Digestion and Absorption Flashcards
(95 cards)
What is digestion?
the chemical and mechanical breakdown of ingested food into absorbable molecules
What is absorption?
movement of macronutrients, water, electrolytes from intestinal lumen into blood
What are the two pathways for absorption?
- transcellular
- paracellular
What is transcellular absorption?
cross luminal membrane via passive diffusion or transporters
What is paracellular absorption?
move across tight junctions between intestinal epithelial cells
What is the structure of intestinal mucosa?
- surface arranged in transverse folds
- villi line lumen of small intestine
The folds, villi, and microvilli of small intestine increase the surface area by how much?
600 fold
The surface of epithelial cells in the small intestinal lumen are line with microvilli, which is known as?
brush border
The villi of the small intestinal lumen are lined with what?
epithelial cells and goblet cells
Villi are longest in what section of small intestine?
duodenum
Villi are shortest in what section of small intestine?
ileum
What are the transverse folds of the small intestine?
folds of Kerckring with fingerlike villi
Give an example of monosaccharide.
glucose
Give an example of disaccharide.
sucrose
Give an eexample of polysaccharide.
amylose
What is the primary source of energy for most cells?
glucose
How is glucose supplied in diet?
- monosaccharides (simple sugars)
- disaccharides
- polysaccharides (complex chain of sugars)
All ingested carbohydrates must be digested to what for absorption by enterocytes?
monosaccharides
What enzymes are used for digestion of starch?
- alpha amylase
- glucoamylase
- alpha dextrinase
- maltase
- sucrase
- lactase
What are the monosaccharides for absorption?
- glucose
- galactose
- fructose
What are the brush border enzymes?
- sucrase
- lactase
- maltase
- alpha dextrinase
There are no mammalian enzymes to digest cellulose. What is used instead?
microbial enzymes
What transporter is used for glucose and galactose to get from intestinal lumen into enterocyte?
SGLT 1 (a Na+/glucose co-transporter)
What transporter is used for only fructose to get from intestinal lumen to enterocyte?
GLUT 5 (facilitated diffusion)