GI/Liver Flashcards
What are the functions of the stomach?
Store and mix food
Dissolve and continue digestion
Regulate emptying into duodenum
Kill microbes
Secrete proteases and intrinsic factor
Activate proteases
Lubrication
Mucosal protection
How much HCl is produced each day in stomach?
Approx 2 litres
How is gastric acid secreted from parietal cells?
CO2 + H2O from cell resp combine with parietal cell cytoplasm catalysed by (carbonic anhydrase) to form H2C03
H2CO3 split into H+ and HCO3-
H+/K+ ATPase (proton pump) pumps H+ out into stomach lumen, K+ into parietal cell
HCO3- goes into blood, Cl- enters parietal cell from blood (exchange)
K+ and Cl- passively flow into gastric lumen across gradient
H+ and Cl- both in lumen and combine to form HCl
How is gastric acid secretion increased (cephalic phase)? (on phase)
Sight of food or chewing
Vagus nerve parasympathetic fibres release acetycholine
ACh acts directly on parietal cells
ACh triggers release of gastrin and histamine (both then act of parietal)
Increased gastric acid
How is gastric acid secretion increased (gastric on phase)?
Stomach distends during eating, presence of peptides/proteins, vagal stimulation
G cells stimulated to release gastrin
Gastrin travels in blood to parietal cells
Binds to CCK receptors on parietal
Increased gastric acid production
How do proteins in the stomach increase gastric acid secretion?
Act as a buffer, takes H+ ions
pH rises
Decreased secretion of somatostatin
More parietal cell activity
How is gastric acid secretion decreased (gastric phase)? (off phase)
Low luminal pH (can reach pH of 2)
Directly inhibits gastric secretion
Inhibits histamine release
Stimulates somatostatin release from D cells which inhibits parietal cell activity
How is gastric acid secretion decreased (intestinal phase)?
Duodenum distends
Low pH from acidic chyme is hypertonic
Duodenum sends signal via enterogastones (secretin and CCK)
Secretion of somatostatin promoted
Signals also go to brain to stop ACh release
Turns stomach off
What are two enterogastrones?
CCK - Cholecystokinin
Secretin (function is to inhibit gastrin and promote somatostatin)
What is an ulcer?
A breach in a mucosal surface
What can cause peptic ulcers?
NSAIDs
Helicobacter pylori (H.pylori) infection
Chemical irritants (alcohol, bile salts etc…)
Gastrinoma
How does the gastric mucosa defend itself?
Tight junctions between epithelial cells to prevent liquid contents getting into underlying tissues
Rapidly replaces damaged cells
Negative feedback loops to regulate acid
Alkaline mucus resists acid attack
How does H.pylori cause peptic ulcers?
It lives in gastric mucus
Secretes urease to make ammonia
Ammonia beomes ammonium which is toxic
Ammonium plus other substances attack
Inflammatory response
Reduced defence
How do NSAIDs cause peptic ulcers?
Inhibit cyclo-oxygenase 1
cox 1 needed to produce prostglandins
Mucus secretion stimulated by prostaglandins
Reduced mucosal defence
How do bile salts cause peptic ulcers?
Regurgitated bile strips away mucus layer
Reduced mucosal defence
How are peptic ulcers treated?
Antibiotics and PPIs for H.pylori
Misoprostol stimulates mucus production for NSAIDs
H2 receptor antagonists, e.g. ranitidine
What are some PPIs?
Omeprazole
Lansoprazole
Esomeprazole
What do chief cells produce?
Pepsinogen
Describe positive feedback loop for pepsin
Chief cell makes pepsinogen
Parietal makes HCl
HCl cleaves pepsinogen into pepsin
Pepsin digests pepsinogen into more pepsin
Conversion of pepsinogen to pepsin must occur at low pH (2)
What is the role of pepsin?
Break down proteins into peptides in gastric lumen with aid of HCl
How is pepsin inhibited?
Raise pH
HCO3-
What is the role of pepsin in protein digestion?
Accelerates but not essential (e.g. if stomach removed)
Breaks down collagen in meat, chemically shred into smaller pieces
Accounts for 20% of protein digestion
What is receptive relaxation in stomach?
Mediated via vagus (parasympathetic nervous system)
Smooth muscle relaxes
Increase stomach volume without pressure in stomach rising
How does gastric motility occur?
Coordinated contractions start in fundus (peristalsis)
Contractions increase in strength as head towards pylorus
Pylorus closes, gastric content forced backwards, mixing it
Little chyme enters duodenum
What determines peristalsis?
Pacemaker cells, interstitial cells of cajal
3 contractions per minute
Slowly depolarising and repolarising
No significant contraction on empty stomach
What can increase peristalsis strength?
