More Exchange And Transport Systems Flashcards
(111 cards)
Why can’t we absorb large biological molecules (starch,proteins) during digestion from gut into blood?
- Too big to cross cell membranes so broken down into smaller molecules (glucose,amino acids) by hydrolysis reactions
- So can move across cell membranes and be easily absorbed
What are Carbohydrates, Fats and Proteins broken down into by hydrolysis?
- Carbohydrates> disaccharides and then monosaccharides
- Fats>fatty acids and monoglycerides
- Proteins>amino acids
What do digestive enzymes do?
- Glands produce enzymes that hydrolyse large molecules in food into smaller ones for absorption
- Variety of different digestive enzymes are produced by specialised cells in digestive systems of mammals
- Enzymes work with specific substrates so different enzymes catalyse breakdown of different food molecules
Amylase (digestive enzyme)
- Catalyses breakdown of starch by catalysing hydrolysis that breaks down glycosidic bonds to produce maltose (disaccharide)
- Produced by salivary glands which release amylase into the mouth
- Produced by pancreas which releases amylase into small intestine
What are Membrane-bound disaccharides and what do they do?
- Enzymes that are attached to the cell membranes of epithelial cells lining the ileum (final part of small intestine)
- They help break down disaccharides into monosaccharides by hydrolysis of glycosidic bonds
What are Carbohydrases, Lipases and Proteases?
- Carbohydrases>carbohydrates to monosaccharides
- Lipases>lipids to glycerol and fatty acids
- Proteases>proteins to amino acids
What is a monoglyceride?
A glycerol molecule with one fatty acid attached
What disaccharidases are involved in digestion?

How are monosaccharides transported?
Across the epithelial cell membranes in the ileum via specific transporter proteins
Lipase enzymes
- Catalyse breakdown of lipids into monoglycerides and fatty acids which involves hydrolysis of ester bonds
- Mainly made in pancreas and secreted into small intestine
Bile Salts and Micelles
- Produced by liver and emulsify lipids (cause them to form small droplets)
- Increases surface area of lipid that’s available for lipases to work on
- Once lipid has been broken down by lipase, the monoglycerides and fatty acids stick with bile salts to form tiny structures called micelles
- Micelles help products of lipid digestion be absorbed (help move monoglycerides and fatty acids towards epithelium)
- Micelles constantly break up and reform so they can release monoglycerides and fatty acids, allowing them to be absorbed as they are lipid soluble and can diffuse directly across epithelial cell membrane (whole micelles not taken up across epithelium)
How are proteins digested?
- By a combination of different peptidases (proteases)
- Catalyse hydrolysis of peptide bonds between amino acids
Endopeptidases
Act to hydrolyse peptide bonds within a protein
Exopeptidases
Act to hydrolyse peptide bonds and the ends of protein molecules. They remove single amino acids from proteins.
Dipeptidases
- Exopeptidases that work specifically on dipeptides
- Hydrolyse peptide bond between 2 amino acids
Where are Dipeptidases located?
Located on cell-surface membrane of epithelial cells in the small intestine (if located here, also called membrane-bound dipeptidases)
How are monosaccharides absorbed across ileum epithelium into bloodstream?
- Glucose is absorbed by active transport with sodium ions via co-transporter protein
- Galactose is absorbed in the same way using the same co-transporter protein
- Fructose is absorbed via facilitated diffusion through a different transporter protein
How are amino acids absorbed across ileum epithelium into bloodstream?
- Sodium ions are actively transported out of the epithelial cells into ileum itself
- They then diffuse back into cells through sodium-dependent transporter proteins in the epithelial cell membranes, carrying amino acids with them
What does Mass transport do?
Ensure efficient movement of substances over large distances throughout organisms to get them to their exchange surfaces
Role and structure of Haemoglobin
- In humans, found in red blood cells and carries oxygen
- Chemically similar types found in different organism but same function carried out
- Large protein with quaternary structure- made up of 4 polypeptide chains (2a and 2b)- coiled into helix
- Each chain has a haem group which contains and iron iron and gives haemoglobin its red colour
- Each haemoglobin can carry 4 oxygen molecules
Formation of Oxyhaemoglobin/Unloading and Loading
- In the lungs, oxygen joins to haemoglobin in red blood cells to form oxyhaemoglobin (reversible reaction)
- Near body cells, oxygen leaves oxyhaemoglobin and it turns back to haemoglobin
- Loading-oxygen joins haemoglobin
- Unloading-oxygen leaves oxyhaemoglobin He + 4O2 ~ HbO8
What is affinity for oxygen and how does it vary?
- Tendency a molecule has to bind with oxygen
- Haemoglobin’s affinity for oxygen varies depending on the conditions it’s in such as pO2
What is partial pressure of oxygen (pO2)?
Measure of oxygen concentration, greater concentration means higher partial pressure
What happens when pO2 increases/is high or low?
- Haemoglobin’s affinity for oxygen increases
- High pO2>oxygen loads on haemoglobin to form oxyhaemoglobin
- Low pO2>oxyhaemoglobin unloads oxygen


















