DIGESTION,

ABSORPTION
AND TRANSPORT
FN 15
2nd semester AY 2010-2011

MS. RHEA BENAVIDES-DE LEON, RND

Based on the works of CTBayaga, RMTMagbuhat and LWTengco

 Digestion

The breakdown of food in the body in

preparation for absorption.
 Digestion

Mechanical digestion: food is broken

up by the teeth and moved along GI
tract by peristalsis.

Chemical digestion: carbohydrates,

proteins, and fats are broken down into
nutrients tissues can absorb and use.
 Digestion
Chemical changes occur through
hydrolysis (the addition of water and
breaking down of food molecules).

Enzymes act on food substances,

causing them to break down into simple
compounds.
Anatomy of the Digestive System

Alimentary Canal or the

Gastrointestinal Tract (GIT)
Digestive
System
Accessory
Digestive Organs
 Mouth
 Where digestion begins
 Salivary amylase acts on starch
 Teeth break up food; food mixes with saliva
“Bolus” formed
 Small amounts of carbohydrates changed
 Esophagus
 Food travels through this muscular tube

 Connects mouth to stomach

 Peristalsis and gravity act to move bolus

 Cardiac sphincter opens at lower end

of esophagus to allow passage of bolus into
stomach
 Stomach
 Temporary storage of food

 Mixing of food with gastric juices

 Regulation of a slow, controlled emptying

of food into the intestine

 Secretion of the intrinsic factor for vitamin

B12
 Stomach
 Hydrochloric acid prepares the gastric area
for enzyme action

 Pepsin breaks down proteins

 In children, rennin breaks down milk

proteins

 Lipase acts on emulsified fats

Stomach
 Small Intestine
Hormones released
• Secretin causes pancreas to release
sodium bicarbonate to neutralize acidity
of chyme
• Cholecystokinin triggers gallbladder to
release bile
Bile
• Emulsifies fat after it is secreted into
small intestine
• Produced in liver; stored in gallbladder
 Small Intestine
Enzymes are found in the pancreatic juice
that is secreted into small intestine.
• Pancreatic proteases (trypsin,
chymotrypsin, carboxypeptidases):
split proteins
• Pancreatic amylase: converts
starches (polysaccharides) to simple
sugars
• Pancreatic lipase: reduces fats to fatty
acids and glycerol
 Small Intestine
 Produces enzymes
 Prepares foods for absorption
 Lactase, maltase, sucrase convert lactose,
maltose, sucrose to simple sugars
 Peptidases reduce proteins to amino acids
 Twenty-two feet long
 Villi, hairlike projections, increase surface
area for maximum absorption
Small intestine
 Large Intestine
Colon walls secrete mucus to protect against
acidic digestive juices in chyme.

Major tasks of the large intestine:

• Absorb water
• Synthesize some B vitamins and vitamin
K
• Collect food residue
Large Intestine
 Rectum

Holds back semisolid waste from the colon

until it is time to defecate.
 Anus

Last sphincter in the digestive system

Opens up to allow the passage of waste
Accessory Digestive Organs
Organs which assists digestion
- salivary glands, teeth, pancreas, liver
and gallbladder
 Salivary Glands
• Produces and secretes SALIVA
– mucus: moistens and binds food into a
BOLUS
– serous: contains SALIVARY AMYLASE

• Has a protective function (lysozyme and

antibodies) and allows food to be tasted
 Teeth
• Involved in the mastication (chewing)
of food
– incisors  biting, canines
tearing, molarsgrinding/mashing
 Pancreas
• A soft triangular gland
that extends across the
abdomen from the
spleen to the
duodenum
• Produces and secretes
digestive enzymes and
juices into the
duodenum (exocrine)
• Produces insulin and
glucagon (endocrine)

(Mahan & Stump, 2004 and Whitney, Cataldo, & Rolfes, 1998 )
 Liver
• Largest gland in the
body which overlies
the stomach
• Functions include
synthesis of bile
salts, detoxification,
excretion, and
energy metabolism

(Mahan & Stump, 2004 and Whitney, Cataldo, & Rolfes, 1998 )
 Gallbladder
• A small, pear
shaped thin-walled
sac that stores and
concentrates the
bile
• Releases bile when
it receives a signal
that fat is present in
the duodenum

(Mahan & Stump, 2004 and Whitney, Cataldo, & Rolfes, 1998 )
 Muscular Action of Digestion

1) Peristalsis (peri round; stellein  wrap)

• Muscular contractions of the GI tract that
push intestinal contents along

2) Stomach Action
• The stomach muscles churn and push
the chyme downward while the pyloric
sphincter is tightly closed.
• The stomach wall releases gastric juices
to completely liquefy the chyme
 Muscular Action of Digestion

