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Digestion and Excretion Flashcards

1
Q

What is digestion?

A

The process of breaking down food into molecules, small enough to be absorbed by the body

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2
Q

What is excretion?

A

The process by which metabolic wastes are eliminated

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3
Q

What are the two functions of the kidney?

A

Excretion

Maintenance of volume and composition of extracellular fluid

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4
Q

Describe the gross anatomy of the kidney

A

Renal capsule: Covers the surface of the kidney

Renal cortex: Outer layer of the kidney

Renal medulla: Inner layer of the kidney

Calyces (Major and minor): Cup-shaped funnels which collect the urine into the renal pelvis

Renal pelvis: Expanded area of the ureter that collects the waste products

Ureter: Tube which connects the kidney to the bladder

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5
Q

What are the basic functional units of the kidney called?

A

Nephron

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6
Q

What are the two main parts of the nephron?

A

Glomerulus

Tubular system

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7
Q

Where is the glomerulus located?

A

Renal cortex

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8
Q

What connects the kidneys to the bladder?

A

Ureters

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9
Q

What occurs during filtration?

A

Indiscriminate bulk flow from the blood (glomerulus) into the tubular system (Bowman’s capsule)

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10
Q

What causes the filtration in the bowman’s capsule?

A

Hydrostatic pressure in the glomerular capillaries > Hydrostatic pressure and protein osmotic pressure in the bowman’s capsule

Hydrostatic pressure in the glomerular capillaries favours filtration into the bowman’s capsule

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11
Q

How is the glomerulus adapted for filtration?

A

Capillaries are fenestrated

Endothelium of glomerular capillaries and epithelial layer of Bowman’s capsule connected to the basal lamina

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12
Q

What occurs during reabsorption?

A

Valuable substances are selectively reabsorbed from the tubular system back into the blood

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13
Q

Where does reabsorption occur in the nephron?

A

Proximal tubules

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14
Q

What occurs during secretion?

A

Further substances (waste metabolites) enter the tubular system

It requires active transport

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15
Q

Where does secretion occur in the nephron?

A

Distal tubules

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16
Q

What occurs in the head which aids with digestion?

A

Prehension (getting the food)

Mastication (chewing the food)

Salivation: Lubricating the food
Some species’ saliva contains amylase

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17
Q

What are the salivary glands and what do they secrete?

A

Partid: Serous

Mandibular: Mixture of mucous and serous
Sublingual: Mixture of mucous and serous
Buccal: Mixture of mucous and serous

Zygomatic: Mucous

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18
Q

Which salivary gland is only present in carnivores?

A

Zygomatic

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19
Q

What are the salivary conditions of the animals with simple stomachs?

A

Mainly mucous: To aid passage of food

Neutral pH: To allow action of amylase

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20
Q

What are the salivary conditions of the animals with complex stomachs?

A

Mainly serous: To provide optimum conditions for fermentation

Alkaline pH: To buffer forestomach for fermentation

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21
Q

How is salivary secretion regulated?

A

Sympathetic supply (fight or flight): Reduction
Vasocontriction

Parasympathetic supply (rest and digest): Increase
Vasodilation

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22
Q

What are the four types of motility in the digestive system?

A

Segmental contractions: To breakdown and mix food

Peristaltic contractions: To move food in a general aboral direction

Anti-peristaltic contractions: To move food in an oral direction
-To allow more time for digestion/absorption
-To allow rumination
-Vomiting

Mass movement: Extended peristaltic contraction used to empty sections of the GI tract

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23
Q

What is the role of mucus in digestion?

A

Lubricates food and protects mucosa

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24
Q

What pH is the stomach?

