Hepatobiliary System Flashcards
What supplies the inflow of blood to the liver?
What carries the outflow of blood from the liver?
What is the purpose of blood delivered to the liver by:
Portal vein?
Hepatic artery?
Inflow (blood supply)
- hepatic artery (25%)
- portal vein (75%)
Outflow
- bile
- 3x hepatic veins
Detail the morphological components of the liver and the functional elements
Morphological:
Lobules
Portal triads (tracts)
Functional:
Acinus
Blood flow
Bile flow
Micro morphology of the liver:
What is a hepatic lobule?
What does each corner of a hepatic lobule consist of?
What is in the centre of a liver lobule? What is its function?
There are rows of what within each lobule? What do they each have?
Hepatic lobule:
Hexagonal structural unit of liver tissue
Each corner consists of a portal triad
-links w 3x adjacent lobules
Centre of liver lobule is a central vein
-collects blood from hepatic sinusoids -> hepatic veins -> systemic venous system
Within lobules there are rows of hepatocytes
-each hepatocyte has sinusoid-facing side & bile canaliculi-facing side
Micro morphology:
What are the components of the portal triad?
What are the functions of these components?
What are the functions of hepatocytes?
Portal triad:
Branch of hepatic artery
-brings oxygen rich blood into liver to support hepatocytes during increased energy demands
Branch of portal vein
- mixed venous blood from GIT (nutrients, bacteria & toxins) and spleen (waste products)
- hepatocytes process nutrients, detoxify blood & excrete waste
Bile duct:
Bile produced by hepatocytes drains into bile canaliculi
Coalesce with cholangiocyte-lined bile ducts around lobule perimeter
Micro-function
What is the hepatic acinus?
What does it consist of?
What does it share?
Where do the hepatic acinae extend into
Hepatic acinus:
Functional unit of liver
-hard to define anatomically cf hepatic lobule
Consists of two adjacent 1/6th hepatic lobules:
Share 2x portal triads
Extend into hepatic lobules as far as central vein
Micro function:
What is the three zone model?
What is the relationship between oxygen concentration and toxin risk in the three respective zones?
What does blood drain into hepatic acinus via?
What does blood drain out of the hepatic acinus via?
Point A: blood into hepatic acinus via portal triad (point A)
Point B: blood drains out of hepatic acinus via central vein (point B)
Hepatocytes near outer hepatic lobule (zone 1)
1) receive early exposure to blood contents:
- good components (O2)
- bad components (toxins)
Acinus split into 3x regions
Zone 1 - O2 inc, toxin risk inc
Zone 2 - O2 -> toxin risk ->
Zone 3 - O2 decreases, toxin risk decreases
Liver cell types:
Sinusoidal endothelial cells
Basement membrane?
What type of endothelium?
What is the function of sinusoidal endothelial cells?
Sinusoidal endothelial cells:
No basement membrane
Fenestrated (discontinuous endothelium)
Allow lipids & large molecule movement to and from hepatocytes
Liver cell types:
Kuppfer cells:
What type of sinusoidal cells are they?
What are they attached to?
What function do kuppfer cells carry out?
Kuppfer cells: Sinusoidal macrophage cells Attached to endothelial cells Phagocytosis: -eliminate & detoxify substances arriving in liver from portal circulation
Liver cell types:
Hepatic stellate cells
What state do they exist in?
What do they store in liver cytosolic droplets?
What activates hepatic stellate cells?
What are the functions of hepatic stellate cells?
Hepatic stellate cells:
(Ito;perisinusoidal)
- exist in dormant state
- store vit A in liver cytosolic droplets
- activated (fibroblasts) in response to liver damage
- proliferate, chemotactic & deposit collagen in ECM
Liver cell types:
Hepatocyte:
What percentage of liver mass?
What is the shape of hepatocytes?
What are the functions of hepatocytes?
Hepatocyte:
80% of liver mass
Cubical
Synthesis eg albumin, clotting factors & bile salts
Drug metabolism
Receive nutrients & building blocks from sinusoids
Liver cell types:
What is the function of cholangiocytes?
Cholangiocytes - secrete HCO3- & H2O into bile
Hepatocyte function:
What are the Metabolic & catabolic functions of hepatocytes?
What are the secretory and excretory functions of hepatocytes?
What are the detoxification and immunological functions of hepatocytes?
Metabolic & catabolic functions: synthesis & utilisation of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins
Secretory & excretory functions: synthesis & secretion of proteins, bile and waste products
Detoxification & immunological functions: breakdown of ingested pathogens & processing of drugs
Carbohydrate metabolism:
Define the following:
Glycolysis Glycogenesis Glycogenolysis Gluconeogenesis Lipolysis Lipogenesis
Glycolysis: anaerobic conversion of glucose -> lactate
(RBCs, renal medulla + skeletal muscle)
Aerobic oxidation of glucose (CNS, heart, skeletal muscle, most organs)
Glycogenesis: synthesis of glycogen from glucose (liver + muscles)
Glycogenolysis: breakdown of glycogen to glucose
Gluconeogenesis: production of glucose from non sugar molcecules:
Amino acids (glutamine) in liver and renal cortex
Lactate (anaerobic glycolysis in RBCs and muscles)
Glycerol (from lipolysis)
Lipolysis: breakdown of triacyglycerols-> glycerol & FFAs
Lipogenesis: synthesis of triacylglycerols (storage in fat depots)
Synthesis of non essential amino acids in the liver:
What is transamination and what does it depend on?
What are examples of transamination reactions including alpha keto glutarate, pyruvate and oxaloacetate?
Transamination:
Diff keto acids can be converted into multiple amino acids depending on the transaminase enzyme
Alpha keto glutarate -> glutamate, proline, arginine
Pyruvate -> alanine, valine, leucine
Oxaloacetate -> aspartate, methionine, lysine
Hepatocyte function - protein metabolism:
What is deamination?
What are the problems with using amino acids to produce glucose for energy?
Glucose-alanine cycle - deamination
Problem: muscle can potentially utilise amino acids to produce glucose for energy
BUT:
- To convert pyruvate to glucose requires energy
- To remove nitrogen as urea requires energy
Solution - transfer problem to the liver (glucose-alanine cycle)