hepatobilliary system Flashcards
- Which structure is the remenant of the umbilical vein of the foetus?
- Briefly outline the outflow and inflow of the liver
Ligamentum Teres
Inflow- Hepatic artery (25%), Portal vein (75%)
Outflow- Bile and 3x hepatic veins
- What is the purpose of blood delivered to the liver by the Portal Vein?
Contains all of the products of digestion absorbed from the GI tract
So all useful and non-useful products are processed in the liver before being released back into the hepatic veins which join the Inferior Vena Cava or stored in the liver for later use
- What is the purpose of blood delivered to the liver by the Hepatic Artery?
Delivers oxygenated blood from the general circulation
- What parts of the liver does the middle hepatic vein separate?
- How many hepatic segments are there?
Anterior segment of right hepatic lobe from the medial segment of the left hepatic lobe.
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- List the micro-morphological and functional components of the liver.
Morphological - Lobules + Portal triads
Functional - Acinus, blood and bile flow
- What shape is a hepatic lobule and describe the structure of 1 hepatic lobule?
Hexagon - Each corner consists of a portal triad which links with 3 adjacent lobules.
- What does a portal triad consist of? What is the function of each constituent?
Branch of hepatic artery - Brings O2-rich blood into liver to support hepatocytes increased energy demands.
Branch of portal vein - Mixed venous blood from GIT (nutrients, bacteria and toxins) and spleen (waste products). Hepatocytes process nutrients, detoxify blood and excrete waste. Bile Duct - Bile drains into bile canaliculi and then coalesce with cholangiocyte-lined bile-ducts around lobule perimeter.
- What type of cell are bile-ducts lined by and what is the function of this cell type?
Cholangiocyte
Modification of hepatic canalicular bile as it is transported along the biliary tree
- Through what vessels does blood flow through to get from the central vein to the right, left or middle hepatic veins?
Central → Intralobular → Interlobular → Right, Middle or Left Hepatic Veins
- What is the functional unit of the liver (in terms of micro-function) and what does it consist of?
Hepatic acinus
Consists of 2 adjacent 1/6th hepatic lobules sharing 2 portal triads. They extend into hepatic lobules as far as the central vein.
- At what point does blood drain out of the hepatic acinus?
- Which zones in the model below receives the most oxygen?
- Which zone has the lowest toxin risk?
central vein
Zone 1 (in the centre on the edges of the lobule) : Highest oxygen concentration (also highest toxin risk) Zone 3 (on the outskirts in centre of the lobule) : Lowest toxin risk (also lowest oxygen concentration)
- Do sinusoidal endothelial cells have a basement membrane?
- Describe the structure of their endothelium and how does this adapt the endothelium to its structure
No
Discontinuous, fenestrated endothelium
Allows lipids and large molecule movement to and from hepatocytes
- What is the difference between a bile canaliculus and a bile duct?
Bile canaliculi are thin tubes that collect bile secreted by hepatocytes and they empty into a series of progressively larger bile ductules and ducts that eventually become the common hepatic duct
- What are Kuppfer cells and what are their functions?
Sinusoidal macrophage cells attached to endothelial cells
Phagocytosis; they eliminate and detoxify substances arriving in liver from portal circulation
- What is another name for ito or perisinusoidal cells? List all the functions of these cells
Hepatic stellate cells
Store vitamin A in liver cytosolic droplets
Activated in response to liver damage Deposit collagen in the ECM
- What does a cholangiocyte secrete into bile?
HCO3- and H20
- Summarise the main hepatocyte functions
Metabolic and catabolic functions - make + use carbohydrates, lipids and proteins
Secretory and excretory functions - Synthesis and secretion of proteins, bile and waste products Detoxification and immunological functions - breakdown of ingested pathogens and processing of drugs
- List 3 non-sugar molecules that can be used to produce glucose via gluconeogenesis
Amino acids (from liver and renal cortex)
Lactate (from anaerobic glycolysis in RBCs and muscles) Glycerol (lipolysis)
- Outline the reactions of the Cori Cycle
Lactate produced via anaerobic glycolysis in a muscle cell (myocyte) is transported to the liver and is converted to pyruvate via lactate dehydrogenase
Pyruvate then converted to glucose via gluconeogenesis, using 6 ATP in the process. Glucose is transported to muscle cell Glucose via glycolysis to pyruvate → lactate in muscle cells and the cycle starts over again
- Where do amino acids undergo protein synthesis and what are some examples of the proteins that are produced?
Liver
Plasma proteins, Clotting factors and Lipoproteins
- Briefly explain what transamination is using alanine and alpha-keto glutarate as an example
Keto-acids can be converted into multiple amino acids depending on the specific transaminase enzyme responsible for conversion
This will occur in the liver Alanine + alpha-keto glutarate → Glutamate + Pyruvate
- How are fatty acids from triglyceride breakdown converted into acetyl CoA?
Beta-oxidation