Excretion Flashcards
Excretion
The removal of metabolic waste from the body
What products must be excreted
-Carbon Dioxide from respiration
-Nitrogen-containing compounds such as urea (nitrogenous waste)
-Other compounds, such as bile pigments found in the faeces
Why must products be excreted
So they do not build up and inhibit enzyme activity and become toxic
Difference between excretion and egestion
Egestion - the elimination of faeces from the body. Faeces are the undigested remains of food and not metabolic products
What are the main organs involved in excretion
-Lungs
-Liver
-Kidney
-Ureter
-Bladder
-Urethra
- (Skin)
The skins involvement in excretion (also homeostasis)
Sweat contains a range of substances including salts, urea, water, uric acid, and ammonia
-Loss of water and salts important in homeostasis - maintains body temperature and water potential of the blood
What happens if CO2 and ammonia build up
Toxic
-Interfere with cell processes by altering the pH so normal metabolism is prevented
Formation of Hydrogen-carbonate ions for CO2 transport
1) CO2+H20= Carbonic acid (catalysed by carbonic anhydrase)
2) Carbonic acid - hydrogen and hydrogen carbonate ions
3) Hydrogen-carbonate ions then diffuse out and chloride ions diffuse in (Chloride shift)
How do the hydrogen ions affect the RBC
Affects pH of cytoplasm
-Hydrogen ions affect bonds within haemoglobin changing its shape (buffer)
-Reduces affinity for O2
What happens to the haemoglobin once its affinity for O2 has been reduced
Hydrogen ions bind forming haemoglobinic acid
What happens to the CO2 that is not converted to hydrogencarbonate ions
Combine directly with haemoglobin forming carbaminohaemoglobin
What are both carbaminohaemoglobin and haemoglobinic acid unable to do
Bind with oxygen
-Reduces oxygen transport further
Why must the pH of the blood plasma be maintained
Could alter the structure of many proteins in the blood that help to transport a wide range of substances around the body
-proteins in blood acts as buffer (haemoglobin)
What happens if the change in blood pH is small
Extra hydrogen ions are detected by the respiratory center in the medulla oblongata in the brain
-Causes an increase in breathing rate to help remove excess Co2
What would happen if pH drops below 7.35
Cause headaches, restlessness, drowsiness, tremor and confusion
-Rapid heart rate and change in blood pressure
What is the condition called when your blood pH drops below 7.35
Respiratory acidosis
What is respiratory acidosis caused by
Diseases or conditions that affect the lungs themselves i.e. emphysema, chronic Bronchitis, asthma, severe pneumonia
What can acute respiratory acidosis be caused by
Blocking of airways due to swelling/ foreign object/ vomit
Why would it be wasteful to excrete amino acids
Contain as much energy as carbohydrates
-Wasteful to simply excrete
What happens to amino acids
Transported to the liver where the toxic amino group is removed (deamination)
The amino group forms Ammonia (highly toxic and soluble) converted to Urea ( less toxic and insoluble)
Why is it important that urea is insoluble
So it doesn’t disrupt the WP of the cell
Where does urea go to after it has been made
The kidney for excretion
What happens to the remaining keto acid from ammonia
-used directly in respiration to release its energy
-Converted to a carbohydrate or a fat for storage
Deamination equation
Amino acid + O2 = Keto acid + Ammonia
Formation of urea equation
Ammonia + CO2 = Urea + water
Why are people who take statins advised not to drink grapefruit juice
Some components of grapefruit juice bind to enzymes that break down statins in the liver
-Inhibits enzymes and leads to increased concentrations of statins in the body
What does the internal structure of the liver ensure
That as much blood as possible flows past the hepatocytes
-Enables to remove excess waste/ unwanted substances
What are the two sources that supply the liver
The hepatic artery
The hepatic portal vein
The hepatic artery
Oxygenated blood travels from aorta to the hepatic artery into the liver
-Supplies O2 for aerobic respiration
-Liver cells active as carry out many metabolic processes = need ATP
The hepatic portal vein
Deoxygenated blood from the digestive system enters the liver through the hepatic portal vein
-Rich in products of digestion so uncontrolled concentrations
-May contain toxic compounds that have been absorbed into the blood at S. Intestine
-Concentrations need to be adjusted before circulate the body
What vein does blood leave the liver
The hepatic vein
-Re-joins the Vena cava and blood returns to the bodys normal circulation
Bile duct
A fourth vessel connected to the liver
Bile secretion from liver with functions in digestion and excretion
