Liver And Bile Flashcards
What do you call scarring of the liver
Cirrhosis
Can you live without your liver
No
What percentage of out cardiac output goes into the liver
25%
What are the main functions of the liver (4)
- Detoxification and metabolism
- Storage (glucose and fat)
- Endocrine (IGF-1) which causes cells to grow
- Exocrine
What organ is IGF-1 associated with, what does it do
It is associated with the liver
It causes cells to grow
How is the liver associated with metabolism and detoxification
1.absorbed nutreints reaches the liver first before delivery to peripheral tissues (except fat)
2. Peripheral tissues do not see what is absorbed from the GI tract
Examples: blood glucose, ammonia detoxification, VLDL, billirubin
What are the three functions of the liver
- Process nutrients
- Synthetic function
- Protection
Define each
- glycogenesis
- gluconeogenesis
- glycogenolysis
Glycogenesis: making of glycogen
Glucogneogenisis: making of new glucose
Glycogenolysis: breaking down of glycogen
What does the liver do reguarding glucose and glycogen when we are in a fasting state
Gluconeogenesis and glycogenesis
What does the liver do with amino acids
It turns them into proteins and pre-hormones
What is the liver involved in, in terms of processing things
- Deals with triglycerides
- Converts amino acids into proteins and pre-hormones
- Stores vitamins
How is glucose different from amylopectin, how is it similar
Differences: more branched and available to enzymes
Similarities: branched chain
What are the three precursors for gluconeogenesis
What else can be used to create glucose
- propinoate
- lactate
- amino acids into proteins
The liver can also do glycogenolysis
How does the liver use its stored glucose
What kind of animal is this for
It uses its stored glucose for…
1. Glycogen synthesis
2. Fatty acids synthesis
Non-ruminants only
How is the liver associated with fat metabolism
- fatty acids are synthesized in the liver (non-ruminants)
- fatty acids are mobilized from adipose tissue (which are processed in the liver)
- ketone bodies are produced in the liver
How do we carry lipids around the body (what do we use)
VLDL
What are two ways that fat gets transferred around the body
- Through cylomicrons
- by the liver with VLDL
What is in VLDL, how are they similar to chylomicrons
It contains, phospholipids, cholesterol, triglycerides, and apoproteins
They contain similar sunstances as chylomicrons (chylomicrons just don’t have apoproteins)
How is the livers metabolism of protein important in detoxification
(What is the example that was discussed in class)
It gets rid of proteins and makes sure that we don’t have to many specific amino acids (detoxifying) pro
Eg: phenylketonuria (PKU)
What is phenylketonuria (PKU), what is it caused by
Is it genetic
Too much Phenylalanine = toxic to the brain
Caused by a lack of enzyme that converts phe to tyr
—) can result in brain damage
Yes it is a genetic thing
Can people live with PKU
Yes they just have to eat a very specific diet
What does the liver do with ammonia
It takes ammonia and converts it into urea
What does the liver do in reguards to amino acids (what kind does it make)
Give examples
Makes essential amino acids
Tyr from phe
Cys form met
Glu from Gln
Can also use the CAC (TCA) cycle
What does the liver synthesize
- Albumin (70% of protein in blood)
- Clotting factors
- Transport proteins
- Immunologic proteins (flags bacteria (compliments) opsinization) & cytokines and acute faced proteins
- Bile salts
Why do you get bloated if you have a less functional liver
It doesn’t produce enough albumin to keep water in your blood stream
What are all of the ways that the liver is involved in protein metabolism
- Produces albumin
- Transports FFA’s (NEFA’s) and some drugs & hormones
- Balances colloid osmotic pressure (edema)
- Fibrinogen, prothrombin, and blood clotting
- Transferring (iron transport)
How is the liver involved in protection
- Prevent bacteremia with kuppfer cells (giant macrophages)
- Breakdown toxins and hormones
- Prevents hormone toxicity (breaks down estrogen) prevents estrogenic effects in males
What do you call the drugs and things that are foreign to the body
Xenobiotics
What is the goal of the liver with xenobiotics
To make them hydrophilic so the kidney can get rid of them
And to prevent reabsorption
Why would we purposely inhibit the liver from changing xenobiotics
If we are using antibiotics we want them to stay in the body so that they can do their job
What substances can not be cleared by the kidneys
What are these usually
How are they excreted
Give and endogenous and an exogenous example of these compounds
Ones that are bound to proteins
Lipid soluble substances
Excreted in bile by the liver
Endogenous: bilirubin
Exogenous: antibiotics
What happens when the liver is damaged
What do we call scar tissue in the liver
- Stellate cells produce fibrous scar tissue to wall off damaged areas
- a lot of fibrous scarring = sclerosis or cirrhosis
What is often associated with a poorly functioning liver
What causes this
What do you call liver cells
Jaundice
Bilirubin is no being secreted
Hypatocytes
What are the three causes of not secreting bilirubin (jaundice)
- haemolytic (lysis of RBC’s) —) liver is still healthy
- hepatic (liver is damaged)
- post hepatic (after liver) Eg: blocked bile duct
Are all hypatocytes the same, explain
No they differ
Some need more oxygen which are located closer to the peri portal which is closer to the artery
Some do not need as much oxygen which are located closer to the peri venous
Describe splanchnic circulation
The first place that everything goes to is the liver through a portal vein
The liver also has an artery to deliver oxygen to it
What is in the hepatic triad
- Hepatic artery
- Portal vein
- Bile duct (transports bile out of the liver) through bile calliculi
What are canaliculi
- canals that join bile ducts
- they have sinusoids where blood flows
What is the space of dis
What is another name for it
It is ja space between endothelial cells and hepatocytes where things can flow through and interact with hepatocytes
It is also called the peri sinusoidal space
Describe sinusoids and what are found in them
They wave back and forth —) are not straight lines
They have kupffer cells which catch bacteria, RBC’s and immune compromised cells