A

2

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25
What pH is the small intestine?
6-7
26
What hydrolyse carbohydrates?
Amylase: Starch to disaccharides Disaccharidases: Disaccharides to monosaccharides
27
What hydrolyse protein?
Pepsin Trypsin Peptidases
28
What hydrolyse fat?
Lipase Phospholipase (With the help of bile salts)
29
What is egestion?
Elimination of undigested food (pooing)
30
How is the proximal tubule adapted for its function?
Microvilli: Large surface area Highly permeable to water/ions
31
How is the distal tubule adapted for its function?
Low numbers of microvilli Low permeability
32
What are the three forms of reabsorption?
Primary active transport Secondary active transport Passive reabsorption
33
Describe primary active transport
Requires ATP Sodium/Potassium pump on the basolateral membrane removes sodium ions and increases potassium ions in the cell The sodium ions move into the cell from the tubular lumen down its concentration gradient
34
Describe secondary active transport
Sodium/Potassium pump on the basolateral membrane removes sodium ions and increases potassium ions in the cell Symport: Substance (e.g. glucose) move into the cell against its concentration gradient, using the energy from the sodium ions moving down its concentration gradient Antiport: Substance (e.g. hydrogen ions) is exchanged for the sodium ions
35
Describe passive reabsorption
Certain substances can move out of the tubular lumen into the epithelial cells down their concentration gradients/osmotic pressure gradient (diffusion/osmosis)
36
What is the difference between the descending and ascending limbs of the loop of Henle?
Descending: Permeable to water No ion pumps Ascending: Impermeable to water Ion pumps which pump sodium, potassium and chloride ions out of the tubular lumen, increasing the osmolarity in the interstitial space
37
What is the function of the vasa recta?
They are arranged in a hairpin loop (like the loop of Henle) to maintain the concentration gradient around the loop of Henle
38
How does urine exit the body?
The urethral sphincter opens and the smooth muscle in the bladder wall contracts, forcing the urine through the urethra and out of the body
39
Which group of animals use fermentation to digest their food?
Vital in herbivores Present to lesser extent in omnivores Minimal in carnivores
40
Which animals are foregut fermenters?
Cows Sheep
41
Which animals are hindgut fermenters?
Horses Rabbits
42
What is the fermentation chamber in foregut fermenters?
Modified stomach
43
What is the fermentation chamber in hindgut fermenters?
Modified large intestine
44
Which animals don't produce salivary amylase?
Dogs Foregut fermentors
45
What are the four regions of a carnivores stomach?
Cardia Fundus Corpus Pylorus
46
Why doesn't the stomach walls get digested?
Epithelial cells produce bicarbonate rich mucous
47
What are the four types of cell in the stomach?
Mucous (goblet) cells: Secrete muscus Parietal cells: Secrete HCl Chief cells: Secrete pepsinogen Entero-endocrine cells: Secrete hormones
48
What are the four chambers of a foregut fermenter stomach?
Abomasum (Simple stomach) Omasum Rumen Reticulum
49
What are the four types of intestinal epithelial cell?
Goblet cells: Secrete mucous Entero-endocrine cells: Release hormones and control digestive function Paneth cells: Defence Enterocytes (majority of cells): Absorption Membrane bound enzymes
50
Describe the large intestine of carnivores
Short and simple Similar diameter to the small intestine
51
Describe the large intestine of ruminants
Cecum present Shorter than the small intestine but with a larger diameter
52
Describe the large intestine of horses
Well developed cecum and colon
53
What are the two cell types in the large intestine?
Colonocytes: Absorption No villi, only crypts Microvilli Goblet cells (mainly in crypts): Secrete mucous
54
Why can't mammalian enzymes digest cellulose?
They can't break down the beta glycosidic linkages
55
What chemical acts as a buffer for the enzymes in the small intestine when food enters from the stomach?
Bicarbonate
56
What are the two transporter proteins which help absorb monosaccharides from the lumen into the bloodstream?
SGLT 1 (Sodium/Glucose co-transporter protein): From lumen into epithelial cell GLUT2: From epithelial cell into the bloodstream
57
What is fermentation?
The breakdown of CHO by microbes in an anaerobic environment The microbes break the beta glycosidic bonds
58
What are the end products of fermentation (waste products for the microbes but used by the host for energy)?
Volatile fatty acids: Acetate Butyrate Propionate
59
What is the largest protein that can be absorbed without further breakdown?
Tripeptides (Three amino acids)
60
What is the difference between pepsin and pepsinogen?
Pepsinogen: Inactive enzyme which is released by chief cells Pepsin: Pepsinogen which has been activated by the HCL (low pH) in the stomach lumen
61
What are triglycerides (fats) made of?
A glycerol backbone joined to three fatty acids
62
How are fats absorbed?
The bile salts create small fat droplets micelles which can merge with the cell membrane
63
Describe swallowing
Upper oesophageal sphincter relaxes Peristaltic wave carries food/fluid into the stomach
64
Describe the motility in the cows stomach
Primary contraction: Mixing food Secondary contraction: Movement of gas out of the stomach Rumination contraction: Anti-peristaltic (chewing the cud)
65
Describe the motility in the horses large intestine
Caecum: Mixing and mass movement Ascending colon: Segmental, anti-peristaltic and peristaltic waves Descending colon: Segmental and peristaltic

Vet (6 decks)

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