Moving Metabolites Around the Body

Breakdown of Carbohydrates:


In the breakdown of carbohydrates, maltose, a disaccharide, is produced. Pancreatic amylase subsequently converts the glycogen and starch into additional disaccharides. The conversion of the disaccharides to monosaccharides is subsequently accomplished with the help of the enzymes sucrase, maltase, and lactase. The monosaccharides are then absorbed and utilised in a variety of metabolic processes required for the body to produce energy (Ramakrishnan, Prasannan, & Rajan, 2001). The intestinal epithelium allows for the absorption of the monosaccharides into the bloodstream, where they are then delivered to the body's numerous cells.

Breakdown of Proteins:


Peptides, which are short sequences of roughly four to nine amino acids, are created when proteins are broken down. Smaller peptides are created by further dissolving the larger peptides. The smaller peptides are further broken down into amino acids which are the protein metabolites. The amino acids are then absorbed into the blood stream through the epithelium cells of the small intestine (Toole & Toole, 2004).

Breakdown of Fats:


The digestion of fats begins in the stomach with the help of enzymes gastric and lingual lipases. Bile, which is produced due to hormonal response, then emulsifies the lipids. Emulsification is the process in which the large lipid globules are broken into small globules. The process is important in fat digestion as it makes the globules easy for the lipases to act on. The lipases then break down the fat into glycerides and fatty acids (McClements & Decker, 2009). The glycerides and fatty acids are then packaged into micelles which then are absorbed by the microvilli. They are then converted to triglycerides which aggregate with the cholesterol to form chylomicrons which then move to the lymph capillary.

Absorption of Vitamins:


Vitamins are either lipid or water soluble. Lipid soluble vitamins are absorbed as lipids while water soluble lipids are directly absorbed into the bloodstream from the intestine. Water is directly absorbed into the large intestine.

Protein Synthesis:


a) Single amino acids absorbed into the intestinal walls are used for protein synthesis. They are then used in tissue repairs in the body especially in the muscles such as the gastrocnemius for maintenance purposes.

Transportation of Monosaccharides:


b) The monosaccharides are transported through the walls of the small intestine to the portal vein that takes them to the liver (McClements & Decker, 2009). The method of transportation varies for the different monosaccharides from that stage. Glucose which is responsible for energy production in the cardiac cells is transported through the mucosal lining through the process of active transport via a sodium-dependent transporter. The glucose then diffuses to the surrounding capillaries. Excess glucose is stored in the muscles and liver as glycogen which eventually releases the energy for cardiac muscle contraction.

Transportation of Lipids:


c) Transportation of lipids leads to problems because they are insoluble in water. The enzymes that act on lipids are soluble or membrane proteins. Lipids must, therefore, be transported through the aqueous compartments in the cell as well as tissues spaces. In the intestinal cells , fatty acids are sequestered from the cytosol and bound with intestinal fatty acid binding protein (I-FABP) (McClements & Decker, 2009). Free fatty acids are then transported in blood when bound to albumin that takes it to the myelin sheaths of the Schwann cell.

Absorption of Water:


d) Water is absorbed mainly in the jejunum after which it crosses the intestinal mucosa to the blood stream and finally ends up in the interstitial tissues and fluids such as the synovial fluid.

Absorption of Iron:


e) Iron is absorbed through a pathway known as the divalent cation transporter 1 (DCT-1) which is common in embryonic cells (McClements & Decker, 2009). The pathway mainly entails uptake of ferrous iron which is then released to the cytosol due to acidification. Iron is then incorporated into the red blood cell in the bone marrow.


References

McClements, D. J., & Decker, E. (2009). Designing functional foods: Measuring and controlling food structure breakdown and nutrient absorption. Boca Raton, Fla: CRC Press.

Ramakrishnan, S., Prasannan, K. G., & Rajan, R. (2001). Textbook of medical biochemistry. Hyderabad: Orient Longman.

Toole, G., & Toole, S. (2004). Essential A2 biology for OCR. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes.

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