acidity coming from stomach to make it slightly alkaline for optimum pH for enzymes
- Bile pigment: gives colour of faeces
Digestion in ileum
Chemical digestion:
Enzymes in epithelial walls of small intestine
1. Maltase for the breakdown of maltose into glucose
2. Lipase for the breakdown of lipids into fatty acids and glycerol
Absorption: movement of digested food molecules through walls of small intestine into blood
(End of digestion in ileum)
Describe shape of ileum
Long and coiled with inner folding (villi) to provide large surface area for maximum absorption of digested food molecules
Structure of villus
- Thin wall (one cell thick epithelium): for shorter diffusion distance
2.Goblet cells - Blood capillaries
- Lacteal
Goblet cells in alimentary canal
-Secretes sticky mucus to trap bacteria
-protects inner lining of alimentary canal from being digested by enzymes
Blood capillaries in villus
Absorbs digested food molecules (e.g. glucose and amino acids) to the liver through hepatic portal vein
Lacteal
Absorbs fatty acids and glycerol to be transported to lymphatic system
Epithelial cells
- Microvilli to increase surface area for faster absorption of digested food molecules into blood
- Many mitochondria for more aerobic respiration for more energy release for absorption of some food molecules by active transport
Diarrhoea
Excessive loss of water and salts in watery faeces, occurs when not enough water is absorbed back to body from faeces
Consequences of diarrhoea
- Loss of water leading to dehydration
- Decrease in water potential of the blood
- So water will leave cells by osmosis, less water inside cells for metabolic reactions
- Body organs shut down
- coma
- death
How cholera causes diarrhoea
- Cholera bacteria in small intestine releases toxins
- Toxins stimulate the release of chloride ions into lumen of small intestine
- Lowering the water potential of lumen in small intestine
- So water will move from blood to lumen by osmosis
- Causing watery faeces diarrhoea