Gastrin increases gastric peristalsis (gastrin triggered by stretch and vagus)
What can decrease peristalsis strength?
Increase in luminal fat
Increase in osmolarity
Decreased luminal pH
Increased sympathetic NS/ decreased parasympathetic
What can overfilling of the duodenum by a hypertonic solution cause?
Dumping syndrome (vomiting, bloating, cramps, weakness, dizziness etc…)
Can happen in diabetes mellitus/ surgery
How is gastric emptying regulated?
Enterogastrones
Neural receptors
Same as acid secretion
What is gastroparesis?
Delayed gastric emptying
Has many causes (female, MS, Parkinson’s, abdominal surgery, neuropathy)
What are the functions of saliva?
Lubricant for mastication, swallowing and speech
Oral hygiene (wash, immunity, buffer)
Digestive enzyme
Remineralisation ( through calcium and phosphate)
What is the normal pH for saliva?
7.2
ranges 6.2-7.4
bicarbonate/carbonate buffer for acid neutralisation
What is the flow rate and daily amount of saliva produced?
0.3-7ml per minute- flow
800-1500ml a day in adults
What do the parotid glands produce?
Serous saliva
What do the submandibular and sublingual glands produce?
Both serous and mucus saliva
What is serous secretion in saliva?
More watery
Contains alpha amylase
Digestion of starch
What is mucus secretion in saliva?
Mucins for lubrication of mucosal surfaces
What do the minor glands produce?
Mucus saliva (mainly)
What can affect the composition and amount of saliva produced?
Flow rate
Circadian rhythms
Type and size of gland
Duration and type of stimulus
Diet
Pharmaceutical drugs
Age
Gender
What is saliva?
Secretion of proteins and glycoproteins in a buffered electrolyte solution
How is the oral cavity defended?
Mucosa (physical barrier)
Palatine tonsils
Salivary glands (washes away food particles bacteria or viruses may use for metabolic support)
What are the different salivary glands
Submandibular
Sublingual
Minor
Parotid - only one that’s not continuously active, only when stimulated
What makes up unstimulated saliva?
Submandibular (and others, not parotid) components
What makes up stimulate saliva?
Parotid secretions
What is the structure of salivary glands?
Acinar cells make saliva
Ducts carry salvia out of glands into mouth
Channels and transporters in apical and basolateral membrane
Describe histology of serous acini
Dark staining, tightly packed
Nucleus in base third of cell
Small central duct
Secrete water and alpha amylase
In parotid gland
Describe the histology of mucus acini?
Pale staining
Nucleus at base of cell
Large central duct
Secrete mucus (water and glycoproteins)
Describe the structure of the ducts in salivary glands
Intralobular ducts (intercalated and striated)
- intercalated: short, narrow duct with cuboidal cells connect acini to striated
- striated: major site for reabsorption of NaCl, appear at basal end
Main excretory duct
What is primary saliva like?
NaCl rich
Isotonic
Secreted by acini
What do ducts in salivary glands secrete and reabsorb?
Secrete K+ and HCO3-
Reabsorb Na+ and Cl-
Doesn’t allow water movement so final saliva hypotonic
Why is the final saliva produced hypotonic?
Epithelium of ducts don’t allow any water movement so final saliva becomes hypotonic
Ions still absorbed
How is saliva production distributed?
Minor glands produce 20%
SMG, SLG and parotid produce 80%
What does xerostomia mean?
Dry mouth
Describe briefly the pathway glucose takes from intestine to where it is needed
Glucose absorbed from intestine into bloodstream
Travels in bloodstream to liver
Distributed to muscles, RBCs, brain, adipocytes
How is glucose stored in the liver?
Glucose molecules joined together to form glycogen
Facilitated by insulin
Glucose also feeds into acetyl CoA which goes on to Krebs (if excess, acetyl CoA can also produced triglycerides, which then become VLDLs)
What is glycogen?
Storage form of glucose in the liver
Role of insulin
Promotes the uptake of glucose from bloodstream to cells
Facilitates glucose to glycogen
What happens to glucose in muscles?
Glucose from bloodstream is stored in muscle as glycogen
Facilitated by insulin
What happens to glucose in the brain?
Glucose from bloodstream goes to acetyl CoA in the brain
Enters Krebs and ATP is formed
What happens to glucose in the RBCs?
Glucose converted into pyruvate (no Krebs because no mitochondria in RBCs)
Pyruvate can become source of energy or lactate
What happens to glucose at adipocytes?
Glucose stored in triglycerides or used to produce ATP
Promoted by insulin
What can happen to amino acids after being absorbed into bloodstream?
Form protein
Can form other compounds, e.g. peptide hormones, carrier proteins
Can feed into Krebs
What can happen to triglycerides after digestion?
