The Smooth Muscle Cells In The Digestive System

work together in order to get food from one point of the body to the end. The major layers in the digestive tract include the submucosa (areolar tissue), muscularis externa (region of smooth muscle fibers), serosa that is located in the peritoneal cavity. The digestive tract includes the mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine. Some accessory organs of the digestive tract include the teeth, tongue, and various glandular organs such as salivary glands, liver and the pancreas.
Digestion is important for breaking down food into nutrients, which the body uses for energy, growth, and cell repair. Food and liquids must be changed into smaller molecules of nutrients before the blood absorbs them and carries them to the cells throughout the …show more content…
Plasticity is defined as the ability to tolerate extreme stretching. The digestive system also contains visceral smooth muscle tissue, which is when the muscle cells are arranged in sheets and contain no motor innervation. Pacemaker cells located in the digestive system allow for rhythmic waves of contraction that spread through the entire muscular sheet. The glandular organs in the digestive system include water, enzymes, buffers and other components that assist in preparing organic and inorganic nutrients for absorption across the epithelium of the digestive tract. The digestive system includes processes known as ingestion, mechanical processing, digestion, secretion, absorption, excretion and compaction. Ingestion is defined as when food and liquids enter the digestive tract through the mouth. Peristalsis is the movement of food throughout the digestive tract. The lining of the digestive tract plays a defensive role by protecting surrounding tissues against; corrosive effects of digestive acids and enzymes, mechanicals stresses (ex. Abrasion), and pathogens that are either swallowed with food reside within the digestive