Digestive System Notes

Chemical Digestion With Dr. Mike

• Chemical digestion- to make something that is really, into something that is small (polymer→monomer) 

• Mechanical digestion- physical “tearing apart of macronutrients and micronutrients” 

• Chemical digestion: proteins → amino acids ; fats →glycerol & fatty acids ; carbohydrates→ glucose 

• Enzymes end in the suffix -ase

• Molecular scissors= enzymes (enzymes are proteins) 

• amylase = enzyme    amylose (starch = polysaccharide)= sugar 

• Amylase is found in your saliva: “salivary amylase” 

• Amylase breaks down amylose → into glucose 

• Chemical digestion (digestion of carbohydrates begins in the mouth) and mechanical digestion starts in the mouth 

• Proteolytic enzyme (enzymes that break down proteins) that the stomach releases: pepsin/pepsinogen 

• If a protein ends in -ogen= inactive → needs to be activated 

• Stomach releases hydrochloric acid, HCI, and a separate region of the stomach releases pepsinogen→ HCL goes out and activates the pepsinogen into pepsin

• Small intestine= first site for the digestion of fats  

• Pancreas releases protease, lipase, and amylase 

• Pancreatitis: inflammation of the pancreas 

Gallbladder secretes bile