Attached glands of the digestive system

What are adnexal glands?

The glands attached to the digestive system, calls too accessory glands or auxiliaries They are the salivary glands, liver, pancreas, and gallbladder. These, without belonging to the digestive system, actively participate in its functions, contributing significantly to digestive activity..

The digestive system is the organ system of the human body that is responsible, as its name suggests, of digestion.

Digestion is the process by which the body converts ingested food into energy and nutrients for the cells that compose it, thus allowing events such as cell multiplication, tissue repair, respiration and metabolism, among many other things..

Digestive system

The human digestive system is mainly composed of what is known as the gastrointestinal tract, which consists of a canal that internally connects the mouth with the anus, and a set of accessory organs or glands..

The gastrointestinal tract begins with the oral cavity, where food enters and is processed with the teeth. The salivary glands are the first accessory organs of the digestive system and participate in the breakdown of some carbohydrates and fats during chewing..

Continue with pharynx, which is the part of the throat immediately after the mouth - it also participates in the respiratory system - and continues with the esophagus, connecting the pharynx to the stomach.

The stomach It is located in the upper abdomen and is a hollow muscular “J” -shaped organ that receives chewed food that travels from the mouth to the esophagus. The stomach allows some degradation of the food it receives and the formation of a paste called chyme.

Below are the small intestines Y thick, where the processes of digestion, absorption of nutrients and water and “discarding” of the undigested material occur, respectively.

Accessory organs are associated with the small intestine -pancreas, liver Y gallbladder- which are primarily responsible for the production of digestive enzymes.

These enzymes facilitate the breakdown of proteins, fats and carbohydrates contained in food, so that the molecules that compose them can be absorbed by the cells in the intestinal epithelium.

What are the attached glands?

The glands considered attached to the human digestive system are:

Salivary glands

They are glands located in the head and neck region, and whose function has to do with the production of saliva.

They are exocrine glands, which means that their products are released towards a surface of the body, in this case, towards the surface of the gastrointestinal tract..

The human body has two types of salivary glands known as the major salivary glands and the minor salivary glands..

The largest are the parotid, submandibular, and sublingual glands, and the smallest are the anterior lingual, posterior mucosa, and von Ebner's..

Gallbladder

This gland is responsible for the storage of the bile, one of the products secreted by the liver. It is a gland with a greenish color, pear-shaped and approximately 10 cm long. Their job is to release bile into the small intestine when needed..

The pancreas

The pancreas is a very special organ, as it has functions as an exocrine gland and as an endocrine gland. It has a spongy appearance and looks like a flattened pear, varying in length between 16 and 25 cm.

From the point of view endocrine, the pancreas works on the synthesis and release of hormones insulin Y glucagon towards the blood, which have important homeostatic and metabolic functions.

From the point of view exocrine, Instead, their functions are related to the digestive system, as they are responsible for the production and release of very important digestive enzymes into the lumen of the small intestine..

The liver

It is the largest gland in the human body. It weighs about 1.3 kg, is reddish-brown in color, and has a fleshy appearance and rubbery texture. It has two pairs of lobes, some greater and others minors.

Its main function as a gland attached to the digestive system in the production of bile, but it also works in the "cleaning" of the blood, in the metabolism of some drugs and in the production of some important proteins for blood clotting..

Functions of the adnexal glands

The attached glands have different functions:

Of the salivary glands and their products

The salivary glands are responsible for the production of saliva, on which their functions depend.

Saliva is an extremely important fluid from the digestive point of view, as well as for the health of the organs contained in the oral cavity. Here are some of its main functions:

• Lubricates the oral mucosa
• Produces antibacterial and electrolyte compounds
• It contains protective and useful enzymes for the predigestion of some food molecules such as certain lipids and carbohydrates
• Participate in the taste sensation
• It favors the hydration of what is chewed
• Provides a vehicle for the movement of chewed food through the throat during swallowing (when swallowing)

From the liver, bile and gallbladder

The liver fulfills the function of a gland attached to the digestive system by producing and releasing bile, the fluid that is stored in the gallbladder when it is not immediately needed..

The gallbladder works essentially by storing the bile produced by the liver. Bile is a yellowish fluid made up of water, bile salts, bile pigments, and cholesterol..

The bile salts contained in this fluid work as emulsifying agents, favoring the digestion and absorption of fats.

In addition, through the bile the body is undo cholesterol and pigments derived from the breakdown of hemoglobin contained in erythrocytes (red blood cells), excreting them into the digestive system and thus out of the body with feces.

Of the pancreas and its products

The exocrine function of the pancreas is the one that has to do with the digestive system. This gland is responsible for the synthesis and production of enzymes such as:

• Tripsin Y chymotrypsin, for the degradation of dietary proteins
• TOmilasa, for the breakdown of carbohydrates such as starch, for example
• Lipasa, for the breakdown of fats

Pancreatic juices - the fluid produced by the pancreas where all these enzymes are found mixed with water, bicarbonate and other electrolytes - are released into the first portion of the small intestine, the duodenum..

There, they facilitate the digestion of fats, carbohydrates and proteins, as well as the neutralization of stomach acids.

References

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