-Carries bile from the liver to gall bladder until needed to aid the digestion of fats in the S.Intestine
What does bile also contain that is used in egestion
Bile pigments - Bilirubin
What is the liver divided into
Lobes which are further divided into lobules - cylindrical
What do the hepatic portal vein / hepatic artery as they enter the liver
Split into interlobular vessels
- Vessels run parallel and between the lobules
What happens at intervals to the hepatic portal vein / hepatic artery in the liver
Enter the lobules
-Blood is mixed and passes through a special chamber called a sinusoid
Sinusoid importance
Lined with hepatocytes
-As blood passes through it is within close contact
-Cells can remove/ return substances to blood at correct concentrations
What moves about in the sinusoids
Specialised macrophages called Kupffer cells
Kupffer cell functions
Breakdown and recycle old RBC
-One of the products of haemoglobin breakdown is bilirubin
Bilirubin
Product of haemoglobin breakdown
Bile pigment excreted as part of the bile - leaves body in egestion
Where is bile made and released
Made in the liver cells and released into bile canaliculi
-Bile canaliculi join together to form the bile duct
What happens when blood reaches the end of the sinusoid
The concentrations of many of its components have been modified and regulated
-At the center of each lobule is the intra-lobular vessel which all the sinusoids empty into
-Intralobular vessels join together to form the hepatic vein
Liver cell specialisations
Has a dense cytoplasm with specialised in the number of organelles to carry out many metabolic functions:
-protein synthesis
- transformation and storage of carbohydrates
- Synthesis of cholesterol and bile salts
- Detoxification
Functions of the liver
-Control of blood glucose levels, amino acid levels, lipid levels
-Synthesis of bile, plasma proteins, cholesterol
-Synthesis of RBC in the foetus
-Storage of vitamins A/B/B12/iron/glycogen
-Detoxification of alcohol, drugs
-breakdown of hormones
-Destruction of RBC
Storage of glycogen
Stores sugars in the form of glycogen makes up 8% of the fresh weight of the liver
-Glycogen forms granules in cytoplasm of hepatocytes
-Broken down t release glucose as required
Where do toxic substances in the blood come from
Produced in the body - hydrogen peroxide
Consumed in our diet - alcohol
How can toxins be rendered harmless
Oxidation/ reduction/ methylation/ combination with another molecule/ enzymes
Enzyme e.g. in liver that breaks down toxins
Catalase
Cytochrome p450
Catalase
Hydrogen peroxide = water+ oxygen
-high turn over rate
Cytochrome p450
Group of enzymes that break down drugs - cocaine + various medicinal drugs
- Important also in electron transport in respiration
-Role in metabolizing drugs can interfere with other metabolic roles and may cause unwanted side effects
Why do some people have side effects from p450 enzymes when they take drugs whereas others do not
p450 show lots of variation between individuals
-As they break down medicinal drugs different types of products are made
Alcohol/ ethanol
Drug that depresses nerve activity
-Contains chemical potential energy used in respiration
Alcohol breakdown
1) Ethanol - ethanal (ethanol dehydrogenase)
2) Ethanal - ethanoate/ acetate (ethanal dehydrogenase)
3) Acetate + CoA = Acetyl coenzyme A
4) Enters aerobic respiration
5) NAD becomes reduced twice
What is the problem with NAD being reduced in alcohol breakdown
-Also required to oxidize/ breakdown fatty acids in respiration
-If the liver has to detoxify to much uses up stored NAD and has insufficient left to deal with the fatty acids
-Fatty acids - lipids and stored as fat in liver causing it to become enlarged
What is an enlarged liver called
Fatty liver - leads to alcohol-related hepatitis / cirrhosis
Treatment of amino acids consist of two processes
-Deamination
-Ornithine cycle
Deamination
Removes amino group to produce ammonia and organic compound - Keto acid
- Keto group - directly enters respiration to release energy
The ornithine cycle
1) Ammonia + CO2 combine with the amino acid ornithine = citrulline + H20
2) Citrulline + ammonia = arginine + H20
3) Arginine reconverted to ornithine by the removal of urea and water
Where are the kidneys positioned
On each side of the spine below the lowest rib
Role of kidney
Remove waste products from the blood and produce urine
Different parts of a Kidney structure
-Nephron tubule
-Capsule
-Cortex
-Medulla
-Renal vein
-Renal artery
-Pelvis
-Ureter
Nephron
The functional unit of the kidney
Journey of the Nephron
Starts in the cortex at the Bowman’s capsule and then forms a loop down in the medulla and back to the cortex before joining a collecting duct that passes back down into the medulla