Case 5 Flashcards
What are the 3 features of adaptive immunity?
- Memory
- Specificity
- Discrimination of self vs. non-self
What are the 3 types of lymphocytes?
- T Lymphocytes
- B Lymphocytes (provide humoral immunity, resistance against extracellular pathogens and produce specific antibodies)
- Natural Killer cytotoxic cells
What is the location of lymphocyte production?
Both initially made in the bone marrow
B-lymphocytes: educated and matured in the bone marrow
T Lymphocytes: educated and matured in the thymus
What are the 4 stages of Adaptive immunity?
- Inflammation
- Phagocytosis
- T-helper cell activation and clonal expansion
- B lymphocyte activation, clonal expansion and clonal differentiation into plasma cells i.e. Ab production
Phagocytosis during adaptive immunity
- What do neutrophils activate?
- What do macrophages activate?
- What do T lymphocytes activate?
- Neutrophils: cause B lymphocyte activation
- Macrophages cause T-helper (CD4) activation
- T lymphocyte (CD4) activation
What are the 2 MHC protein classes?
Class I and Class II
Class I MHC proteins
- Where are these present?
- What pathway do they operate and what do they do?
- What happens when the cell is abnormal?
- Which cell type do these activate?
- All nucleated cells
- Endogenous pathway, pick up intracellular peptides and present them on its surface
- Cytoplasm contains non-self peptide or viral proteins, these are presented by the MHC I proteins
- activate CD8 cells
Class II MHC proteins
- Where are these types present?
- What pathway do they operate and what do they do?
- What is the name of the 2 processes that they undertake?
- What cell type do they activate and how?
- Present: macrophage membrane and dendritic cells (antigen presenting cells)
- Exogenous pathway i.e. engulf extracellular protein and present on cell surface
- Antigen processing and antigen presentation
- APC travels to lymph nodes and activates CD4 cells
What are the 5 main functions of the liver?
- Metabolism
- Filtration
- Formation
- Synthesis
- Storage
Liver: Metabolism
- What 6 things does the liver metabolise?
- Carbohydrates
- Proteins
- Fats
- Hormones
- Foreign chemicals (xenobiotics)
- Drugs
Liver: Filtration
- What cell types filter the blood as it passes through the liver?
Kupffer Cells
Liver: Formation
- What 2 things does the liver form?
Bile
Coagulation factors
Liver: Synthesis
- What 6 things does the liver synthesise?
- Plasma proteins
- Glucose
- Ketone bodies
- Cholesterol
- Fatty acids
- Amino acids
Liver: Storage
- What 4 things does the liver store?
- Vitamins
- Iron
- Glycogen
- Blood
Anatomy of the Liver
- What is the basic functional unit of the liver called?
- What shape is this structure?
- What is this structure constructed around?
Liver lobule
Cylindrical structure several millimeters in length
Central vein, which empties into the hepatic vein and the vena cava
Anatomy of the Liver
- What is the liver lobule composed principally of?
- What does its arrangement resemble?
- Cellular plates
2. Radiate from the central vein like spokes in a wheel
Anatomy of the Liver
- How many cells thick is the hepatic plate?
- What structure lies between each hepatic cell?
- Where do these structures drain?
- Two cells thick
- Small bile canaliculi
- Into bile ducts in the fibrous septa which separates adjacent liver lobules
Anatomy of the Liver
- What structure is located within the fibrous septa?
- How are these structures supplied?
- What structures allow passage of venous blood through the liver?
- Small portal venules
- Mainly from the venous blood of the GI tract via the hepatic portal vein
- Hepatic sinusoids
Anatomy of the Liver
- Where are the hepatic arterioles located?
- What is the role of these vessels?
- Where do these commonly drain?
- Interlobular septa
- Supply arterial blood to the septal tissue between adjacent lobules
- Drain into the hepatic sinusoids
Anatomy of the Liver
- What 2 cells line the sinusoids?
- What are “Kupffer” cells?
- Endothelial cell and Kupffer cell
2. Resident macrophages, line sinusoids and engulf bacteria and cellular debris
Anatomy of the Liver
- What word is used to describe the endothelial cells of the sinusoid?
- What name is given to the area between the endothelial cells and the hepatocytes?
