The Liver: Structure

Question 1

What is the proper term for liver cells?

Answer 1

hepatocytes

Question 2

What are the 2 sources of blood for the liver?

Answer 2

Oxygenated from the heart, deoxygenated from the digestive system

Question 3

How does blood from the heart reach the liver?

Answer 3

from aorta via hepatic artery into the liver

Question 4

How does blood from the digestive system reach the liver?

Answer 4

via hepatic portal vain, blood rich with products of digestion, concentrations uncontrolled, may contain toxic compounds, leaves via hepatic vein, rejoins vena cava

Question 5

What is the 4th vessel connected to the liver?

Answer 5

bile duct, bile has excretory and digestive function, from liver to gall bladder for storing until fat digestion in small intestine

Question 6

How are the cells arranged in the liver?

Answer 6

cells, blood vessels and liver chambers arranged to ensure best contact between blood and cells, liver in lobes which are divided into cylindrical lobules

Question 7

What happens to the hepatic artery and portal vein when they enter the liver?

Answer 7

split into smaller and smaller vessels, run between and parallel to the lobules: inter-lobular vessels

Question 8

What happens to branches of the hepatic artery and portal vein in the lobules?

Answer 8

blood from 2 vessels is mixed and passed along a chamber: sinusoid which is lined by liver cells, empty into the intra-lobular vessel (branch of hepatic vein)

Question 9

What do the branches of the hepatic vein from different lobules join together to form?

Answer 9

hepatic vein, which drains blood from the liver

Question 10

What happens to the blood flowing in the sinusoids?

Answer 10

very close contact with liver cells, remove mols from blood and pass mols into blood

Question 11

What is one function of the liver cells?

Answer 11

Manufacture bile, released into bile canaliculi (small canals), join together to form bile duct

Question 12

What are the minimal specialisations of the liver cells?

Answer 12

simple cuboidal shape with many microvilli on the surface, dense cytoplasm, number of organisms specialised

Question 13

What are the many metabolic functions of the liver cells?

Answer 13

synthesis of proteins, cholesterol and biles salts. Transformation and storage of carbohydrates, detoxifaication

Question 14

What are Kupffer cells?

Answer 14

specialised macrophages, move in sinusoids, breakdown and recycling of old RBCs

Question 15

What is one of the products of haemoglobin breakdown?

Answer 15

bilirubin, excreted as part of bile and in faeces, brown pigment