Join with proteins (form chylomicrons, VLDLs etc…) to be transported in bloodstream
Chylomicrons enter lymphatic system
Where is excess energy stored?
Triglycerides stored in adipose tissue
Glycogen stored in liver and muscle
What happens during a short fast (e.g. overnight)
Glycogen broken back into glucose
Liver releases glucose back into bloodstream (promoted by glucagon)
This is called glycogenolysis
What happens during a long fast? (e.g. days)
Glycogen stores used up by now
Break down AAs from muscles
RBCs release lactate which can be used as energy
Triglycerides broken down into glycerol
All go to liver and gluconeogenesis takes place
What is gluconeogenesis?
Making glucose from the body’s own breakdown products or from the breakdown products of lipids or proteins
When glucose not available from eating
What happens to stored fats during fasting?
Triglycerides broken down into glycerol and fatty acids
Glycerol goes to liver and can be used to make glucose
FAs used as energy source by kidneys and muscle
FAs can also become ketones in the liver (lipolysis, promoted by glucagon)
What happens to stored fats during fasting?
Triglycerides broken down into glycerol and fatty acids
Glycerol goes to liver and can be used to make glucose
FAs used as energy source by kidneys and muscle
FAs can also become ketones in the liver (lipolysis, promoted by glucagon)
What does glucagon promote?
Breakdown of glycogen to glucose
Breakdown of fatty acids to ketones
What happens during prolonged fasting?
Muscles use fatty acids as form of energy
Ketogenesis
Ketones released into bloodstream and can be used by the brain for energy
Decreased use of glucose as ketones used instead means more glucose available for RBCs
What is ketogenesis?
Producing ketone bodies by breaking down fatty acids and ketogenic amino acids.
How is the pancreas endocrine and exocrine?
Releases hormones (insulin and glucagon) and digestive enzymes
What does insulin promote?
Glycogen storage
Fat storage
Protein synthesis
Which out of glucagon and insulin are anabolic/catabolic?
Insulin is anabolic
Glucagon is catabolic
What is leptin and what does it cause?
Peptide hormone
Released by adipocytes
Stimulates the inhibitory neurones and inhibits the excitatory neurones in the arcuate nucleus to cause suppression of appetite
What is ghrelin and what does it cause?
Ghrelin is a peptide hormone
Produced in the pancreas and released from the stomach wall when the stomach is empty
Stimulates the excitatory primary neurones stimulates appetite
When stomach is full, ghrelin release is inhibited, appetite stimulus is also inhibited.
How can iron be lost?
Menstruation/ other blood loss
Desquamation
Sloughed mucosal cells
(about 1-2mg lost per day)
Describe the pathway iron takes from diet
1-2mg per day in diet
Absorbed into plasma and transported via transferrin
Deposited in muscle to create myoglobin, bone marrow to make RBCs, stored in liver and reticuloendothelia cells
Describe the structure of ferritin
Large spherical protein consisting of 24 noncovalently linked subunits.
Subunits form a shell surrounding a central core.
Core contains up to 5000 atoms of iron.
Where is ferritin found?
Cytoplasm (particularly of liver and reticuloendothelial cells)
Serum
What is the concentration of ferritin in serum directly proportional to?
Total iron stores in body
What can cause excess ferritin due to excess iron storage?
Hereditary haemochromatosis
Haemolytic anaemia
Sideroblastic anaemia
Multiple blood transfusions
Iron replacement therapy
What can cause excess ferritin (not from excess iron)?
Liver disease
Some malignancies
Significant tissue destruction
Acute phase response:
- Inflammation
- Infection
- Autoimmune disorders
What can cause ferritin deficiency and what are the levels?
The only known cause of a low ferritin is iron deficiency
Ferritin less than 20 µg/L indicates depletion
Ferritin less than 12 µg/L suggests a complete absence of stored iron
What are some of the roles of vitamins?
Gene activation
Free radical scavenging
Coenzymes/cofactors in metabolic reactions
List the water soluble vitamins
Vitamins B and C
List the fat soluble vitamins
Vitamins A, D, E and K
What is the function of vitamin A (retinoids) and where does it come from?
Used to form rhodopsin in the rod cells in the retina.
Reproduction: Spermatogenesis in males, prevention of foetal resorption of female
Growth
Stabilisation of cellular membranes
Ingested directly from meat, dairy, egg or produced from carotene in fruit and veg
What is the recommended daily requirement for vit A?
0.6 mg/day in men, 0.7 mg/day in women
What can cause vitamin A deficiency and how does it clinically present?
