Histology of Liver, Exocrine Pancreas and Gall Bladder Flashcards
Label
The ____________ serves as the point of entry into the liver for the hepatic arteries and the portal vein, and the exit point for the hepatic ducts.
porta hepatis
The whole surface of the liver except for the _________, is covered in a serous coat derived from the peritoneum, and this firmly adheres to the inner Glisson’s capsule.
bare area
Glisson’s capsule
A layer of connective tissue surrounding the liver and ensheathing the hepatic artery, portal vein and bile ducts within the liver.
At rest the liver normally receives about _______ of cardiac output.
25%
NOTE: The liver is unique amoung abdominal organs in having a dual blood supply, from the hepatic arteries and hepatic veins.
What are the two blood supplies of the liver?
- Portal artery
- 20-30%
- Supplies oxygen rich blood
- Portal vein
- 70-80%
- Supplies nutrient rich blood from the digestive tract
NOTE: The portal blood also contains breakdown products of hemoglobin from the spleen.
Where does blood from the head of the pancreas drain?
Superior mesenteric vein
NOTE: The tail of the pancreas drains into the splenic vein
What are the components of the portal triad?
- Branches of the hepatic artery and vein
- One or two bile ductules
- Lymphatic vessels
- Branch of vagus nerve
Explain the blood flow from the portal triads to the inferior vena cava.
Portal triads->central vein->sublobar vein->collecting vein->hepatic veins-> inferior vena cava
Label
Label
What are the 3 functional units of the liver? What’s the function of each?
-
Classic Hepatic Lobule
- Drains blood from the portal vein and the hepatic artery to the hepatic or the central vein
-
Portal Lobule
- Drains bile from hepatocytes to the bile duct
-
Hepatic Acinus
- Supplies oxygenated blood to hepatocytes
NOTE: The hepatic acinus is the most funtional way to conceptualize the liver lobule based on blood flow.
What are the 3 metabolic zones of the hepatic acinus?
Zone I
- Least oxygenated
Zone II
Zone III
- Most oxygenated
Label
Label
Central veins coalesce into __________.
Hepatic veins
*Which leave the liver and empty into the vena cava
Purpose of the liver sinusoid
A liver sinusoid is a type of a capillary similar to a fenestrated capillary and serves as a location for mixing of oxygen rich blood from the hepatic artery and the nutrient rich blood from the portal vein
How does the liver sinusoids differ from other capillaries?
- Larger
- Lining of specialized endothelial cells, known as liver sinusoidal cells (LSEC)
Basolateral surface of the hepatocyte faces ______, and apical surfaces face ___________.
Sinusoids; bile canaliculi
Label
Label
Characteristics of the nucleus of hepatocytes
- Prominent nucleolus
- Dispersed chromatin
- Polyploidy
Characteristics of the cytoplasm of hepatocytes
- Glycogen lacey appearance
- Fat spherical vacuoles
- Ribosomes and RER basophilia
- Mitochondira- eosinophilic
- Lysosomes
- Golgi complex
- Peroxisomes
Label
Most of the glucose absorbed from a meal is stored as _________ in the liver.
Glycogen (5-6% of the liver’s fresh weight)
NOTE: Glucose is also stored in muscles
Blood glucose enters hepatocytes via which transporter?
GLUT2