- Fenestrated
2. spaces of Disse (perisinusoidal spaces)
Anatomy of the Liver
- Where do the spaces of Disse connect?
- Excess fluid in these spaces is drained by what?
- What feature of these pores means that substances in the plasma move freely into these spaces?
- Lymphatic Vessels in the interlobular septa
- The lymphatic system
- Large pores
Anatomy of the Liver
- What is Zone 1 known as?
- What do the cells in Zone 1 do?
- Periportal
2. Amino acid catabolism, gluconeogenesis, cholesterol synthesis
Anatomy of the Liver
- What is Zone 3 known as?
- What do the cells in Zone 3 do?
- What is the main function of Zone 3?
- Pericentral
- Lipid synthesis, ketogenesis, glutamine synthesis, drug metabolism
- Drug detoxification
Anatomy of the Liver
- Where does bile production occur within the liver?
Within all zones
Anatomy of the Liver
- What 2 features regarding the liver vascular are present?
- What is the total average blood flow rate through the sinusoid per minute?
- High blood flow and low vascular resistance
2. 1350 ml/min
Anatomy of the Liver
- What is the normal pressure in the portal vein?
- What is the normal pressure in the hepatic vein?
- 9mmHg
2. 0 mmHg
Cirrhosis
- What does this cause to the resistance to blood flow?
- What 3 changes occur with cirrhosis?
- Name 4 causes of cirrhosis
- Increases resistance
- Liver parenchymal cells are destroyed, they are replaced with fibrous tissue which contracts around blood vessels and impedes flow of blood through the liver
Causes: Alcoholism, Ingestion of poisons e.g. carbon tetrachloride, viral disease e.g. hepatitis, obstruction of the bile ducts
Cirrhosis
- What 4 things happen when the portal system becomes blocked by a large clot?
- Blockage of the portal system by a clot
- Prevents return of blood from intestines and spleen, through the liver into systemic circulation
- Causes an increase capillary pressure in intestinal wall of 15-20 mmHg above normal
- Patient often dies within a few hours due to excessive loss of fluid from capillaries into the lumen and wall of intestines
The Liver
- What is the normal blood volume of the liver?
- What happens to the blood volume in the liver with increased right atrial pressures?
- What condition is likely to cause the above events?
Normal Blood Volume: 450mL
Increased right atrial pressures: backflow into the liver, the liver expands causing 0.5-1 litre of extra blood in the hepatic veins and sinuses
Cardiac failure with peripheral congestion
In regards to blood, what can the liver act as?
Blood reservoir in times of excess blood volume and also supplies blood in times of diminished blood volume
What is the normal protein concentration of lymph draining from the liver?
What percentage of lymph produced under resting conditions does the liver contribute to?
6g/dl (slightly less than the protein concentration of plasma)
Half of all the lymph in the body
Define ascites
When high hepatic vascular pressures cause fluid transudation into the abdominal cavity from the liver and portal capillaries
Ascities
- When the pressure in the hepatic veins rises what happens?
- What is the composition of the ascitic fluid?
Happens: Xs fluid transudes into the lymphatics and leaks through the liver capsule into the abdominal cavity
Composition: pure plasma, lacking plasma protein and so encourages most fluid to enter the abdominal cavity down a concentration gradient
Ascities
What does blockage of the portal flow through the liver result in?
Result: High capillary pressures in the entire portal vascular system of the GI tract, resulting in oedema of the gut wall and transudation of fluid through the serosa of the gut into the abdominal cavity –> ascities
Which 2 factors promote liver regeneration?
- Hepatocyte Growth Factor (HGF)
2. Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) and cytokines
How does HGF promote liver regeneration?
Which cell type produces HGF?
HGF
- Promotes differentiation of hepatic progenitor cells into hepatocytes
- Mesenchymal cells NOT hepatocytes
Give 2 examples of cytokines which promote liver regeneration
TNF and IL-6
Which cytokine terminates hepatic cell division?
Which cells secrete this cytokine?
Transforming Growth Factor Beta (TGF-Beta)
Hepatic cells
Metabolic Function: Carbohydrate Metabolism
Name the process which allows the liver to remove excess glucose from the blood, store it and then return it to the blood when blood glucose concentration falls too low
Glucose buffer function
What is the purpose of gluconeogenesis?
What two components are used in this process?