Drop only when liver stores are very depleted, rare in Western countries
Deficiency may occur due to fat malabsorption
Clinical Features:
- Night blindness
- Xeropthalmia
- Blindness
Clinical features of acute vit A excess
Abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting
Severe headaches, dizziness, sluggishness and irritability
Desquamation of the skin
Clinical features of chronic vit A excess
Joint and bone pain
Hair loss, dryness of the lips
Anorexia
Weight loss and hepatomegaly
What are the functions of vit D and how is it obtained?
Absorption of calcium from intestines
Resorption and formation of bone
Reduced renal excretion of calcium
From sunlight: 7-dehydrocholesterol created and converted into vit D3
Vit D3 from meat and fish, D2 from supplements
What can vit D deficiency cause?
Demineralisation of bone:
Rickets in children
Osteomalacia in adults
How does vitamin D become active?
Vitamin D3 and D2 obtained and travel to liver
Liver converts to 25-hydroxyvitamin D3
Kidneys then convert to 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin d3 which is active form
Where is vitamin E stored and what is its role?
Liver
Plasma
Adipose cells (fixed pool, only used in extreme circumstances)
Role as an antioxidant
What food is vit E in?
Nuts and seeds
Wheatgerm
Plant oils
What is recommended vit E requirements per day?
4 mg/day in men
3 mg/day in women
What can cause vitamin E deficiency?
Fat malabsorption (e.g. cystic fibrosis)
Premature infants
Rare congenital defects in fat metabolism e.g. abetalipoproteinaemia.
What are the clinical manifestations of vit E deficiency?
Haemolytic anaemia
Myopathy
Retinopathy
Ataxia
Neuropathy
Where is vitamin K in the body?
Rapidly taken up by the liver
Then is transferred to VLDL and LDLs which carry it into the plasma
What is the function of vitamin K?
Responsible for the activation of some blood clotting factors
Necessary for liver synthesis of plasma clotting factors II, VII, IX and X.
Can be assessed by measuring prothrombin time
What are some sources of vitamin K?
Vitamin K1 (phylloquinone): Synthesized by plants and present in food
Vitamin K2 (menaquinone): Synthesized in humans by intestinal bacteria
Synthetic vitamin K’s:
- K3 (menadione)
- K4 (menadiol)
What can vitamin K deficiency lead to?
Haemorrhagic disease of the newborn: Vitamin K injection given to newborn babies to prevent
Rare in adults, unless on warfarin.
What can vitamin K excess lead to?
K1 is relatively safe
Synthetic forms are more toxic
Can result in oxidative damage, red cell fragility and formation of methaemoglobin.
What is the recommended daily intake of vitamin C?
Adults need 40 mg/day
What are the functions of vitamin C and where can it be found?
Collagen synthesis
Antioxidant
Iron absorption
Found in fresh fruit and veg
What can vitamin C deficiency cause?
Scurvy
- Easy bruising and bleeding
- Teeth and gum disease
- Hair loss
Easily treated by giving vitamin C
What are the 2 active forms of B12?
Methylcobalamin
5-deoxyadenosylcobalamin
What happens to B12 in the body?
Released from food by acid and enzymes in the stomach
Binds to R protein to protect it from stomach acid
Released from R proteins by pancreatic polypeptide.
Intrinsic factor (IF) produced by the stomach needed for absorption.
IF-B12 complex absorbed in the terminal ileum.
B12 is stored in the liver.
What food does B12 come from?
Meat
Fish
Dairy
Eggs
What can cause B12 deficiency?
Pernicious anaemia – autoimmune destruction of IF-producing cells in stomach.
Malabsorption – lack of stomach acid, pancreatic disease, small bowel disease.
Veganism
What are the clinical manifestations of B12 deficiency?
Macrocytic anaemia
Peripheral neuropathy in prolonged deficiency
What are the functions of folate?
Functions as a coenzyme in methylation reactions, DNA synthesis, synthesis of methionine from homocysteine
What is folate found in?
foods fortified with folic acid
When would someone need more folate?
Pregnancy
What can cause folate deficiency?
Malabsorption
Drugs that interfere with folic acid metabolism (anticonvulsants, methotrexate)
Disease states that increase cell turnover (e.g. leukaemia, haemolytic anaemia, psoriasis
Clinical manifestations of folate deficiency
High homocysteine levels
Macrocytic anaemia
Foetal development abnormalities (neural tube defects)
How is the extrinsic clotting pathway activated?
FVII coming in contact with tissue factor.
How is the intrinsic clotting pathway activated?
Exposed endothelial collagen
Which clotting factors are produced in the liver?
I (fibrinogen)
II (prothrobim)
IV
V
VI
VII
How can performance of clotting pathways be measured?
Prothrombin time (PT) (extrinsic pathway)
International normalised ratio (INR)
Activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) (intrinsic pathway)
What may a prolonged PT suggest?
deficiency in the synthetic capacity of the liver
can have other causes, e.g. warfarin, vit K, GI bleeding