Liver Function

Question 1

How many known functions does the liver have?

Answer 1

200+

Question 2

How does the size of the liver change through the day?

Answer 2

Cell size fluctuates during the day, “as it does what it does”

Question 3

How much bile doe the liver produce daily?

Answer 3

600-1000mL

Question 4

What does bile do?

Answer 4

Acts as a fat emulsifier in small intestine

Question 5

Describe bile

Answer 5

A green liquid
No enzymes
Contains: minerals, bile pigments (bilirubin), bile salts (steroids synthesized from cholesterol), phospholipids, waste products

Question 6

How does the liver interconvert nutrients?

Answer 6

The liver can convert some nutrients into other

Question 7

What is an example of the liver’s interconversion of nutrients?

Answer 7

AAs converted into lipids or glucose

Question 8

How does the liver regulate carbohydrate metabolism?

Answer 8

Removes glucose from blood and converts it to glycogen

Then changes glycogen back to glucose as needed

Question 9

How does the liver regulate lipid metabolism?

Answer 9

Can break down lipid reserves into triglycerides, fatty acids, & cholesterol

Question 10

How does the liver regulate protein metabolism and synthesis?

Answer 10

Synthesizes clotting proteins, albumins, txp proteins

Question 11

How does the liver metabolize drugs?

Answer 11

Thru AA metabolism moonia is converted to urea and excreted
Liver removes and breaks down circulating drugs, thereby limiting the duration of their effect
Also removes circulating hormones

Question 12

What three things does the liver store?

Answer 12

Glucose as glycogen
Fat-soluble vitamins- A,D,E,K, and B12
Converts Fe reserves into ferritin and stores it

Question 13

What does the liver phagocytize?

Answer 13

Kupffer cells remove worn-out RBCs and bacteria

Question 14

How does the liver activate vitamin D?

Answer 14

Starts with skin exposed to UV light changes precursor
Then it goes to liver and is changed again
At kidney, changed into calcitriol (active vitamin D)

Question 15

What does the liver remove from the blood?

Answer 15

Glucose		Hormones
Amino Acids	Toxins
Fe			Bile pigments and salts
Vitamins		Drugs/medications
Nutrients, in general

Question 16

What does the liver secrete?

Answer 16

Albumins Fibrinogen
Alpha and beta globulins
Lipoproteins Clotting factors
Angiotensinogen

Question 17

What causes portal hypotension?

Answer 17

Caused by an increase in BP by blood not entering liver

Question 18

What is the sign of portal hypotension? What does it look like?

Answer 18

Caput medusae- sign. The umbilical veins drain into the gastric vein, blood backs up
The dilated cutaneous vein around the umbilicus looks like medusa

Question 19

What is hepatitis?

Answer 19

Inflammation of the liver

Question 20

What causes hepatitis?

Answer 20

Mostly due to viral infection

Non-viral causes include blood toxicity (drugs) or wild mushrooms

Question 21

What is cirrhosis?

Answer 21

A chronic, degenerative disease when normal, healthy cells are damaged and replaced with scar tissue

Question 22

What causes cirrhosis?

Answer 22

Due to chronic alcoholism or severe, chronic hepatitis

Question 23

What happens to the liver in cirrhosis?

Answer 23

Liver is pale in color, becomes fatty/fibrous and activity is depressed

Question 24

How big is the gallbladder? What does it look like?

Answer 24

A hollow, pear-shaped muscular sac about 4” long

Question 25

What does the gallbladder do?

Answer 25

Stores and concentrates bile, can become 5-10x more concentrated

Question 26

What lines the walls of the gallbladder?

Answer 26

Simple columnar epithelium

Question 27

What feature is built into the walls of the gallbladder? Why?

Answer 27

The walls fold into rugae, so it can expand

Question 28

How is bile released?

Answer 28

When bile is needed, gallbladder contracts (CCK) and sends bile into small intestine