Liver Flashcards
The liver is a very useful organ(so you probably want to not destroy it with all of that alcohol). What 8 functions does it serve?
- Makes most proteins(especially albumin) 2. Makes most coagulation factors 3. Makes fuel(glucose, glycogen, lipoproteins) 4. Makes cholesterol(for membranes and hormones) 5. Makes things to eliminate(urea and bilirubin) 6. Processes RBC’s and hemoglobin 7. Detoxifies endogenous and exogenous chemicals and exogenous drugs 8. Filters bacteria from portal blood
What can serum/plasma chemistry tests determine in regards to the liver?
Hepatic Damage, Decreased hepatic function
What are 2 ways the liver can be damaged?
Hepatocellular injury(leakage enzymes), Cholestasis(induced enzymes)
What 2 tests show decreased liver function?
Synthetic function tests(albumin), Excretory function tests(bilirubin)
What are two induced enzymes for the liver?
ALP, GGT
What are direct tests that can show liver function?
Bile Acids, Ammonia
What are indirect tests that can show liver function?
Total bilirubin, Albumin, Glucose, BUN, Cholestasis, Coagulation factors
What liver leakage enzyme is not used in ruminants, horses, or swine?
ALT
Where does ALT come from?
Hepatocytes and skeletal muscle in dogs and cats
What is the clinical application of ALT?
very sensitive and specific for hepatocellular injury in dogs and cats
What type of enzyme is AST?
Leakage
Where does AST come from?
skeletal muscle, hepatocytes, and other tissues including RBC’s
What is the clinical application of AST?
Sensitive, but low specificity so you need ALT and CK for comparison to see if its from muscle or liver injury
What type of enzyme is SDH?
Leakage
Where does SDH come from?
Hepatocytes
What is the halflife of SDH?
Hours
What is the clinical application for SDH?
Very sensitive and specific for hepatocellular injury but used mostly in horses, ruminants, and swine. Increases are not usually marked(not 2-3 fold)
What is cholestasis?
Impaired biliary flow
What is intrahepatic cholestasis?
canaliculi and hepatic biliary duct flow affected
What is extrahepatic cholestasis?
gall bladder and common bile duct flow affected
What are the markers of cholestasis?
Tbili, Chol, Bile Acids, ALP, GGT
How do you determine if cholestasis is intrahepatic or extrahepatic?
You can’t with chemistry so you need imaging or surgery
What are 5 examples of cholestatic disease?
- Hepatocellular swelling from accumulation of lipid or glycogen 2. Inflammation(hepatitis, cholangiohepatitis, cholangitis) 3. Neoplastic cell infiltration 4. Common bile duct obstruction(cholelithiasis, pancreatitis) or leakage 5. Disruption of hepatocellular bilirubin excretion: functional cholestasis(sepsis)
Why are ALP and GGT elevated in cholestasis?
Cholestasis induces synthesis of ALP and GGT which are bound to cell membranes
How is ALP synthesis increased in cholestasis?
ALP on canilicular surface of hepatocytes is cleaved by phospholipase(activated by INCREASED bile acids during cholestasis), thereby crossing cell to sinusoidal surface and entering blood
How is GGT synthesis increased in cholestasis?
Cholestasis causes biliary epithelium to undergo hyperplasia, thereby synthesizing more GGT
How long does it take for induced enzyme activity to show up on blood tests?
days
What are the clinically significant sources of ALP?
Hepatocytes, Biliary epithelium, Osteoblasts, colostrum
What is the half-life of ALP?
Dog: 3 days, Cat: 6 hrs