5.2 - C - Excretion As An Example Of Homestatic Control Flashcards
Define excretion
The removal of metabolic waste from the body
Define metabolic waste
Waste substances that may be toxic or are produced in excess by the metabolic reactions inside cells
What are the 3 main excretory products?
Carbon dioxide from respiration
Nitrogen-containing compounds such as urea (i.e nitrogenous waste)
Other compounds, such as bile pigments found in faeces
List the excretory organs
The lungs,
The liver,
The kidneys,
The skin
Explain how the lungs are excretory organs
Carbon dioxide is passed from the cells of respiring tissues into the bloodstream, where it is transported (mostly in the form of hydrogencarbonate ions) to the lungs. Here, the CO2 diffuses into the alveoli to be excreted as you breathe out.
Carbon dioxide
How is it made?
How is it transported?
How is it removed?
CO2 dissolves in blood to form carbonic acid (with enzyme carbonic
anhydrase). CO2 (in RBCs). The H+ ions from the CO2 in the blood make the blood acidic.
Chemoreceptors sense the change and the respiratory centre of the medulla oblongata cause and increase in heart and breathing rate to get rid of excess CO2.
Where is the nitrogeonous waste from?
In what form do we excrete it?
How is it transported?
How is it removed?
Excess amino acids as they can’t be stored so they become toxic.
Urea in urine.
Bloodstream, dissolved in plasma.
Kidneys remove it from the blood ‐‐> urine.
Explain how ammonia is made?
How does it travel round the body?
Amino acids are turned into ammonia in the liver. Ammonia is highly toxic (can cause liver failure) and highly soluble so can’t enter the blood. The ammonia is turned into urea in the liver before travelling in the blood to the kidney to be removed and put into the urine in the bladder.
Explain the importance of excretion in metabolism and homeostasis (3)
Some produces of metabolic reactions are toxic and must be removed in order to prevent build up and damage to cells/death.
e.g. Aerobic respiration produces carbon dioxide which can cause
respiratory acidosis if it builds up. It needs to be excreted by breathing it
out.
Sweating removes some excretory products like urea as well but also
removes water which plays a role in homeostasis in thermoregulation and
osmoregulation.
What are liver cells called?
Hepatocytes
State the 2 ways the liver is supplied with blood
The hepatic artery
The hepatic vein
Explain how the hepatic artery flows blood to the liver
Oxygenated blood from the heart travels from the aorta down the hepatic artery into the liver. This supplies the oxygen that is essential for aerobic respiration.
Explain how the hepatic portal vein flows blood to the liver
The hepatic portal vein flows deoxygenated blood from the digestive system. This blood is rich in the products of digestion. The concentrations of these products will be uncontrolled and may also have toxic compounds that have been absorbed from the intestine. These substances can’t travel round the body without adjusting their concentrations.
How does blood leave the liver?
Via the intra-lobular hepatic vein. This rejoins the vena cava.
List the 4 vessels connected to the liver
Hepatic artery
Hepatic portal vein
Hepatic vein
Bile duct
What is the liver divided into?
What are these then divided into?
Lobes
Lobules
What do the hepatic artery and hepatic portal veins as they enter further into the liver?
Inter-lobular vessels
What happens to the blood when it arrives at the liver?
The blood from the hepatic artery and the hepatic portal vein mix and enter a sinusoid which is surrounded by hepatocytes. These cells remove molecules from the blood (eg: glucose) and release others back into the blood (eg: fibrinogen).
How are hepatocytes adapted for their role?
They have microvilli to provide a large surface area for diffusion
What are Kupffer cells?
What do they do?
Specialised macrophages that move about with sinusoids. Their primary functions is to break down red blood cells. The products of the breakdowns are released into the bile duct for excretion
Where is bile made?
Where/how is it transported?
Where is it stored?
What does it do?
Hepatocytes.
It’s secreted into the bile canaliculi which drains into the bile duct.
Bile is stored in the gall bladder until released into the small intestine.
