Liver fat metabolism and storage organ Flashcards
Most of the body’s fat is stored where? Some is stored where?
In adipocytes which form adipose tissue
In hepatocytes
What % of dietary lipids are triglycerides? What happens to cholesterol removed from the blood and tissue by HDLs?
95%
They deliver this cholesterol to the liver which secretes it into the bile/ converts it into bile salts
Why is LDL essential in supplying cells with the cholesterol they require?
It is used to synthesise cell membranes and for steroid hormone production in the gonads and adrenal glands and aldosterone and cortisol
What does VLDL do?
Synthesised in hepatocytes and it carries triglycerides from glucose in liver to adipocytes.
Where is most adipose tissue found? Function of adipocytes?
In deposits underlying the skin/ surrounding internal organs.
Make and store triglycerides during periods of food uptake- when food not being absorbed from SI, releases fatty acids and glycerol into the blood for use by other cells to provide energy for ATP formation.
How are fatty acids catabolised in the mitochondria?
1) CoA is linked to carboxyl at end of fatty acid
2) ATP is broken down into AMP and 2Pi
3) CoA derivative proceeds through B-oxidation reactions
4) Acetyl CoA splits off from fatty acid and two pairs of H atoms are transferred to FAD and NAD+
5) H atoms enter oxidative phosphorylation
6) CoA attaches to fatty acid and cycle repeats.
What does lipoprotein lipase hydrolyse triglycerides into? What does hepatic lipase do?
Within lipoproteins into 2 free fatty acids and 1 glycerol molecule. Converts IDL (intermediate density lipoprotein) into LDL- packages it with more triglycerides to be released in the body.
Iron is used in what 3 things? Homeostatic control of iron balance resides primarily where? How much ingested iron is normally absorbed?
Haemoglobin, myoglobin and bone marrow.
In intestinal epithelium in duodenum- actively absorbs iron
Only a small fraction (10%)
What acts as an intracellular store for iron? Where does most iron bound to ferritin in the intestinal epithelial cells go?
Ferritin
Released back into the intestinal lumen when cells at tips of villi disintegrate- iron then excreted in faeces.
What happens when the bodies stores of iron are enough? When body stores are low?
Increased transcription of gene encoding for ferritin- reduced iron in blood
Production of intestinal ferritin decreases, decreasing amount of iron bound to ferritin
Where does the absorbed iron that doesn’t bind to ferritin go? Where does it go?
Released into blood where it can circulate bound to plasma protein transferrin
To bone marrow to be incorporated into new erythrocytes
Where is most iron stored? %s of where iron is stored?
In liver ferritin within Kupffer cells.
50% in haemoglobin, 25% in heme containing proteins, 25% is in liver ferritin
What 3 proteins are made by the liver? Most abundant plasma protein?
Functions of albumin?
Plasma proteins, clotting factors and complement factors
Albumin
Binding and transport of large hydrophobic compounds like bilirubin, fatty acids, hormones and drugs (NSAIDs and warfarin)
What is colloid osmotic pressure? How does albumin maintain osmotic pressure?
Effective osmotic pressure across blood vessel walls which are permeable to electrolytes but not large molecules.
Water conc in plasma is slightly lower than that of interstitial fluid, so water moves out of the interstitial fluid back into blood plasma
What are the opposing forces that act to move fluid across the capillary wall? What are the 4 forces?
Starling Forces
Capillary hydrostatic pressure- favours movement out of capillary
Interstitial hydrostatic pressure- movement in
Osmotic force due to plasma protein- movement in
Osmotic force due to intestinal fluid protein conc- movement out
Where does interstitial move in and out of the capillaries? What happens to albumin levels during liver failure?
Out at arterial end of capillaries and in at venous end of capillaries
Hypoalbuminaemia- decrease in oncotic pressure– oedema
Why else can albumin reduce?
Nephrotic syndrome- increased glomerular permeability, haemorrhage, gut loss and burns