Hormones and accessory organs of GIT (berne Ch. 31; guyton Ch. 64) Flashcards
Serves as the first site of processing for most absorbed nutrients
Liver
A metabolic powerhouse, critical for disposing of a variety of metabolic waste products and xenobiotics from the body by converting them to forms that can be excreted
Liver
“Glucose buffer function of the liver”
The liver stores glucose as glycogen at times of glucose excess (such as in the postprandial period) and then releases stored glucose into the bloodstream as it is needed
Protein that determines plasma oncotic pressure
Albumin
What are the levels at which the liver removes and metabolizes/detoxifies substances originating from the portal circulation? (2)
Physical – Blood arriving in the liver percolates among cells of macrophage lineage, known as Kupffer cells
Biochemical – Hepatocytes are endowed with a broad array of enzymes that metabolize and modify both endogenous and exogenous toxins so that the products are, in general, more water soluble and less susceptible to reuptake by the intestine.
What are the two classes of biochemical degradation of substances in the liver?
Phase I reactions (oxidation, hydroxylation, and other reactions catalyzed by cytochrome P-450 enzymes)
phase II reactions that conjugate the resulting products with another molecule, such as glucuronic acid, sulfate, amino acids, or glutathione, to promote their excretion
Key transporters of hepatocytes Name: NTCP Basolateral: Canalicular: Substrate/Function:
Name: NTCP
Basolateral: Yes
Canalicular: No
Substrate/Function: Uptake of conjugated bile acids
Key transporters of hepatocytes Name: OATP Basolateral: Canalicular: Substrate/Function:
Name: OATP
Basolateral: Yes
Canalicular: No
Substrate/Function: Uptake of bile acids and xenobiotics
Key transporters of hepatocytes Name: BSEP Basolateral: Canalicular: Substrate/Function:
Name: BSEP
Basolateral: No
Canalicular: Yes
Substrate/Function: Secretion of conjugated bile acids
Key transporters of hepatocytes Name: MDR3 Basolateral: Canalicular: Substrate/Function:
Name: MDR3
Basolateral: No
Canalicular: Yes
Substrate/Function: Secretion of phosphatidylcholine
Key transporters of hepatocytes Name: MDR1 Basolateral: Canalicular: Substrate/Function:
Name: MDR1
Basolateral: No
Canalicular: Yes
Substrate/Function: Secretion of cationic xenobiotics
Key transporters of hepatocytes Name: ABC5/ABC8 Basolateral: Canalicular: Substrate/Function:
Name: ABC5/ABC8
Basolateral: No
Canalicular: Yes
Substrate/Function: Secretion of cholesterol
Key transporters of hepatocytes Name: cMOAT/MRP2 Basolateral: Canalicular: Substrate/Function:
Name: cMOAT/MRP2
Basolateral: No
Canalicular: Yes
Substrate/Function: Secretion of sulfated lithocholic acid and conjugated bilirubin
Blood flow through the liver can increase considerably without a concomitant increase in pressure. This feature of the liver is due to what structure?
Low-resistance sinusoids
What vessel supplies the sinusoids?
Hepatic artery and portal vein
Hepatic endothelial cells contain specialized openings that are large enough to permit the passage of molecules as big as albumin
Fenestrations
Separating the endothelium from the hepatocytes is a thin connective tissue layer of loose connective tissue called ______
Space of Disse
IN THE CLINIC
If the circulation of the liver, particularly its sinusoids, is compressed by fibrosis, the liver loses its ability to accommodate the increases in blood flow that occurs after a meal without a concomitant increase in pressure. Because of the fenestrations, albumin escapes from the circulation and albumin-rich fl uid weeps from the surface of the liver into the abdominal cavity, where it overwhelms the lymphatic drainage. This condition is known as _______
Ascites
IN THE CLINIC
Infection of the liver with certain viruses or over exposure to toxic substances such as alcohol kills hepatocytes and activates hepatic stellate cells, which synthesize excessive amounts of collagen that result in the histologic appearance of fibrosis. If the insult is chronic, the fibrosis eventually becomes irreversible, a condition known as
Cirrhosis
Cells that serve as storage sites for retinoids and in addition are the source of key growth factors for hepatocytes
Stellate cells
**Under abnormal conditions, stellate cells are activated to synthesize large quantities of collagen, which contributes to the hepatic dysfunction.
Classic columnar epithelial cells that line biliary ductules
Cholangiocytes
In the liver, the apical surface of the hepatocyte occupies only a small fraction of the cell membrane, and the apical membranes of adjacent cells oppose each other to form a channel between the cells known as _______
Canaliculus
The biliary ductules drain into large bile ducts that coalesce into what structure?
Right and left hepatic ducts
Bile can flow into the gallbladder via what duct?
Cystic duct
Bile can flow to t he intestine via what duct?
Common bile duct
Hepatic triad
Hepatic vein, hepatic artery and bile duct