Case 3 Flashcards
(184 cards)
what are pancreatic digestive enzymes secreted by?
pancreatic acini
where is large volumes of sodium bicarbonate solution secreted by?
the small ductules (duct cells) and larger ducts leading from the acini
what leaves the pancreas and how?
The combined product of enzymes and sodium bicarbonate (pancreatic juice) then flows through a long pancreatic duct that normally joins the hepatic/bile duct immediately before it empties into the duodenum through the papilla of Vater, surrounded by the sphincter of Oddi.
what is pancreatic juice secreted most abundantly in response to? what determines the characteristics of the pancreatic juice
the presence of chyme in the duodenum
• The characteristics of the pancreatic juice are determined to some extent by the types of food in the chyme.
what is the endocrine function of pancreas? what secreted from where?
- Insulin is secreted by beta-cells of the islet of Langerhans.
- Glucagon is secreted by alpha-cells of the islet of Langerhans.
- Insulin and glucagon is secreted directly into the blood.
what is the fundamental secretory unit composed of?
an acinus and an intercalated duct
how do intercalated ducts arrive at main pancreatic duct?
Intercalated ducts merge to form intralobular ducts, which, in turn, merge to form interlobular ducts, and then the main pancreatic duct.
what do pancreatic secretions contain?
- Digestive enzymes - proteins, carbohydrates and fats.
- Bicarbonate ions (large quantities) – neutralisation of the acidity of the chyme emptied from the stomach into the duodenum.
- Water
what are the three protein digestive enzymes secreted by the pancreas?
- Trypsin – the most abundant of the protein digestive enzymes to be secreted. It splits whole and partially digested proteins into peptides of various sizes but do not cause release of individual amino acids.
- Chymotrypsin - It splits whole and partially digested proteins into peptides of various sizes but do not cause release of individual amino acids.
- Carboxypolypetidase - this splits peptides into individual amino acids, thus completing the digestion of some proteins all the way to the amino acid state.
when first synthesised in the pancreatic cells, what form are these proteolytic digestive enzymes in? what is this called? what are they called? and how is each activated? when do they become activated?
• When first synthesized in the pancreatic cells, the proteolytic digestive enzymes are in the inactive forms ( termed ‘zymogens’) which are inactive enzymatically:
1. Trypsinogen
o Activated by the enzyme enterokinase (secreted by the intestinal mucosa when chyme comes into contact with the mucosa).
o It can also be autocatalytically activated by trypsin that has already been formed from previously secreted trypsinogen.
2. Chymotrypsinogen
o Activated by trypsin to form chymotrypsin.
3. Procarboxypolypeptidase
o Activated by trypsin to form carboxypolypeptidase.
• They become activated only after they are secreted into the intestinal tract.
what is the carbohydrate digestive enzyme secreted by the pancreas? what does it do?
pancreatic amylase
• This hydrolyses starches, glycogen, and other carbohydrates (except cellulose) to form mostly disaccharides and a few trisaccharides.
what are the three fat digestive enzymes secreted by the pancreas?
- Pancreatic Lipase – this hydrolyses neutral fat into fatty acids and monoglycerides.
- Cholesterol Esterase – this causes hydrolysis of cholesterol esters.
- Phospholipase – this splits fatty acids from phospholipids.
what do proteases help keep the intestine free of?
parasites such as bacteria, yeast and protozoa
what might a shortage of amylase cause?
• Diarrhoea due to the effects of undigested starch in the colon.
what can lack of lipase cause?
- Lack of needed fats and fat-soluble vitamins.
* Diarrhoea and/or fatty stools.
what does the exocrine pancreas have a large store of?
digestive enzymes for carbohydrates and proteins, but not for lipids.
what does trypsin inhibitor do?
prevents digestion of the pancreas itself.
• It is important that the proteolytic enzymes of the pancreatic juice do not become activated until after they have been secreted into the intestine because the trypsin and the other enzymes would digest the pancreas itself.
which cells secrete trypsin inhibitor? what does it do in the pancreas?
• The cells that secrete proteolytic enzymes also secrete trypsin inhibitor.
This substance is formed in the cytoplasm of the glandular cells, and it prevents activation of trypsin both inside the secretory cells and in the acini and ducts of the pancreas.
As trypsin activates the other pancreatic proteolytic enzymes, trypsin inhibitor prevents activation of the others as well.
how can acute pancreatitis take place?
- When the pancreas becomes severely damaged or when a duct becomes blocked, large quantities of pancreatic secretion sometimes become pooled in the damaged areas.
- Under these conditions, the effect of trypsin inhibitor is often overwhelmed, in which case the pancreatic secretions rapidly become activated, thus causing digestion of the pancreas, giving rise to the condition called acute pancreatitis.
what are the protective factors against acinar cell autodigestion? what are their mechanisms?
- Packaging of many digestive proteins as zymogens = precursor proteins lack enzymatic activity
- Selective sorting of secretory proteins and storage in zymogen granules = restricts the interaction of secretory proteins with other cellular compartments
- Protease inhibitors in the zymogen granule = block the action of prematurely activated enzymes
- Condensation of secretory proteins in low pH = limits the activity of active enzymes
- Nondigestive proteases = degrade active enzymes
what is the concentration of bicarbonate ions in pancreatic juice? why is this important?
- Upon stimulation of the pancreas to secrete copious quantities of pancreatic juice, the bicarbonate ion concentration can rise to five times (145 mEq/L) its concentration in the plasma.
- This provides a large quantity of alkali in the pancreatic juice that serves to neutralize the hydrochloric acid emptied into the duodenum from the stomach.
describe the secretion of sodium carbonate solution
- Carbon dioxide diffuses into the ductal cell from the blood:
Under the influence of carbonic anhydrase, it combines with water to form carbonic acid (H2CO3).
The carbonic acid in turn dissociates into bicarbonate ions and hydrogen ions (HCO3- and H+).
o Some HCO3- ions also enter the cell directly across the basolateral membrane via an Na/HCO3 cotransporter.
Then the bicarbonate ions are actively transported into the lumen via a Cl-HCO3 exchanger. - The hydrogen ions are exchanged for sodium ions through the blood border of the cell by a secondary active transport process.
This supplies the sodium ions (Na+) that are transported through the luminal border into the pancreatic duct lumen to provide electrical neutrality for the secreted bicarbonate ions. - The overall movement of sodium and bicarbonate ions from the blood into the duct lumen creates an osmotic pressure gradient that causes osmosis of water also into the pancreatic duct, thus forming an almost completely isosmotic bicarbonate solution.
- Some sodium ions (Na+) enter the lumen through the tight junctions due to the negative voltage of the lumen.
what are the three basic stimuli important in causing pancreatic secretion?
- Acetylcholine (M3 receptors) - released from the parasympathetic vagus nerve endings and from other cholinergic nerves in the enteric nervous system.
- Cholecystokinin (CCK) – secreted by the duodenal and upper jejunal mucosa in response to presence of fats and amino acids.
- Secretin - secreted by the duodenal and jejunal mucosa in response to the presence of highly acid food in the small intestine.
what do ACh and CCK stimulate in the pancreas?
stimulate the acinar cells to secrete large quantities of pancreatic digestive enzymes but relatively small quantities of water and electrolytes to go with the enzymes.