Question

What is the role of digestive glands?

Answer 1

Digestive glands:

1. Digestive glands are those having ducts that pour secretions into the digestive system.
2. Digestive glands secrete digestive juices, which contain enzymes for the digestion of food.
3. The digestive glands include salivary glands, gastric glands, liver, pancreas, and intestinal glands.

Role of the digestive glands:

1. Salivary gland – secretes salivary amylase enzyme which breaks starch into sugar molecules.
2. Gastric glands – secret hydrochloric acid (HCl), pepsin enzyme, and mucus. Pepsin helps in the digestion of proteins while mucus helps in the protection of the inner lining of the stomach from acid.
3. Intestinal glands – secrete intestinal juices to break fat molecules and bile salts into simpler substances.
4. Liver – is an organ that secretes bile juice to break fat molecules.
5. Pancreas – an organ that secretes insulin hormone along with pancreatic juices that break proteins, and fats molecules in the small intestine.