Title: Digestive System - Function and Organs | Biology Dictionary
Headings: Digestive System
Digestive System
How Does the Digestive System Work?
Digestive System Function
Breaking Down Food
Regulating Digestive Secretions
Digestive System Organs
Mouth and Esophagus
Stomach
Liver, Gallbladder, and Pancreas
Small Intestine
Large Intestine
Diseases of the Digestive System
Quiz
1. Which of these organs contains the pyloric sphincter?
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Content: Pancreas Anatomy
Small Intestine
The small intestine is divided into three regions based on their function, even though they are largely similar from a histological standpoint. The first part of the small intestine is called the duodenum and is the shortest segment. It is curved and surrounds one end of the pancreas. It is separated from the stomach by the pyloric sphincter and receives gastric chyme in small quantities when the sphincter opens. The common bile duct and pancreatic ducts open into the duodenum, where the final stages of digestion occur – both due to pancreatic enzymes and membrane-bound intestinal enzymes. The duodenum also contains glands that produce alkaline secretions that neutralize chyme, along with bile. The second section of the small intestine is called the jejunum and marks the site where absorption of digested nutrients begins. The jejunum contains both villi and microvilli that increase its surface area for absorption. The last segment of th