Utilised to restore blood glucose concentrations to normal when they fall
Amino acids and glycerol from triglycerides are converted into glucose
Liver: oxidation of fatty acids to derive energy
- What is fat split into?
- How is acetly coenzyme A formed?
- Which biological process does acetyl co-A enter to liberate huge amounts of energy?
- Glycerol and fatty acids
- Fatty acids are split via “beta-oxidation” into two-carbon acetyl radicals which form acetyl-coA
- Citric acid cycle, where it is oxidised to liberate many amounts of acetyl-coA
Liver: oxidation of fatty acids to derive energy
The liver can’t utilise all acetyl-coA formed so by what type of reaction and which molecule is produced to allow other tissues to utilise this energy?
How do these tissues derive the energy from this new molecule?
Condensation of two molecules of acetyl-coA into acetoacetic acid
Derive the energy by reconverting acetoacetic acid into acetyl-coA and oxidising these to liberate the energy stored within this molecule
Liver: Synthesis of Cholesterol and Phospholipids
What percentage of total cholesterol synthesised in the liver is converted to bile salts?
The remainder is transported in what protein in the blood to other body tissues?
What are phospholipids transported by?
Bile salts: 80% of cholesterol
Lipoproteins
Principally lipoproteins
Name 3 things that both cholesterol and phospholipids are used for
Uses:
- Plasma membrane formation
- Intracellular structures
- Multiple chemical substances used in cellular function
Liver: Fat Synthesis
What 2 substances are used to produce fat?
How is fat transported within the body to adipose tissue?
Produce fat:
- Carbohydrates
- Proteins
Fat transportation: Lipoproteins
Liver: Protein Metabolism
Name 4 important functions of the liver in regards to protein metabolism
Protein Metabolism:
- Deamination of amino acids
- Formation of urea for removal of ammonia from the body fluids
- Formation of plasma proteins
- Transamination to form non-essential amino acids
Liver: Deamination of amino acids
Why is this required?
Which other tissue is capable of this process but in small amounts?
Required: before they can be used for energy or converted into carbohydrates or fats
The kidneys
Liver: Formation of Urea
- What is the outcome of this process?
- What can result if the liver does not undertake this process?
Outcome: Removes ammonia from bodily fluids
Can result: Hepatic coma and death (due to high plasma ammonia concentration)
Liver: Formation of plasma proteins
- All except which protein is formed by hepatic cells?
- What does depletion of plasma proteins cause?
All except: gamma globulins i.e. antibodies (formed by plasma cells)
Depletion causes rapid mitosis of the hepatic cells and growth of the liver to a larger size, coupled with rapid output of plasma proteins until normal concentrations are produced
Liver: Formation of plasma proteins
In chronic liver disease e.g. cirrhosis, plasma proteins may fall to a very low level resulting in which 2 symptoms?
Symptoms: Oedema and ascites
Liver: Transamination to form non-essential amino acids
What are the two steps of this process?
First Step: Synthesis of a keto-acid with the same chemical composition (except at the keto-oxygen) as the amino acid to be formed
Second step: Transfer of the amino radical through several transamination stages from an available amino acid to the keto-acid to take the place of the keto oxygen
Liver: Vitamin Storage
Name 3 vitamins which are stored within the liver
Three vitamins:
- Vit A
- Vit D
- Vit B12
Liver: Vitamin Storage
The storage of the following vitamins can prevent deficiency for how long within the body:
- Vit A
- Vit D
- Vit B12
Vit A: up to 10 months
Vit D: up to 3-4 months
Vit B12: at least 1 year (maybe several)
Liver: Ferritin Store
What protein do the hepatic cells contain that binds reversibly with iron?
What happens when there is excess iron within the body?
What happens when there is low iron within the body?
Contains apoferritin
Excess iron within the body:
- Iron combines with apoferritin to form ferritin
- Stored in the hepatocytes until needed elsewhere
Low iron within the body:
- Ferritin releases the iron
Liver: Ferritin Store
What name is given to the process through which blood iron concentration is regulated?
The apoferritin-ferritin system of the liver
Name 4 coagulation factors produced by the liver
- Fibrinogen
- Prothrombin
- Accelerator globulin
- Factor VII
Which vitamin is required by the liver for the formation of prothrombin and Factors VII, IX and X?
Vitamin K