the liver Flashcards
What are the three types of metabolic waste products removed from the body?
- Carbon dioxide – during respiration.
- Bile pigments – produced during hemoglobin breakdown.
- Nitrogenous waste – from amino acid breakdown.
What does the hepatic artery do?
It supplies the liver with oxygenated blood from the heart.
What does the hepatic portal vein do
It brings deoxygenated blood from the digestive system to the liver.
What does the hepatic vein do?
It carries deoxygenated blood from the liver back to the heart.
What is the role of the bile duct?
It carries bile from the liver to the gall bladder for storage.
What are sinusoids in the liver?
They are capillary-like spaces that connect the hepatic artery, hepatic portal vein, and central vein, allowing blood to pass through and be filtered by hepatocytes.
What are liver lobules?
They are functional units of the liver made of hepatocytes, with a central vein in the middle that connects to the hepatic vein
What is the role of Kupffer cells in the liver?
Kupffer cells are found in the walls of sinusoids, where they remove bacteria and break down old red blood cells.
What is the liver’s function in glycogen storage?
The liver stores glycogen to help control blood glucose levels by converting excess glucose to glycogen until it’s needed for energy.
How does the liver detoxify the body?
A: The liver breaks down toxic substances such as alcohol.
What process breaks down excess amino acids in the liver?
Deamination removes the amine group from amino acids, converting it into ammonia.
How is ammonia made safer in the liver?
The liver combines ammonia with carbon dioxide in the ornithine cycle to form urea, which is less toxic and soluble.
What happens to the urea produced in the liver?
Urea is released into the blood and later excreted in urine.
What is the equation for urea formation in the liver?
Ammonia + carbon dioxide = urea + water.
