Digestive System

Presented by – Ms. Sanjana Jain

MSc. Medical Anatomy
3rd year
 Introduction
• The digestive system is responsible for
ingestion, digestion, absorption, and
elimination of food.

• It consists of the alimentary canal and

accessory glands.

• Maintains nutrition and homeostasis.

 Functions of Digestive System
1. Ingestion- Taking in food through the mouth.
2. Mastication- Chewing the food.
3. Deglutition- Swallowing of food.
4. Digestion- Chemical breakdown of food material
into smaller component.
5. Absorption- Nutrition molecules are absorbed.
6. Peristalsis- Rhythmic wave like intestinal contraction
that move food through digestive tract.
7. Defecation- Elimination of food waste.
 Parts of the Digestive System
• Alimentary Canal: Mouth → Pharynx →
Esophagus → Stomach → Small Intestine →
Large Intestine→ Rectum → Anal Canal.

• Accessory Organs: Salivary glands, liver,

gallbladder, pancreas
 Mouth and Oral Cavity

• Begins the process of digestion

• It is bounded anteriorly by lips, laterally by cheeks,
superiorly by palate and inferiorly by a muscular floor
• Oral cavity is divided into two parts :-
1. Vestibule- horseshoe-shaped space outside the gums
and teeth and inside the lips and cheeks
2. Oral cavity proper- space surrounded by teeth and gums
lined by stratified squamous nonkeratinized epithelium
Teeth- one set in upper and other in lower jaw
 Lips and Cheeks
• Lips are muscular folds guarding the oral
orifices.
• Cheeks form lateral walls of the oral cavity.
• They are lined internally by mucosa and
externally by the skin.
• Function- Manipulation of food and holding
the food in place.
 Teeth 🦷
Teeth are hard calcified structures present in the alveolar
sockets of maxilla and mandible.
• Humans are Diphyodont- replace only once and
Heterodont- in humans different types of teeth
• Types of Teeth
• Incisors 8 (4 upper + 4 lower) Front of mouth, Chisel-
shaped Cutting and biting food
• Canines 4 (2 upper + 2 lower) Beside incisors
Pointed, conical Tearing and piercing food
• Premolars 8 (4 upper + 4 lower) Behind canines, Two
cusps Crushing and grinding
• Molars 12 (6 upper + 6 lower) Posterior part, tricuspid
Grinding and chewing food thoroughly
 Tongue 👅
• Large muscular organ
• Dorsal surface- taste buds are present
• Ventral surface- lined by mucus membrane
• There is a median fold of mucus membrane
between tongue and floore called frenulum
linguae
• Two types of muscles-
• Intrinsic- Within the tongue itself changes the
shape of tongue
• Extrinsic- outside the tongue but attached to
it moves the tongue
 Pharynx
• The pharynx is a muscular funnel-shaped tube
• Common passage for both air (respiratory
tract) and food (digestive tract).
• The pharynx is divided into three parts:-
• Nasopharynx- Behind nasal cavity
• Oropharynx- Behind oral cavity
• Laryngopharynx- Behind laryngeal cavity
 Oesophagus
• It is a 25cm long collapsible muscular tube
• It conveys food and liquids through peristaltic
movements from pharynx to stomach
• The upper half musculature is made up of voluntary
muscles but not under voluntary control
• The lower half has involuntary muscles
• Two Sphincters are present
• Upper oesophageal- formed by cricopharyngeus
muscles of the pharynx. It prevents air Into oesophagus
• Lower oesophageal- formed by thickening of circular
muscle fibres. It prevents regurgitation of food
• The lumen is lined by non- keratinized stratified
squamous epithelium
 Stomach
• J-shaped organ located in the upper abdomen
• Most distension part.
• Parts: Cardia, Fundus, Body, Pylorus.
• It secretes 2 L of gastric juice containing water,
mineral, mucus, Hcl, intrinsic factor, pepsinogen
• Functions: Temporary storage, secretion of
gastric juice, protein digestion, formation of
chyme.
 Small Intestine

• Longest part (~6 meters).

• Parts: Duodenum, Jejunum, Ileum.
• Functions: Digestion and absorption of nutrients.
• Duodenum- 25 cm (10 in)C-shaped; receives bile
through common bile ducts and pancreatic
secretion through pancreatic ducts. Both the
ducts unite to form hepatopancreatic ampulla to
enter the duodenum
• Jejunum(2m) and ileum(3m)
• It is thrown into folds called loops
• The surface area is increased by plicae circularis
and villi (finger like projections)
• Peyer’s patches-
-aggregation of lymphoid tissue
-protects from toxins and microorganisms
- Maximum in terminal portion
- They get ulcerated in typhoid fever
 Large Intestine
• Length: about 1.5 meters (5 feet).
• Parts: Cecum, Colon (ascending, transverse,
descending, sigmoid), Rectum, Anal canal.
• Functions: Absorption of water and
electrolytes, formation and expulsion of feces.
 Accessory Digestive Glands
• Liver: Secretes bile; involved in metabolism
and detoxification.