3) Segmentation
• A periodic squeezing or partitioning of
the intestine at intervals along its length
by its circular muscle

4) Sphincter contraction
 Sphincter Contraction
a) Upper Esophageal Sphincter
• Opens in response to swallowing
b) Lower Esophageal Sphincter
• A.k.a. cardiac sphincter
• Prevents gastric reflux
c) Pyloric Sphincter
• Found at the bottom of the stomach
• Prevents intestinal contents from
backing up into the stomach
 Sphincter Contraction
d) Ileocecal Valve
• Found at the end of the small
intestine
• Empties the contents of the small
intestine
e) Anus
• Prevents elimination until you
choose to perform
Digestive Glands
and
their Secretions
 Salivary Glands
Gland Target Secretion Action
Organ
Salivary Mouth Saliva - Contains water, salt
glands and enzymes that
initiate
carbohydrate
digestion
- Protects the linings
of the mouth,
esophagus and
stomach from
harmful substances
(Mahan & Stump, 2004 and Whitney, Cataldo, & Rolfes, 1998 )
 Stomach
Gland Target Secretion Action
Organ
Gastric Stomach Gastric Fluid: mixes with
gland juice bolus
HCl: uncoils
proteins &
destroys bacteria
Enzyme: breaks
down proteins
Mucus: protects
stomach cells
(Mahan & Stump, 2004 and Whitney, Cataldo, & Rolfes, 1998 )
 Liver
Gland Target Secretion Action
Organ
Liver Gallbladder Bile Bile: an emulsifier
that prepares fats
and oils for
digestion
Stored in the
gallbladder until
needed

(Mahan & Stump, 2004 and Whitney, Cataldo, & Rolfes, 1998 )
 Pancreas
Gland Target Secretion Action
Organ
Pancreas Small Pancreatic Bicarbonate:
intestine juice neutralizes acidic
gastric juices
(pH=8)
Pancreatic
enzymes: break
down
carbohydrates,
protein and fat
(Mahan & Stump, 2004 and Whitney, Cataldo, & Rolfes, 1998 )
 Small intestines
Gland Target Secretion Action
Organ
Intestinal Small Intestinal Brush border
glands intestine juice Enzymes: breaks
down proteins and
carbohydrate
fragments
Mucus: protects
intestinal wall

(Mahan & Stump, 2004 and Whitney, Cataldo, & Rolfes, 1998 )
 Digestive Enzymes
Source Enzyme Food Acted Upon

Mouth Salivary amylase Starch

Stomach Pepsin Proteins
Rennin Proteins in milk
Gastric lipase Emulsified fat

Small Pancreatic Amylase Starch

Intestine/ Pancreatic Proteases Proteins
Pancreas Pancreatic Lipases Fats
Lactase Lactose
Maltase Maltose
Sucrase Sucrose
Peptidases Proteins
Absorption
 Absorption
• Transport of digested end products from
the lumen of the GI tract to the blood or
lymph
– Nutrients must first enter the cells through
ACTIVE or PASSIVE TRANSPORT
 ABSORPTION OF NUTRIENTS

H2O, small ions, H2O soluble vitamins Glucose, AA, large

small lipids molecules,
 Absorption
Nutrients MUST BE in their simplest form
• Carbohydrates: simple sugars
• Proteins: amino acids
• Fats: fatty acids and glycerol
 Absorption
Most absorption occurs in the small intestine;
some occurs in the large intestine.

Water is absorbed in the stomach, small

intestine, and large intestine.
Transport
 Transport

Process by which the nutrients are

delivered to any part of the body and
used by any of the cells that need them.
 THE VASCULAR SYSTEM
• Is a closed system of vessels through which blood
flows continuously, with the heart serving as a
pump at the crossover point

• The blood simply travels the following route:

heart  arteries  capillaries (in intestines)  vein  capillaries (in liver)

 vein  heart
 The Vascular System
• Artery
• A vessel that carries blood away from
the heart
• Capillary
• A small vessel that branches from an
artery
• The capillary walls serve as the site for
the exchange of oxygen, nutrients, and
waste materials
• Veins
• A vessel that carries blood back to the
heart
 THE LYMPHATIC SYSTEM
• Provides one-way route for fluid from the
tissue spaces to enter the blood
• As muscles contract and create
pressure, lymph is squeezed from one
portion of the body (large duct behind the
heart) to another (vascular system)
• Materials from the GI tract that enter
lymphatic vessels are the large fats and
fat soluble vitamins (by-passing the liver)
Absorption & Transport
 DIGESTION,
ABSORPTION AND
TRANSPORT