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The accessory Organs in the digestive system are- Pancreas, Liver, and Gallbladder. The digestive system in humans is made up of a few key organs as well as auxiliary organs. The digestive processes heavily rely on the auxiliary organs.
- The buccal cavity, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, and anus are the primary digestive organs.
- The tongue, pancreas, liver, gallbladder, and salivary glands are digestive system-related auxiliary organs.
- The substances that go through digestion are either stored in the auxiliary organs or secreted by them.
- Together, these organs help the digestive system function by secreting the different enzymes and chemicals needed for digestion.
Also read: Digestion and Absorption
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Key Terms: Accessory Organs, Digestive System, Pancreas, Liver, Structure of Liver, Gallbladder
Liver
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In the top right corner of the belly, there lies an important organ called the liver. It is located to the right of the stomach, just below the diaphragm. By secreting bile, the liver plays a significant part in digestion. The liver performs a vast array of extra tasks that have nothing to do with digestion.
Structure of Liver
The liver is a wedge-shaped, reddish-brown organ. The liver typically weighs 1.5 kg in humans. It is both the largest gland and the heaviest internal organ in the human body.
Key characteristics that define the structure of liver are:
- Four lobes of different sizes and shapes make up the liver.
- Functional units of the liver are called lobules, which make up each lobe in turn.
- Millions of hepatic cells, or liver cells, make up each lobule (or hepatocytes). They are the fundamental metabolic cells that power the liver's many operations.
- Hepatic artery and the portal vein are the two significant blood arteries that supply the liver.
- The portal vein carries blood that is rich in nutrients from the GI tract that has been digested and waste products that have been removed from the blood by the spleen.
- The hepatic artery carries oxygen-rich blood from the aorta.
- Small arteries and capillaries that make up the blood vessels branch off to form the liver lobules.
- The waste products from the spleen are broken down and expelled, while the nutrients from the GI tract are employed to construct several essential biochemical molecules.
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Functions of Liver
The liver's primary role in digestion is bile generation. Bile is a yellowish, alkaline fluid that contains a variety of waste products as well as water, electrolytes, bile salts, and cholesterol.
Main functions of liver are described below:
- Hepatocytes produce some of the bile's constituent parts; the remainder is drawn from the blood.
- One single major duct carries bile out of the liver after minor ducts that secrete bile unite to become larger ducts.
- If bile is required for meal digestion, it travels straight from the liver through the common bile duct to the duodenum.
- Bile in the duodenum neutralizes the stomach's acidic chyme and breaks down large chunks of fat into micelles, which the lipase enzyme can more easily break down chemically.
- Vitamin K is more easily absorbed when bile is present. When digestion is not occurring, bile is secreted and is stored in the gallbladder until the following meal.
- Bile travels through the common bile duct and enters the duodenum in both scenarios.
- To assist control of blood sugar levels, the liver creates glycogen from glucose and stores it as needed. It also converts the glycogen that has been stored to glucose and releases it into the blood as needed.
- In addition to glycogen, the liver also stores chemicals including vitamins A, D, B12, and K. Iron and copper are also stored there.
- Numerous proteins and many of the amino acids required to build them are produced by the liver. These proteins serve a variety of purposes. They include albumen, which is the most common protein in blood serum and works to transport fatty acids and steroid hormones in the blood, fibrinogen, which is required for blood clotting, insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), which is crucial for juvenile growth, and others.
- Triglycerides, cholesterol, and lipoproteins are just a few of the crucial lipids that the liver produces.
- The liver is in charge of breaking down several waste materials and harmful compounds. The wastes are either eliminated by the kidneys in the urine or by the bile.
The liver is a crucial organ, supporting practically all other organs in the body. The liver serves a variety of activities and is strategically located inside the body, making it susceptible to numerous disorders, some of which might impair liver function.
Although liver dialysis procedures can be employed in the short term, there is presently no means to make up for the loss of liver function in the long run. Since an artificial liver has not yet been created, liver transplantation may be the sole remedy for those who have failed their livers.
Liver Diagram
Gallbladder
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The gallbladder is a tiny, hollow organ that resembles a pouch; it is located slightly beneath the right side of the liver. It is approximately 8 cm (3.1 in) long, tapering, and has an open end that is continuous with the cystic duct.
- Bile from the liver is stored and concentrated in the gallbladder until it is required to aid in the digestion of fats in the duodenum.
- The cystic duct is the pathway by which bile travels from the liver to the gallbladder. The gallbladder can hold up to 60 mL (1-2 oz) of bile at any given moment.
- The gallbladder contracts in response to a hormone that is triggered by the presence of fat in the duodenum, forcing its contents back via the cystic duct and into the common bile duct to drain into the duodenum.
Pancreas
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A glandular organ, the pancreas is a component of both the endocrine and digestive systems. The duodenum of the small intestine surrounds the head of the pancreas, which is situated in the abdomen behind the stomach. The main pancreatic duct and the auxiliary pancreatic duct are the organ's two principal ducts, and the pancreas is around 15 cm (6 in) long. These two ducts both empty into the duodenum.