• Gallbladder: Stores and concentrates bile.

• Pancreas: Secretes digestive enzymes and

hormones (insulin, glucagon).

• Salivary glands: Minor and Major

 Salivary glands
• The salivary glands are exocrine glands that
produce and secrete saliva into the mouth.
• It contains enzymes (Ptyalin, Lysozymes etc
and Mucous)
• Ptyalin digestion starch, Lysozymes are
bactericidal and Mucus lubricates
• Minor salivary glands (pin head size) are
Palatine (palate) ,Buccal (cheeks) ,Labial (lips)
 Major salivary glands
• Parotid gland (largest) In front of and below each ear
• Submandibular Glands Beneath the lower jaw (mandible).
• Sublingual Glands Under the tongue, in the floor of the
mouth.
• Three types of ducts :-
• Parotid duct- opens into the vestibule of mouth opposite
the second molar tooth
• Submandibular duct- opens on the floor of oral cavity
onto a papilla on the side of frenulum of the tongue
• Sublingual duct- opens into the floor of the mouth on a
ridge posterior to the papilla of Submandibular duct
 Liver
1. Location
The liver is the largest gland in the human body.
It is located in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen, just below the diaphragm.
Mostly lies in the right hypochondrium and partly in the epigastrium.

2. Weight In adults: about 1.2 to 1.5 kg.

3. External Features
Two surfaces:
Diaphragmatic surface – smooth and convex, faces upward.
Visceral surface – faces downward and backward, related to stomach, duodenum,
right kidney, and colon.
Two lobes: Right lobe (larger) and Left lobe (smaller)
On the visceral surface, two additional lobes can be seen — caudate and quadrate
lobes.

4. Coverings
Covered by Glisson’s capsule (fibrous capsule).
5. Blood Supply
Dual blood supply:
Hepatic artery → brings oxygenated blood (25%)
Portal vein → brings nutrient-rich blood from the digestive tract (75%)
Venous drainage: Hepatic veins → Inferior vena cava (IVC)

6. Functions
✅ Metabolic functions:
Metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.
Storage of glycogen, vitamins (A, D, B12), and minerals (iron, copper).
✅ Detoxification:
Converts harmful substances (like drugs and toxins) into harmless forms.
✅ Bile secretion:
Produces bile which helps in fat digestion and absorption.
✅ Synthesis:
Produces plasma proteins (albumin, fibrinogen, prothrombin).
✅ Immune function:
Contains Kupffer cells that destroy old RBCs and pathogens.
7. Structure of liver
• It consists of sheaths of Hepatic cells called Hepatic
plates seprated by Sinusoids
• Sinusoidal are lined by phagocytic kupffer cells
• Hepatic plates are arranged into liver lobules with
central vein in the centre and branches of Portal
vein, Hepatic artery, and interlobular bile ducts at
the periphery forming a Portal triad
• Hepatic cells Secretes bile into Bile canaliculi that
join to form Interlobular duct that form Hepatic
duct
 Gallbladder
• The gall bladder is a pear-shaped sac located on
the undersurface of the right lobe of the liver.
• It stores and concentrate the bile
• Bile is a yellowish-green Fluid containing bile salts
and bile pigments.
• CCK hormone induces contraction in it to release
bile into duodenum
• Extra Hepatic biliary apparatus consist of right
and left Hepatic duct, common Hepatic duct,
gallbladder and cystic duct, bile duct
 Pancreas
• The pancreas is a soft, elongated gland located in the
abdomen, behind the stomach.
• Parts of the Pancreas: Head ,Neck ,Body ,Tail
• Endocrine parts contains islets of langherans
• Exocrine Part secrete pancreatic juice containing
Amylase(digests carbohydrates),Lipase(fats)
Trypsin, Chymotrypsin, Carboxypeptidase(digest
proteins)
Main pancreatic duct (duct of Wirsung) → joins the
common bile duct to open into the duodenum at the
ampulla of Vater.
Accessory duct (duct of Santorini) → may open
 Clinical correlation
• Sublingual route of drug administration: lipid
soluble drugs diffuse through mucus lining of
oral cavity and can be absorbed into the
blood ex: Nitroglycerin under the tongue in
Angina pectoris
• Common liver disease: Hepatitis, Liver
cirrhosis
• Gall stones