BIOL130 Lecture : OxfordTutorial!.docx
Document Summary
Oxford tutorial: when a person eats, food is absorbed and broken down into its components. When the food reaches the small intestine, it is already an amino acid. An amino acid is a simple organic compound which contains a carboxyl, an amino group, a hydrogen, and a side chain specific to each amino acid. They are the building blocks of proteins: the small intestine is the primary site of amino acid and glucose absorption into the blood. It is critical for this to happen since the supply of amino acids must be reached to all tissues: most of the internal and external body surfaces such as the intestines are covered with epithelial cells called epithelium. Many epithelial cells transport ions or small molecules from one side of the epithelium to the other. The epithelium lining the small intestine transport products of digestion such as glucose and amino acids into the blood.