The pylorus pyloric region or pyloric part connects the stomach to the duodenum. The pylorus is considered as having two parts, the pyloric antrum and the pyloric canal. The pyloric canal ends as the pyloric orifice, which marks the junction between the stomach and the duodenum. The orifice is surrounded by a sphincter, a band of muscle, called the pyloric sphincter.
The word pylorus comes from Greek πυλωρός, via Latin. The word pylorus in Greek means "gatekeeper", related to "gate" and is thus linguistically related to the word "pylon".
Diagram from cancer.gov: * 1. Body of stomach * 2. Fundus * 3. Anterior wall * 4. Greater curvature * 5. Lesser curvature * 6. Cardia * 9. Pyloric sphincter * 10. Pyloric antrum * 11. Pyloric canal * 12. Angular incisure * 13. Gastric canal * 14. Rugal folds
Microscopic cross-section of the pylorus
Dissection showing the stomach and pylorus in a cadaver. The antrum of the pylorus is shown in green.
Digestion is the breakdown of large insoluble food compounds into small water-soluble components so that they can be absorbed into the blood plasma. In certain organisms, these smaller substances are absorbed through the small intestine into the blood stream. Digestion is a form of catabolism that is often divided into two processes based on how food is broken down: mechanical and chemical digestion. The term mechanical digestion refers to the physical breakdown of large pieces of food into smaller pieces which can subsequently be accessed by digestive enzymes. Mechanical digestion takes place in the mouth through mastication and in the small intestine through segmentation contractions. In chemical digestion, enzymes break down food into the small compounds that the body can use.
Venus Flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) leaf
Trophozoites of Entamoeba histolytica with ingested erythrocytes
A Catalina Macaw's seed-shearing beak
Squid beak with ruler for size comparison