Digestive Tract
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Digestive Tract Introduction The digestive system consists of the -oral cavity( lips and tongue) - digestive tract : (esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum, appendex and anus) -accessory glands of digestive system: (salivary glands, pancreas, and liver). Its function is to obtain from ingested food the molecules necessary for the maintenance, growth, and energy needs of the body. Macromolecules such as proteins, fats, complex carbohydrates, and nucleic acids are broken down into small molecules that are more easily absorbed through the lining of the digestive tract, mostly in the small intestine. Water, vitamins, and minerals from ingested food are also absorbed. In addition, the inner layer of the digestive tract is a protective barrier between the content of the tract's lumen and the internal milieu of the body. The gastrointestinal tract has a form of general histology with some differences that reflect the specialization in functional anatomy. It is a hollow tube with a lumen of variable diameter and a wall made up of four main layers: 1- Mucosa 2- Submucosa 3- Muscularis externa (the external muscular layer) 4- Adventitia or serosa 1 Mucosa The mucosa is the innermost layer of the gastrointestinal tract that is surrounding the lumen, or open space within the tube. This layer comes in direct contact with digested food . The mucosa is made up of three layers: A- Epithelium - innermost layer. Responsible for most digestive, absorptive and secretory processes. B- Lamina propria - a thin layer of connective tissue . C- Muscularis mucosae - is a thin layer of smooth muscle that supports the mucosa and provides it with the ability to move and fold. The mucosae are highly specialized in each organ of the gastrointestinal tract to deal with the different conditions. The most variation is seen in the epithelium. In the oesophagus, the epithelium is stratified, squamous and non-keratinising, for protective purposes. In the stomach it is simple columnar, and is organised into gastric pits and glands to deal with secretion. The gastro-oesophageal junction is extremely abrupt. The small intestine epithelium (particularly the ileum) is specialized for absorption; it is organized into plicae circulares and villi, and the enterocytes have microvilli. This creates a brush border which greatly increases the surface area for absoption. The epithelium is simple columnar with microvilli. 2 In the ileum there are occasionally Peyer's patches in the lamina propria. The colon has simple columnar epithelium with no villi. There are goblet cells The appendix has a mucosa resembling the colon but is heavily infiltrated with lymphocytes. The ano-rectal junction is again very abrupt; there is a transition from simple columnar to stratified squamous non-keratinising epithelium (as in the oesophagus) for protective purposes. Submucosa consists of a dense irregular layer of connective tissue that contains arteries, veins, lymphatic and nerves Muscularis externa The muscularis externa consists of an inner circular layer and a longitudinal outer muscular layer. The circular muscle layer prevents food from traveling backward and the longitudinal layer shortens the tract. These two layers move perpendicularly to one another and form the basis of peristalsis. Between the two muscle layers are the myenteric or Auerbach's plexus. This controls peristalsis. The gut has intrinsic peristaltic activity (basal electrical rhythm) due to its self-contained enteric nervous system. thickness of muscularis externa varies in each part of the tract. In the colon, for example, the muscularis externa is much thicker because the faeces are large and heavy, and require more force to push along. The outer longitudinal layer of the colon thins out into 3 discontinuous longitudinal bands, known as tiniae coli (bands of the colon). This is one of the 3 features helping to distinguish between the large and small intestine. The pylorus of the stomach has a thickened portion of the inner circular layer: the pyloric sphincter. Alone among the GI tract, the stomach has a third layer of muscularis externa. This is the inner oblique layer, and helps churn the chyme in the stomach 3 Adventitia/serosa The outermost layer of the GI tract consists of layer of simple squamous epithelium, called the mesothelium and small amount of underlying connective tissue .The serosa containing blood vessels, nerves, and fat Intraperitoneal parts of the GI tract are covered with serosa. These include most of the stomach, first part of the duodenum, all of the small intestine , caecum and appendix , transverse colon,sigmoid colon and rectum. The adventitia consists of connective tissue. In the portions of the tract within the peritoneal cavity, it is lined by the adventitia , These include the oesophagus, pylorus of the stomach, distal duodenum, ascending colon, descending colon and anal canal. In addition, the oral cavity has adventitia. Oral Cavity Food enters the digestive tract in the oral cavity, where it is masticated