Liver function Flashcards
What does parenchyma consist of
organised plates of hepatocytes
What are sinusoidal capillaries
vascular channels between plates of hepatocytes
What are perisinusoidal spaces
– lie between the sinusoidal endothelium and hepatocytes
What does classic lobule consist of
plates of hepatocytes, seperated by sinusoids that perfuse cells with mixed portal and arterial blood
What major exocrine function does portal lobule carry out
Bile secretion
Dual blood supply of liver
Venous supply via hepatic portal vein - comes from digestive tract and pancreas
Arterial supply via the hepatic artery - carries oxygenated blood to the liver
Both enter at the portal hepatis
What plasma proteins does the liver synthesize and secrete
Albumins
Lipoproteins
Fibrinogen
Components of bile
Bile salts
Bile pigments
Cholesterol
Water and electrolytes
What are bile acids
Derivative of cholesterol
Synthesised in hepatoocytes
What do bile salts do
Facilitate fat digestion
What is the journey of bile salts
Bile salts that reach large intestine are converted back to bile acids and sent back to the liver
Return to the liver thorugh hepatic portal vein, where they are reabsorbed and then secreted again
What is involved in carbohydrate metabolism
Glycogenesis
Glycogenolysis
Gluconeogenesis
What is involved in protein metabolism
Deamination and transamination of amino acids; synthesis of non-essential amino acids
What happens in the liver in a fed state
Glucose is stored as glycogen
Glycolysis generates acetyl-CoA, which is used to synthesize fatty acids or cholesterol
Fatty acids ae esterified to glycerol to form triglycerides, which are assembled to VLDL for secretion and transport to adipocytes for storage and other tissues for energy production
Glucose is taken up by muscle and other tissue
What happens in the liver during fasted state
Triglycerides in adipocytes are hydrolysed to free fatty acids, which are transported to the liver for synthesis of triglycerides and ketone bodies
Muscle proteins are degraded to amino acids, which ae transported to the liver for synthesis of glucose by gluconeogenesis
