Small Intestinal Peristalsis

Abstract

Digestion of food forms an essential process in a living organism. Digestion of food can be classified into two categories: (1) mechanical digestion and (2) chemical digestion. Whereas mechanical digestion contributes to the physical breakdown of food using mechanical forces, chemical digestion contributes via breaking down the chemical bonds present in the food. The process is manifested by muscular contraction. The intestine develops undulations via contraction of the muscle fiber that involves contraction and relaxation of muscle fibers (referred to as the peristalsis). As a consequence, the momentum generated by the muscular contraction serves to develop fluid motion in the lumen, which eventually leads to mixing and transport. Whereas the bodily secretions of the digestive enzymes participate in innate digestion, the gut flora, on the other hand, also influence digestion to an extent by means of fermentation. Small intestinal peristalsis serves as the key mediator, whether the digestion proceeds normally during physiology or abnormally leading to pathology.