The process of taking in food usually at the point where the gastrointestinal tract begins
Digestion
The process of breaking down the ingested food into smaller molecules for an efficient absorption of nutrients
Types of mechanical digestion
Mechanical digestion
Chemical digestion
Mechanical digestion
Involves the physical breakdown of food molecules
Increases the surface area of food available for digestion
Mechanisms involve chewing, biting, and churning
Chemical digestion
Involves the chemical breakdown of food molecules
Utilizes enzymes that are specific for food molecules
Makes the process of absorption more efficient
Secretion
Takes place as digestive organs synthesize and release enzymes that will facilitate the chemical digestion
Absorption
Takes place as the ingested food is completely digested for transport to other tissues of the body
Mouth cavity
Site for both mechanical and chemical digestion
Hard and soft palates separate the oral and nasal cavities
Tongue is a muscular organ for tactility and gustation
Teeth physically breakdown the food
Humans have 32 teeth
Pharynx
Tube that connects the mouth and esophagus
Nasopharynx is the passageway for air
Oropharynx is a food and air passage
Laryngopharynx is the passageway for food
Epiglottis
Flap of tissue found in the throat behind tongue
Moves down during deglutition after being pushed by food
Blocks the trachea if pushed down by food and water
Prevents the entry of food into the respiratory tract
Esophagus
Long tube that connects mouth with stomach
Sphincters prevent food backflow
Peristalsis or involuntary muscle contractions push food
Stomach
Hollow, curved, muscular organ
Site for both the storage and digestion of food
Has rugae, which allows stretching to accommodate food
Consists of the cardia, fundus, and pylorus
Gastric secretions
Gastric amylase
Gastric lipase
Hydrochloric acid
Pepsin
Gastric amylase
Digests complex carbohydrates into smaller disaccharides
Gastric lipase
Initiates the digestion of dietary fats into smaller fatty acid chains
Hydrochloric acid
Helps kill the bacterials cells present in food and activates the pepsinogen
Pepsin
Acts as a protease by initiating protein digestion
Small intestine
20 foot-long, site of most chemical digestion
Duodenum is the site where most chemical digestion occurs
Receives the enzymes from liver and pancreas
Jejunum and ileum are sites of digestion and nutrient absorption
Duodenal secretions
Maltase
Lactase
Maltase
Peptidase
Nucleosidase
Maltase
Digests maltose into monosaccharides (two glucose molecules)
Lactase
Digests lactose into monosaccharides (glucose and galactose molecules)
Maltase
Digests sucrose into monosaccharides (glucose and fructose molecules)
Peptidase
Digests peptides chains into their constituent amino acids
Nucleosidase
Digests nucleotides into component phosphates, sugars, and bases
Large intestine
3 foot-long, has little to no digestive function
Site of absorption of vitamins and water
Primary secretion is mucus
Has crypts similar to the small intestine
Rectum and anus
Rectum is the storage site for feces before defecation
Rectum can also absorb water
Anal columns and sphincters help regulate defecation
Accessory organs
Salivary glands
Liver
Pancreas
Gallbladder
Salivary glands
Secrete saliva that can lubricate and moisten the food
Saliva contains amylase that initiates the carbohydrate digestion in mouth
Consist of the parotid, sublingual, and submandibular glands
Digestive enzymes
Bile
Amylase
Trypsin
Lipase
Nuclease
Bile
Responsible for starch digestion
Amylase
Responsible for protein digestion
Trypsin
Responsible for lipid digestion
Lipase
Performs nucleic acid digestion
Nuclease
Performs nucleic acid digestion
The digestive system acts on breaking down ingested food and absorbing nutrients for distribution to the cells of the body
Digestion or the process of breaking down food through mechanical and chemical means
Its primary components are the digestive tract and the accessory organs
The digestive tract includes the mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine. The ingested food passes through this long tube to subject to both mechanical and chemical digestion
The accessory organs are the salivary glands, liver, pancreas, and gallbladder. These structures support the digestive function by secreting enzymes that facilitate the chemical digestion
Major functions of the urinary system
Excretion
Regulation of blood volume and pressure
Regulation of the concentration of solutes in the blood