the structure of the liver Flashcards
what is a hepatocyte
Liver cell
why is it crucial for the liver to have a good supply of blood
Because it carrys out many metabolic reactions
why is it necessary for the liver to have a good supply of oxygen
For aerobic respiration, as liver cells are very active therefore they require lots of ATP for active metabolic processes
what does the hepatic artery do
transport oxygenated blood from the heart to the liver
what does the hepatic portal vein do
Removes deoxygenated blood from the digestive system to the liver
how does blood leave the liver
leaves the liver through the hepatic vein (central vein)
what is the difference between the hepatic portal vein and hepatic vein
Hepatic portal vein- allows blood to enter the liver
Hepatic vein- allows blood to leave the liver
what artery does the hepatic vein join to in order for the blood to enter the heart from the liver
The hepatic vein joins to the vena cava
what is the bile duct
a tube connected to the liver
what is an advantage for the liver, by the blood recieved from the hepatic portal vein
it sends deoxygenated blood from the digestive system to the liver.
This allows the liver to absorb nutrients from the blood from the digestive system
what are some functions of the bile duct
carries bile from liver to the gall bladder for storage
contains excretory products such as bile pigments which leave in faeces
what is one example of as bile pigment
Bilirubin
Describe the internal structure of the liver
divided into lobes and lobules
what is smaller lobes or lobues
Lobules
As the liver is divided into lobes and further divided into lobules
what shape are lobules
Cylindrical
what does the meaning interlobal vessels mean
the hepatic artery and portal vein split into small vessels in the liver, which RUN PARALLEL TO LOBULES
what cell is the liver mainly made of
hepatocytes
what is a sinusoid
a space in the lobule where blood from HA and HPV mixes to increase oxygen content for hepatocytes
why do hepatocytes have a large surface area
maximises rate of exchange of substances
what cells coat the sinusoid
endothelial cells
what is a kupffer cell
a specialised macrophage
where are kupffer cells located
in the sinusoid
what is the function of the kupffer cells
to breakdown and recycle old erythrocytes
Kupffer cells breakdown red blood cells, what can this create
Bilirubin (bile pigment), product of a broken down haemoglobin
what type of substance is bilirubin
Bile pigment
what is the bile canaliculi
bile drains into this space, the canaliculi then drains bile into the bile duct
how does the bile duct form
bile made in liver released into bile canaliculi.
The bile canaliculi join and form bile duct
what has the job of transporting bile to the gall bladder
Bile duct
why may blood in the hepatic vein have toxins
Because the deoxygenated blood has came from the digestive system where concentrations of substances are uncontrolled.
what is in the centre of a lobule
The centre of a lobule is a hepatic vein
where do sinusoids empty their blood
Into the centre of a lobule
name two differences between excretion and secretion
excretion can be - metabolic waste, e.g. urea
Secretion is useful products, e.g. hormones, enzymes, bile salt
excretion doesnt use vesicles
secretion uses vesicles
what is one similarity between excretion and secretion other than they both use ATP
they are both involved in homeostasis
why are blood concentrations in the blood from hepatic portal vein uncontrolled and rich in products
because the blood has came from the digestive system, thereore rich in products
what process controls the concentration of blood in liver before entering the central vein
blood flowing in sinusoid, lined with hepatocytes which remove substances from blood when contact between the two is close
