Module 5.1.2 Excretion As An Example Of Homeostatic Control Flashcards
What are the different organs involved with the liver?
gallbladder
bile duct
duodenum
small intestine
pancreas
hepatic portal vein
hepatic artery
hepatic vein
aorta
posterior vena cava
What is the function of the gallbladder?
produces bile
What is the duodenum?
The point which the bile duct meets the small intestine
What is a hepatocyte?
A liver cell
What is the structure of a hepatocyte?
large nuclei
prominent Golgi apparatus
lots of mitochondria
divide & replicate frequently
Why do hepatocytes have prominent Golgi apparatus?
The liver is involved in metabolic processes meaning it has to do a lot of packaging lipids & extracellular proteins
Why do hepatocytes have lots of mitochondria?
The liver is a very large & metabolically active organ so it requires lots of energy (ATP)
Why do hepatocytes need to divide & replicate frequently?
Damage
What are the 2 main blood vessels that enter the liver?
The hepatic artery
The hepatic portal vein
What is the function of the hepatic artery?
Carries oxygenated blood from the heart to the liver via the aorta
What is the function of the hepatic portal vein?
Takes deoxygenated blood rich in the products of digestion from the intestines to the liver?
What is the structure of the hepatic artery?
narrow & unbranched
What is the structure of the hepatic portal vein?
wider & branched
What is the main blood vessel that exits the liver?
The hepatic vein
What is the function of the hepatic vein?
Re-joins the vena cava taking the products of liver metabolism away
What is a lobule?
A 6 sided structure made up of hepatocytes
What is the structure of a lobule?
Arranged in irregular branching & interconnected plates around a central vein (hepatic vein)
How does blood flow from the hepatic artery & hepatic portal vein to the hepatic vein?
Blood passes through sinusoids
What are sinusoids?
Large endothelium lined spaces where blood flows from the hepatic artery & hepatic portal vein to the hepatic vein
What is a Kupffer cell?
A specialised macrophage (A white blood cell)
What is the role of a Kupffer cell?
Destroy worn out red or white blood cells, bacteria & foreign matter arriving from the digestive tract as well as breaking haemoglobin down into bilirubin (brown pigment in faeces)
What is excretion?
The removal of metabolic waste, by-products or unwanted substances from normal cellular processes
How does excretion differ to secretion or egestion
secretion: internal process of producing useful products e.g. sweating
egestion: discharge of undigested by-products e.g. vomiting
What are the main excretory organs?
Lungs
Kidneys
Ureter
Bladder
Urethra
What are the main substances that need removing?
CO2 (cellular respiration)
Urea (excess amino acids)
How is CO2 & Urea excreted from the body?
Taken to their excretory organ via the bloodstream
How is CO2 transported in the body?
85% transported as HCO3- ions
10% transported as carboaminohaemoglobin
5% transported in the plasma as carbonic acid
What is the formula equation for the production of carbonic acid in the blood?
CO2 + H20 —> H2CO3