Digestive Systems

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 Human digestive system

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 Gastrointestinal Tract
 Mouth
 Pharynx
 Esophagus
 Stomach
 Small intestine
 Large intestine

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 Accessory organ
 Salivary glands
 Teeth
 Pancreas
 Liver
 Gallbladder

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 Mouth
 Functions
 mechanical digestion
 teeth
 break up food
 chemical digestion (saliva)
 amylase enzyme
 digests starch All that
 mucus in spit!

 protects soft lining of digestive system

 lubricates food for easier swallowing
 buffers
 neutralizes acid to prevent tooth decay
 anti-bacterial chemicals
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kill bacteria that enter mouth with food
 Swallowing (& not choking)

 Epiglottis
 flap of cartilage
 closes trachea (windpipe) when swallowing
 food travels down esophagus
 Peristalsis
 involuntary
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 mouth
break up food
digest starch
kill germs
moisten food

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 Stomach
 Functions
 disinfect food
 hydrochloric acid = pH 2
 kills bacteria
 food storage
 can stretch to fit ~2L
food
 digests protein
 pepsin enzyme

But the stomach is made out of protein!

What stops the stomach from digesting itself?
mucus secreted by stomach cells protects
stomach lining
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 mouth stomach
break up food kills germs
digest starch break up food
kill germs digest proteins
moisten food store food

sphincter

sphincter

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 Ulcers Colonized by Free of
H. pylori
H. pylori
 Used to think
ulcers were
caused by stress inflammation of
stomach
inflammation of
esophagus
 tried to control
with antacids
H. pylori
 Now know ulcers
caused by
bacterial inflammatory
proteins
cell damaging
proteins
(VacA)
infection of

 
(CagA)

stomach
 H. pylori bacteria cytokines
helper T cells
 now cure with
neutrophil cells
antibiotics white blood cells

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 Small intestine
 Functions
 digestion
 digest carbohydrates
 amylase from pancreas
 digest proteins This is
 trypsin & chymotrypsin from pancreas where all the
work is done!
 digest lipids (fats)
 bile from liver & lipase from pancreas
 absorption
 nutrients move into body cells by:
 diffusion
Regents Biology active transport
 Absorption in Small Intestines
 Absorption through villi & microvilli
 finger-like projections
 increases surface area for absorption

SMALL INTESTINES
6 meters long,
but can stretch
to cover a
tennis court

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 mouth stomach
break up food kills germs
digest starch break up food
kill germs digest proteins
moisten food store food
liver
produces bile
- stored in gall bladder
break up fats small intestines
breakdown food
pancreas - proteins
produces enzymes to - starch
digest proteins & starch - fats
absorb nutrients

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 Pancreas
 Produces digestive enzymes
 digest proteins
 trypsin, chymotrypsin
 digest starch
 amylase
 digest lipids
 lipase
 Buffers
 neutralizes
acid from
small pancreas
stomach
Regents Biology intestine
 mouth stomach
break up food kills germs
digest starch break up food
kill germs digest proteins
moisten food store food

pancreas
produces enzymes to
digest all foods

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 Liver & Gall Bladder
 Produces bile
 breaks up fats
 gallbladder only stores bile

 that’s why you can have your gall bladder

removed

bile contains
colors from old
red blood cells
collected in liver =
iron in RBC rusts &
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makes Biology
brown
 mouth stomach
break up food kills germs
digest starch break up food
kill germs digest proteins
moisten food store food
liver
produces bile
- stored in gall bladder
break up fats

pancreas
produces enzymes to
digest proteins & starch

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 Large intestines (colon)
 Function
 re-absorbs water
 use ~9 liters of water every day
in digestive juices
 if don’t reabsorb water
would die of dehydration
 > 90% of water re-absorbed
 not enough water re-absorbed
 diarrhea

 can be fatal!

 too much water re-absorbed

 constipation

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reabsorb by diffusion
 You’ve got company!
 Living in the large intestine is a
community of helpful bacteria
 Escherichia coli: E. coli
 digest cellulose
 digests fruits & vegetables
 produce vitamins
 vitamin K & B vitamins
PEE-YOO!
 BUT generate gases
 by-product of bacterial metabolism
 methane, hydrogen sulfide
 STINKY!

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 mouth stomach
break up food kills germs
digest starch break up food
kill germs digest proteins
moisten food store food
liver
produces bile
- stored in gall bladder
break up fats small intestines
breakdown food
pancreas - proteins
produces enzymes to - starch
digest proteins & carbs - fats
absorb nutrients

large intestines
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 Appendix
Vestigial organ

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 mouth stomach
break up food kills germs
digest starch break up food
kill germs digest proteins
moisten food store food
liver
produces bile
- stored in gall bladder
break up fats small intestines
breakdown food
pancreas - proteins
produces enzymes to - starch
digest proteins & carbs - fats
absorb nutrients

large intestines
appendix
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 Rectum
 Last section of large intestines
 eliminate feces
 what’s left over?

 undigested materials
 mainly cellulose from plants
 called roughage or fiber
 keeps everything moving & cleans out
intestines
 masses of bacteria
So don’t forget
to wash
your hands!
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