PHYL 142 | Digestive | Peristalsis, Segmentation, & Mass Movement
Anatomy & Physiology with Dr. J・2 minutes read
The small intestines use segmentation to mix food with digestive enzymes, while the large intestines compress chyme into solid feces and reabsorb water to prevent diarrhea. A specialized assay tracks intestinal motility using guinea pig intestines to study the effects of drugs on intestinal activity.
Insights
- Small intestines use segmentation to mix food with enzymes from other organs, while large intestines reabsorb water to prevent diarrhea and store beneficial bacteria for digestion and vitamin production.
- A specialized assay developed by a medical professor tracks intestinal motility using guinea pig intestines, focusing on fecal pellet movement to evaluate drug impacts on intestinal activity.
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Recent questions
How do small intestines move food?
Segmentation motion enhances mixing with enzymes.
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Summary
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Intestinal Motility: Peristalsis to Feces Formation
- The small intestines perform a unique form of peristalsis called segmentation, moving food and gastric acid in a back-and-forth motion to enhance mixing with enzymes from the gallbladder, liver, and pancreas.
- In contrast, the large intestines utilize mass movements to compress, dehydrate, and compact chyme into feces, with intermittent stops and starts akin to stop-and-go traffic.
- A specialized assay developed by a medical professor measures intestinal motility using guinea pig intestines, tracking the movement of fecal pellets to assess the effects of drugs on intestinal activity.
- The large intestines reabsorb water to prevent watery diarrhea, compacting intestinal contents into solid feces for storage before elimination, also serving as a reservoir of beneficial bacteria for further digestion and vitamin production.
