Accessory digestive glands
<p >An <b>accessory digestive gland</b> is a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gland" title="Gland" >gland</a> of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digestive_system" title="Digestive system" class="mw-redirect" >digestive system</a> that is not a part of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digestive_tract" title="Digestive tract" class="mw-redirect" >digestive tract</a>.</p>
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An example of an accessory digestive gland is the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exocrine_pancreas" title="Exocrine pancreas" class="mw-redirect" >exocrine pancreas</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-isbn0-8385-1474-X_0-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessory_organs_of_digestion#cite_note-isbn0-8385-1474-X-0" >[1]</a></sup></p>
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A closely related term is "accessory digestive organ". This can include structures that play a direct role in digestion, but are not glands, such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teeth" title="Teeth" class="mw-redirect" >teeth</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-urlDorlands_Medical_Dictionary:accessory_digestive_organs_1-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessory_organs_of_digestion#cite_note-urlDorlands_Medical_Dictionary:accessory_digestive_organs-1" >[2]</a></sup></p>
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Accessory organs to the alimentary canal include the salivary glands, liver, gallbladder, and pancreas.</p>
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<li >The Salivary glands (parotid, submandibular, and sublingual) secrete saliva, which contains enzymes that initiate breakdown of carbohydrates.</li>
<li >The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liver" title="Liver" >liver</a> secretes <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bile" title="Bile" >bile</a> into the small intestine via the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bile_duct" title="Bile duct" >bile duct</a> employing the<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallbladder" title="Gallbladder" >gallbladder</a> as a reservoir. The bile produced emulsifies fat. Apart from storing and concentrating bile and introducing it into the small intestine, the gallbladder has no other specific function.</li>
<li >The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancreas" title="Pancreas" >pancreas</a> secretes an isosmotic fluid containing <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bicarbonate_ions&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Bicarbonate ions (page does not exist)" >bicarbonate ions</a>, which helps buffer the acid concentration<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chyme" title="Chyme" >chyme</a>, and several </li>
<li >enzymes, including <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trypsin" title="Trypsin" >trypsin</a>,<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chymotrypsin" title="Chymotrypsin" >chymotrypsin</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lipase" title="Lipase" >lipase</a>, and pancreatic <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amylase" title="Amylase" >amylase</a>, as well as nucleolytic enzymes (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deoxyribonuclease" title="Deoxyribonuclease" >deoxyribonuclease</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ribonuclease" title="Ribonuclease" >ribonuclease</a>), into the small intestine. Both of these<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretion" title="Secretion" >secretory</a> organs aid in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digestion" title="Digestion" >digestion</a>.</li>
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