Digestive System

What organs are a part of the Alimentary Canal?

Mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum, anal canal

What organs are considered accessory digestive organs?

Liver, gallbladder, pancreas, tongue, teeth, appendix, salivary glands

What is peristalsis?

Smooth muscle contractions followed by periods of relaxation

What is segmentation?

Smooth muscle contractions that push food forwards and then backwards a bit, then forwards again

What is mechanical digestion?

Physical crushing/ mixing of food (Teeth and stomach churning)

What is chemical digestion?

Enzymes breaking biomolecules down into their monomeuls

Saliva

Contains salivary amylase to start breaking down starch in mouth. Mostly water based and slightly acidic

Chyme

Very acidic mixture that partially digested food gets turned into int he stomach

Rugae

The folds of the stomach that help make it expand when it fills up with food

Bile

The basic secretion made by the liver stored in the gallbladder and then secreted into the small intestine to emusify fats to make them easier to break down and be absorbed

Pancreatic Juice

Basic solution made by acinar cells of the pancreas and secreted into the small intestine to complete digestion of biomolecules before they are absorbed (contains many digestive enzymes)

Villi + Microvilli

Hairlike extensions on enterocytes of the small intestine that increase surface area for absorption to occur

Haustra

Pocket-like sacs of the large intestine. These contractions help push feces along

Tenia coli

3 Bands of smooth muscle that line the large intestine to give the haustra their shape

Epiploic appendages

Fat filled pouches that hang from the large intestine

Resident Bacteria

Species of bacteria, live in the large intestine. Helps us digest plant material and obtain vitamins B and K

Lower esophageal sphincter location

between the esophagus + the stomach

Pyloric sphincter location

Between the stomach + duodenum

Ileocecal valve location

Between ileum + cecum

Parietal cells

Found in the stomach, secrete HCl and intrinsic factor

Bolus

Ball of food created in the mouth that goes down the esophagus

Cheif cells

Found in the stomach, make pepsinogen

Hepatocytes

Liver cells, make bile, detoxify the blood and process nutrients before they’re sent through the body

Acini

The exocrine cells of the pancreas that make pancreatic juice

Enterocytes

Absorptive cells of the small intestine

Goblet cells

Found throughout the alimentary canal, secrete mucus

Paneth cells

Found in the small intestine, release defensins + lysosome to kill bacteria