The Digestive System Accessory Organs PLO’s • C1 - analyze the functional interrelationships of the structures of the digestive system (pancreas, liver, gall bladder) • Several organs and glands contribute to the digestive process even though food does not pass through them Pancreas • Cells in the pancreas produce pancreatic juice, which contains sodium bicarbonate and several enzymes to digest carbohydrates, proteins and fats • Pancreatic juice is secreted into the duodenum via the pancreatic duct • The pancreas also has an endocrine function (hormone secreting) • insulin is produced in the pancreas and secreted into the blood when blood glucose is high (after eating) • stimulates body cells to take up glucose (lowers and regulates blood sugar levels) Liver • Is considered the “gatekeeper” to the blood as it regulates blood composition in several ways • Blood leaving the digestive tract first goes to the liver via the hepatic portal vein • Blood leaves the liver via the hepatic vein Liver functions: • Contributes to digestion by producing bile (helps break down fats) • Stores excess glucose as glycogen • Converts glycogen to glucose when needed • Stores iron and some vitamins • Removes and breaks down toxins from the blood • Regulates blood cholesterol levels • Synthesizes blood proteins • Produces urea from amino acid breakdown (which is later excreted by the kidneys) • Breaks down hemoglobin from old red blood cells; components of hemoglobin breakdown are excreted in bile, giving it its green colour Fig. 12.10 Gall Bladder • Attached to the liver • Stores bile and secretes it into the duodenum via the common bile duct when fats are present Appendix • Not really an accessory organ since it has no apparent digestive function • Found at the end of the cecum (where the small and large intestine join) • Thought to have functions associated with the immune system