Hepatic Physiology

Question 1

Where do the vessels and bile system enter the liver?

Answer 1

Portal Hepatis

Question 2

What surrounds the liver that is innervated by the intercostal nerves?

Answer 2

Glisson’s capsule

Question 3

What is the liver made up of?

Answer 3

Parenchymal tissue

Vasculature

Bililary system

Connective tissue

Question 4

What separates the hepatic plates?

Answer 4

Sinusoids

Question 5

What is the space between the fenstrated endothelium and the hepatocytes that allows effective interaction with the blood?

Answer 5

Space of Disse

Question 6

What are the cells nearest the hepatic portal in the acinus of the liver called?

Answer 6

Periportal

Question 7

What are the cells nearest the central lobular vein called in the acinus of the liver?

Answer 7

Perivenous

Question 8

What are bile salts?

Answer 8

Bile Acids + Amino acids

Taurine

Glycine

3:1 Glycine

Question 9

What amino acids are used to make bile salts?

Answer 9

Glycine

Taurine

Question 10

What is an important bile salt produced that aids in the break down of fat?

Answer 10

Taurocholic

Question 11

The majority of bile acids are reabsorbed, what is this process called?

Answer 11

Enterohepatic circulation

Question 12

What does bile consist of?

Answer 12

H2O

Bile Salts

Bilirubin

Cholesterol

Phosolipids

Question 13

What are the phases of drug metabolism?

Answer 13

Phase I - Oxidation, Reduction, Hydrolysis

Phase II - Conjugation - Gluronic acid

Question 14

What is the enzyme responsible for conjugating bilirubin?

Answer 14

UDP Glucoronyl transferase

Question 15

Whats the system that breaks down old RBCs and how much does it contribute to iron levels in circulation in the blood?

Answer 15

Reticulo- endothelium system

50mg daily. More so than absorption of iron from intestines

Question 16

What ligament used to be the umbilical vein?

Answer 16

Ligamentum teres

Question 17

When Fe2+ enters the RBCs it can be transported to the mitochondria to produce Heme, what is the enzyme that does this?

Answer 17

Delta - Aminolevulinate Synthase

Question 18

What is the cells in the liver that usually store Vitamin A?

Answer 18

Stellate cells / Perisinusoidal cells

Question 19

What is the enzyme responsible for the formation of bile acids from cholesterol?

Answer 19

7 - alpha hydroxylase

Question 20

In enterohepatic circulation, what percentage of bile salts are produced by the liver and where does the majority of re absorption occur of the secreted salts?

Answer 20

10%

Ilium

Question 21

Where does the microsomal ethanol oxidising system take place in?

Answer 21

Smooth endoplasmic reticulum in hepatocytes

Question 22

In the acinus, which zone does the urea cycle take place in?

Answer 22

Zone 1

Question 23

What is the main fibres that make up the structure of the liver and what is the collagen type in them?

Answer 23

Reticulun fibres.

Type 3 and 1

Question 24

What is the first zone to become damaged due to alcohol use?

Answer 24

Zone 3

Question 25

What are the vessels that line the liver lobules?

Answer 25

Portal triad

Question 26

What makes up the portal triad?

Answer 26

Hepatic arteriole: off the hepatic artery

Terminal portal vein: off the portal vein

Bile duct - receiving bile from the bile caniculi to drain into the gall bladder

Question 27

What type of epithelium do hepatocytes have?

Answer 27

Cuboidal with microvilli

Question 28

Does the periportal system contain valves? how is this significant?

Answer 28

It contains no valves

this leads to many of the shunting areas that go on, namely the enlarged spleen.

Question 29

Why does alcohol cause macrocystic anaemia?

Answer 29

Alcohol suppresses bone marrow production of RBCs

Folate/ Folic acid deficiency