into particles on which digestive enzymes can act more efficiently. In the mouth, food particles are mixed with saliva, which lubricates them and initiates their digestion. The skin of the face is a keratinized stratified squamous epithelium with hair follicles, while red margin of the lip lacks hair follicles or glandular tissue. The oral cavity is lined with stratified squamous epithelium, keratinized or nonkeratinized, depending on the region with the labial minor salivary glands present beneath the epithelium.. The keratin layer protects the oral mucosa from damage and is best developed on the gingiva (gum) and hard palate. The lamina propria in these regions has many papillae and rests directly on bony tissue. Nonkeratinized squamous epithelium covers the soft palate, lips, cheeks, and the floor of the mouth. The lamina propria has papillae similar to those in the skin and is continuous with a submucosa containing diffuse small salivary glands. The soft palate also has a core of skeletal muscle and lymphoid nodules. 4 Lips When we think of lips we usually only think of a small part, the vermilion border (or prolabium), of the "anatomical" lips, which comprise the entire fleshy fold surrounding the oral orifice. The outside and inside of the lips are lined by skin and oral mucosa respectively. Between the two, we find labial vessels, nerves, the orbicularis oris muscle (striated), which shapes the lips, and labial salivary glands. The vermilion border is the area of transition from the oral nonkeratinized epithelium to the keratinized epithelium of the skin. The epithelium is somewhat thicker than in other parts of the facial skin. Connective tissue papilla extend deep into the epithelium and are heavily vascularized. It is the proximity of these vessels to the surface of the epithelium which gives the prolabium it's red appearance. Tongue The tongue is a mass of striated muscle covered by a mucous membrane whose structure varies according to the region. The muscle fibers cross one another in three planes and are grouped in bundles separated by connective tissue. Because the connective tissue of the lamina propria penetrates the spaces between the muscular bundles, the mucous membrane is strongly adherent to the muscle. The mucous membrane is smooth on the lower surface of the tongue. The tongue's dorsal surface is irregular, covered anteriorly by a great number of small eminences called papillae. The posterior third of the tongue's dorsal surface is separated from the anterior two thirds by a V-shaped groove, the terminal sulcus. is divided into an oral part, the anterior two-thirds, and a pharyngeal part, the posterior one-third Behind this boundary is the root of the tongue, whose surface shows the many bulges of the lingual tonsils and smaller collections of lymphoid nodules 5 The dorsal surface of the oral part has a characteristic appearance due to the presence of a large number of small projections, the lingual papillae. The epithelium of the pharyngeal part forms a somewhat irregular surface which covers the lingual tonsils. The lingual papillae consist of a connective tissue core covered with a stratified squamous epithelium. On the basis of their appearance four types of papillae can be distinguished 1- Filiform papillae Have an elongated conical shape, and are heavily keratinized, which gives their surface a gray or whitish appearance. Their epithelium lacks taste buds and their role is mechanical in providing a rough surface that facilitates food movement during chewing. 2- Fungiform papillae Are less numerous, lightly keratinized, and mushroom-shaped with connective tissue cores and scattered taste buds on their upper surfaces. They are irregularly interspersed among the filiform papillae 3- Circumvallate papillae are the largest and less numerous, lightly keratinized, and mushroom-shaped with connective tissue cores and scattered taste buds on their upper surfaces. They are irregularly interspersed among the filiform papillae 6 4- Foliate papilla are not well developed in humans and may be absent in aged individuals. If present, they form lamellae along the posterior and lateral border of the tongue. The muscles of the tongue (skeletal muscle) are organized into strands oriented more or less perpendicular to each other. Their actions provide the tongue with the necessary motility to participate in the formation of speech and to aid in the initial processing of foods. Taste Buds Taste buds are most numerous in the fungiform, circumvallate and foliate papillae. In histological sections they appear as ovoid lightly stained bodies, which extend perpendicular from the basement membrane to a little opening formed in the epithelium, the taste pore. The elongated cells that form the taste bud can functionally be divided into three groups: sensory cells, supporting (or sustentacular) cells, and basal cells. different 7 Sensory cells extend microvilli into the taste pore. These microvilli contain the receptors for the basic taste modalities (sweet, salty, bitter and acid). Basal cells regenerate the two other cell types.