Homeostasis Flashcards
What are the main metabolic waste products in mammals?
- Carbon dioxide
- Nitrogenous waste
- Bile pigments
How are bile pigments formed?
Breakdown of haemoglobin from old red blood cells in the liver.
What colours the faeces?
Bile pigments
How is nitrogenous waste formed?
Breakdown of excess amino acids by the liver.
How is oxygenated blood supplied to the liver?
Hepatic artery
How is deoxygenated blood returned to the heart from the liver?
Hepatic vein
What is the role of the hepatic portal vein?
Supplies blood to the liver loaded with the products of digestion from the intestines.
What are the features of hepatocytes?
Large nuclei
Prominent Golgi apparatus
Lots of mitochondria
What happens in sinusoids?
Blood from the hepatic artery and hepatic vein mix.
What surrounds sinusoids?
Hepatocytes
What is the purpose of mixing of the blood in the sinusoids?
Increases oxygen content of blood from the hepatic portal vein so the hepatocytes have enough oxygen.
What is the purpose of the Kupffer cells in the sinusoids?
Ingest foreign particles.
Help protect against disease.
What do hepatocytes secrete?
Bile
Why do hepatocytes secrete bile?
Secrete bile into canaliculi and from these the bile drains into bile ducts which take it to the gall bladder.
Where does detoxification happen?
Liver
What is transamination?
Conversion of one amino acid into another.