It neutralises stomach acids and emulsifies lipids.
Why does ammonia have to be converted to urea before being carried in the blood?
It’s highly toxic and highly soluble
What is the implication of too much CO2 in the blood?
Respiratory acidosis/blood pH falls too low
State 5 roles of the liver
Synthesis of: bile, plasma proteins (fibrinogen), cholesterol,
Storage of: Vit A,D and B12, iron and glycogen,
Detoxification,
Breakdown of hormones,
Destruction of RBCs.
Why is glycogen a good storage molecule?
Branched ‐ compact & many ends for enzymes to hydrolyse easily.
Insoluble ‐ doesn’t affect the water potential of the cells.
What are the 2 stages of making urea?
Deamination
Ornithine Cycle
Why does deamination need to happen?
Amino acids can’t be stored (toxic) but they can be used to release energy (waste to directly excrete them).
Explain what happens in deamination
Removal of the amine group from an amino acid.
Forms a keto acid (which can be directly respired) and ammonia.
Ammonia is highly toxic and highly soluble and must be removed in the the ornithine cycle.
What is the equation for deamination?
Amino + oxygen ‐‐> keto acid + ammonia acid
Why does the orthinine cycle need to happen?
Ammonia must be removed from the body, but ammonia is too toxic and too soluble to transport and excrete (would dissolve in a lot of water and would dehydrate us as a result of excreting so much water).
Explain what happens in the ornithine cycle
Reaction between ammonia and carbon dioxide into less toxic and
less soluble urea.
Forms urea and water.
Urea is transported in the blood, removed by the kidneys and excreted in urine.
What is the symbol equation of the ornithine cycle?
Ammonia + carbon dioxide -> urea and water
Define detoxification
The conversion of toxic molecules into less toxic or non‐toxic
molecules
Why detoxification need to happen?
We both produce (in metabolic reaction) and consume (in our diet/drugs) toxic substances. If this didn’t happen, the toxic substances could accumulate in the blood/body and kill us.
What is the ornithine cycle?
A series of biochemical reactions that convert ammonia to urea.
What form does the liver store sugar as?
How much is it able to store of this?
Glycogen
100-120g
State and explain 2 enzymes that render toxic molecules less toxic in the liver
Catalase converts hydrogen peroxide into oxygen and water.
Cytochrome P450 is a group of enzymes used to breakdown drugs including cocaine and various medicinal drugs. They are also used in other metabolic reactions such as electron transport during respiration.
What effect does alcohol have on the body?
It depresses nerve activity
What are the 3 enzymes used in the detoxification of alcohol?
Ethanol dehydrogenase
Ethanal dehydrogenase
Coenzyme A
Why can’t ammonia be allowed to accumulate?
It’s very soluble and very toxic
What is the function of the kidney?
To remove waste from the blood and make urine.
What is a nephron?
The functional unit of the kidney
Define ultrafiltration
Include 5 examples of what is filtered during it in your answer
Filtration of the blood at a molecular level under pressure. Smaller molecules (urea, water, glucose, amino acids, inorganic minerals ions such as sodium, chloride and potassium) are filtered out of the blood into the lumen of the Bowman's capsule.
What are the 3 regions of the kidney called?
The cortex - the outer region
The medulla - the inner region
The pelvis - the centre, which leads into the ureter
What does the afferent arteriole do?
Brings blood to glomerulus (knot of blood vessels)
What blood vessel transports blood to the kidney?
The renal artery
What process pushes fluid from the blood into the Bowman’s capsule?
Ultrafiltration
State the 3 layers of the filter between the blood in the capillary and the lumen of the Bowman’s capsule
The capillary endothelium
The basement membrane
The epithelial cells of the Bowman’s capsule
Explain how the capillary endothelium is adapted to be the filter between the blood in the capillary and the lumen of the Bowman’s capsule
There are narrow gaps between the cells. The cells also contain pores, called fenestrations. The gaps allow blood plasma and the substance dissolved in it to pass out of the capillary.