Liver n Proteins n glucose Flashcards
The liver is a major producer of proteins
It produces plasma proteins, clotting factors & complement factors
What is the most abundant plasma protein
Albumin
Function of Albumin
Binding & transport of large, hydrophobiccompounds such as bilirubin, fatty acids, hormones & drugs (NSAIDS & warfarin)
n
Maintenance of colloid osmotic pressure
What is colloid osmotic pressure
Colloid osmotic pressureis the effective osmotic pressureacross blood vessel walls which are permeable to electrolytes but NOT large molecules. It is almost entirely due to plasma proteins
How does albumin maintain osmotic pressure
Albumin maintains osmotic pressure due to the fact that its presence in the plasma means that the water concentration of the blood plasma is slightly lower than that of the interstitial fluid meaning there is a net flow of water OUT OF the interstitial fluid INTO the blood plasma
What are the stalling forces and give all 4
Opposing forces act to move fluid across the capillary wall,
1.Capillary hydrostatic pressure
(favouring fluid movement out of the capillary)
2.Interstitial hydrostatic pressure
(favouring fluid movement into the capillary
3.Osmotic force due to plasma protein concentration
(favouring fluid movement into the capillary)
4.Osmotic force due to intestinal fluid protein concentration
(favouring fluid movement out of the capillary
How is tissue fluid formed at arterial end of capillaries
At the arterial ends of the capillaries the hydrostatic pressurefrom the capillary is 38 mmHg which is greater than that from the interstitial fluid (which is virtually zero since there is very little fluid in the interstitial spaces since it quickly picked up by the lymphatics etc.) and the interstitial fluid protein concentration is 3mmHg and the osmotic pressure due to plasma proteins 28mmHg thusnet outward pressureEXCEEDS the netinward pressure resulting in bulk filtration of fluid OUT OF the capillaries
What happens to tissue fluid at venous end of capillaries
However, at the venous end, the only difference in Starling forces is the capillary hydrostatic pressure which has decreased from 35 to around 15mmHg due to the resistance encountered as blood flow through the capillary wall. The other three forces are virtually the same as above so the net inward pressure EXCEEDS the net outward pressure so bulk absorption of fluid INTO the capillaries occurs
What happens to tissue fluid when there is liver failure
When there is liver failure there is a reduction in albumin resulting in less albumin in the blood (hypoalbuminaemia). This in turn will mean there will be a decreases in capillary oncotic pressure, since there will be less of a difference in the concentration of water between plasma and interstitial fluid resulting in the accumulation of water in the interstitial fluid, resulting in oedema. Hypoalbuminaemia = Oedema
Other than liver failure what are causes of albumin decrease
Nephrotic syndrome: where there is an increased glomerular permeability which allows proteins to filter through the basement membrane meaning the loss of up to several grams of protein a day can occur
- Haemorrhage
- Gut loss: a rare syndrome in which the wall of the gut is unusually permeable to large molecules resulting in albumin loss
- Burns: Extensive tissue damage with damage to capillaries can cause loss of protein through the walls of the capillaries
What are globulins
Antibody functions (most are gamma-globulins NOT MADE IN LIVER, but some are alpha/beta globulins which ARE MADE IN LIVER)
How are lipids, iron and copper transported
Blood transport of:
- Lipids by lipoproteins
- Iron by transferrin
- Copper by caeruloplasmin
How is copper transported in the blood
caeruloplasmin
Liver produces all clotting factors except
calcium (IV) & von Willebrand factor (VIII)
Liver produces bile salts what is this important for
The liver also produces bile salts which are essential for vitamin Kabsorption (fat soluble). Vitamin K is essential for the synthesis of numerous clotting factors - 10,9,7,2 (1972)
Need Vitamin K for what clotting factors
clotting factors - 10,9,7,2 (1972)
What are complement factors and what is their function
-Plays an important role in the immune response to pathogens, its a plasma protein which sticks to pathogens, that is recognised by neutrophils, essentially help markpathogens to kill
What is protein turnover
Protein turnover refers to the continuous degradation and re-synthesis of all cellular proteins
The rate of protein turnover is very variable and reflects usage/demand
when is an increase seen (2)
Increase is seen when tissues are undergoing structural re-arrangement e.g. when tissue is damaged due to trauma, uterine tissue during pregnancy in skeletal muscle during starvation - gluconeogenesis. In starvation the skeletal muscle is degraded and the liberated amino acids are used in gluconeogenesis
It also increases due to severe burns since there attempts at re-modelling the skin, its complicated by the fact that significant amounts of protein can be lost in the exudate from the damaged tissue
There are 2 primary methods of protein breakdown;
Lysosomal & Ubiquitin-Proteasome Pathway
Lysosomal protein breakdown carried out where
Carried out in the reticulo-endothelial system of the liver
What is the reticulo-endothelial system of the liver made of
This is comprised of the sinusoidal endothelial cells, Kupffer cells & pit cells
Process of Lysosomal protein breakdown
Sinusoidal endothelial cells removesoluble proteins and fragments from the bloodthrough the fenestrations known as sieve plates on their luminal surface
- they are important for removing; fibrin, fibrin degradation products, collagen & IgG complexes. Once in the liver these proteins are then fused into lysosomescontaining lysozyme which are hydrolytic enzymes that break down the protein into amino acids
What do kupffer cells do in the Process of Lysosomal protein breakdown
Kupffer cells are the livers resident macrophages and perform a similar function except there phagocytose particulate matter thereby packaging them in to phagosomes in the cell which contain hydrolytic enzymes which will break down the protein into amino acids
Where does Ubiquitin-Proteasome Pathway occur
occurs in cytoplasm of cells
Different proteins degrade at different rates why
this depends on the structure of the protein - a denatured (unfolded) protein is more readily digested than a protein with an intact conformation
Rapidly degraded proteins include those that are defective because of incorrectamino acid sequences or because of damage to normal function (denatured
Ubiquitin-Proteasome Pathway
Proteins can be targeted for degradation by the attachment of a small peptide called ubiquitin to the protein. This peptide directs the protein to a protein complex called a proteasome - “the cellular executioner”, which unfolds the protein and breaks it down into small peptides
AMINO ACID DEGRADATION & CATABOLISM where does this occur
these reaction occur in the hepatocytes of the liver
what is catabolism
Catabolism is the break down of complex substances to simpler ones accompanied by the release of energy
What happens to unseeded amino acids
Any amino acids that are not required as building blocks for protein synthesis mustundergo degradation (degraded to specific compounds)
What does catabolism entail and produce
- Amino acids contain nitrogen atoms (in their amino group) in addition to carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms
- Amino acid catabolism requires the alpha amino group (nitrogen containing) to be removed
- It produces:-Nitrogen - which is incorporated in other compounds or excreted-Carbon skeleton - which can then be metabolised and used in the Kreb’s cycle
There are 2 main catabolism processes;
oxidative deamination & transamination
What Is Oxidative Deamination
The liberation of an amino group as free ammonia (NH3)