The Liver Flashcards
How many lobes does the liver have?
2 lobes
What ligament is found between the lobes and what is its roles?
Falciform ligament - A peritoneal fold that teaches the liver to the ant ado wall and the diaphragm
Where does the superior mesenteric artery drain from and to?
Small intestine, caecum, ascending and tranverse colon to the liver
What is the gall bladders function?
Concentrates and stores bile and removes water.
How much bile per day do we produce?
1L
What veins feed into the portal vein?
splenic vein, sup and lower mesenteric vein.
Why is it called the portal vein?
It is a portal system of two capillary beds in series.
Name the to portal systems we have.
Hypothalamo-hypophyseal portal system
Hepatic portal system
The second capillary bed in the hepatic portal system is called….. and its function is……
Liver sinusoids
absorbs nutrients and removes toxins.
What is seen in the portal triad?
Bile duct
hepatic artery
Portal vein
The terminal hepatic venues are found where?
In the middle of a liver lobule
What travels in the portal vein?
Water Water soluble vitamins Electrolytes Carbs Proteins GI hormones Ammonia and other toxins
Why is ammonia so dangerous?
It can cross the blood brain barrier so we need to transaminate it in the liver to glutamate and then it can be converted to urea for excretion.
What toxins do we take in in food?
Chemicals Bacteria Viruses Proatzoa Worms
Where do lipids travel from the gut?
Lymphatics as chylomicrons
Where do chylomicrons join systemic circulation?
Thoracic duct.
Name the fat soluble vitamins
ADEK
What are the functions of the liver?
Metabolism Storage - carbs and fats Protein made and secreted in to blood Detoxification Bile production
Whats stored in the liver?
Iron Vitamine A Vitamin B12 Vitamin D Vitamin K Glycogen
What does the liver make?
Glycogen, albumin, coagulation factors (2,7,9 and 10)
foetal haematopoesis
What is catabolised in the liver?
Toxins
Hormones
Hameoglobin
Poisons
The liver can act as a filter and what specialised immune cell is responsible for this?
Kupffer cells which cycle old red cells and ingest pathogens
Bile is released by …… secretion.
Exocrine
What 3 board categories can the livers endocrine functions be split into?
Production
Modification
Degradation
What endocrine substances does the liver make?
Angiotensinogen, thrombopoetin and IGF-1
Vitamin D and thyroxine are ….. in the liver
Modified
What happens to insulin, glucagon, oestrogen and progesterone in the liver?
They are broken down
What cells make up 80% of the liver?
Hepatocytes
List specialised features of hepatocytes
- Regenerative ability
- Numerous mitochondria
- Numerous peroxisomes
- Numerous free ribosomes
- Numerous RER and SER
- Numerous golgi
- Glycogen deposits
If the bone marrow and spleen fail what can the liver do?
take ver haematopoesis and removal of old red cells.
What major vessel do the hepatic venues drain to?
IVC
What flows from mid lobule to the portal triad?
Bile in Bile ducts
Are the endothelial gaps in sinusoids large or small?
large
Where do lymphatics arise in the liver and drain to?
Periporyal space of Mall and drain to the liver hilum
From the liver hilum where does the lymph flow to?
Hepatic duct.
What are Ito cells?
Stellate cells are filled with vitamin A.
Stellate cells loose their vitamin A stores in cirrhosis and differentiate to myofibroblasts.
Why do you get portal hypertension in cirrhosis?
Collagen fibres in the perisinusoidal space surrounds the central vein.