Here are some key characteristics of Pancreas:
- The pancreas is an endocrine gland that secretes various hormones into the bloodstream, including glucagon and insulin.
- The pancreatic islets, a group of cells, secrete the endocrine hormones (or islets of Langerhans).
- The pancreas, which functions as a digestive organ, secretes several digestive enzymes as well as bicarbonate, which aids in neutralising acidic chyme once it enters the duodenum.
- When food in the stomach and duodenum causes the release of endocrine hormones into the blood that go to the pancreas via the bloodstream, the pancreas is prompted to secrete its digestive chemicals.
Pancreas
Acini, which are collections of cells that secrete digestive enzymes, move these enzymes from the pancreas to the duodenum via the pancreatic ducts. They aid in the chemical breakdown of chyme's proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids in the duodenum. Several of the pancreatic digestive enzymes are:
- That aids in the breakdown of starch and other carbs is amylase.
- Chymotrypsin and trypsin, which aid in the breakdown of proteins.
- Lipids can be digested with the aid of lipase.
- Nucleic acids are broken down by ribonucleases and deoxyribonucleases.
Things to Remember
- The accessory Organs of the digestive system are- Pancreas, Liver, and Gallbladder.
- Liver is found under the diaphragm, in the top right corner of the belly, is the liver.
- Functions of Liver- Bile production and excretion, Excretion of bilirubin, cholesterol, and hormones, Metabolism of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates, Enzyme activation, Storage of glycogen, vitamins, and minerals, Synthesis of plasma proteins.
- The gallbladder is a pear-shaped organ located beneath the liver on the right side of the belly.
- Gallbladder stores bile, concentrates bile, and, when stimulated to contract, eject bile into the lumen of the small intestine.
- Pancrea is located inside the abdomen, just behind the stomach.
- Exocrine glands in the pancreas create vital digestive enzymes.
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Sample Questions
Ques: What do accessory organs do? (2 Marks)
Ans: Accessory organs are organs that are not a part of the digestive system but nonetheless help in digestion by carrying out a variety of ancillary tasks. The tongue, liver, pancreas, and gallbladder are the digestive system's primary auxiliary organs.
Ques: Determine the digestive system's purpose in humans. (2 Marks)
Ans: The alimentary canal and the auxiliary organs make up the digestive system. Their primary duty is to disassemble the food consumed into its constituent parts in order to provide the essential nutrients and energy needed to maintain life.
Ques: Describe the tongue's function as an accessory organ. (2 Marks)
Ans: Although it is not a part of the digestive system, the tongue performs support roles such as relocating and adjusting the food in the buccal cavity. Additionally, moistening food makes it easier to swallow and helps it travel easily through the oesophagus.
Ques: Which accessory digestive organ is the most crucial? (2 Marks)
Ans: The pancreatic and gallbladder are the two main auxiliary organs of digestion, together with the liver. The majority of chemical digestion occurs in the duodenum, which is the first section of the small intestine. These organs secrete or store molecules that are required for digestion there.
Ques: Why do accessory organs need to be present for digestion? (2 Marks)
Ans: Organs that secrete compounds required for food's chemical digestion are known as accessory organs of digestion; nevertheless, food does not actually pass through these organs during digestion. The pancreatic and gallbladder are the two main auxiliary organs of digestion in addition to the liver.
Ques: Why is the liver referred to as an accessory organ? (2 Marks)
Ans: The liver, pancreas, and gallbladder are three auxiliary digestive organs that are essential for chemical digestion in the small intestine. The liver's purpose in digestion is to make bile and send it to the duodenum. Bile is largely stored, concentrated, and expelled by the gallbladder.
Ques: What occurs to the food that is inside the accessory organs? (2 Marks)
Ans: The largest gland in the body and an auxiliary organ of the digestive system is the liver. Food that has been chewed in the mouth cavity and then swallowed eventually makes its way to the stomach, where it is further digested to allow the small intestine to absorb its contents.
Ques: Which digestive gland is the second largest in the human body? (2 Marks)
Ans: The second-largest gland in the human body is the pancreas. It is also known as a mixed gland or heterocrine gland due to the fact that it has both exocrine components, known as the acinus, which secretes pancreatic juice, and endocrine components, known as the islets of Langerhans, which secrete hormones including Insulin, glucagon, and somatostatin.
Ques: Is the appendix a supporting digestive organ? (1 Mark)
Ans: Digestion is not directly aided by your appendix. The appendix's function in the body is unknown, and getting rid of it doesn't seem to have any harmful effects on your health.
Ques: How many accessory organs are there in us? (1 Mark)
Ans: The liver, pancreas, and gallbladder are three accessory digestive organs that are essential for chemical digestion in the small intestine. The liver's purpose in digestion is to make bile and send it to the duodenum.
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