Week 20 Flashcards
What are the functions of the liver?
- Metabolism- interconversion of carbohydrates, fats and proteins- storage of glycogen and Vitamin A.
- Drug processing- metabolism/detoxification/excretion
- Biosynthesis- bile, cholesterol, phospholipids
- Immune function- screening of intestinal blood with Kupffer cells.
How can the blood supply to the liver be described?
Dual
What are the arteries supplying the liver?
Left and Right hepatic
What does the blood from the digestive organs drain into and then go on to form?
Mesenteric veins –> merge into the portal vein –> travels to the liver
What is the functional units of the liver?
Hepatic lobule
What is the general structure of a hepatic lobule?
Hepatocytes occupy bulk, central vein
What is the portal triad?
The hepatic artery, hepatic vein and bile duct
Where is bile produced and how does it get to the gall bladder?
Produced by the hepatocytes, travels down the bile duct
What is the flow of blood from the digestive system to the heart?
- Portal vein
- Hepatic venules
- Filter past hepatocytes
- Drain to central vein
- Hepatic vein
- Inferior vena cava
What are the components of bile?
- Water (97%)
- Bile salts (0.7%)
- Bile acid
- Fats (0.51%) mostly cholesterol
- Bilirubin (0.2%)
How does bile get from the hepatocytes to the bile duct?
Collected into bile canaliculi
What is the main action of bile?
To emulsify fats which aids the function of pancreatic lipase
What are some excretions (waste elimination) in bile?
Steroid hormones
Calcium
Drugs/drug metabolites
Bilirubin
What is Bilirubin?
Bilirubin is converted Haem from dead erythrocytes.
What is the steps from dead erythrocytes to bilirubin excretion?
- Dead erythrocytes are taken from circulation via phagocytosis (including Kupffer cells in the liver)
- Iron and protein recycled, whereas haem is for elimination
- Haem converted to bilirubin
- Bilirubin is transported to the liver and conjugated
- Conjugated bilirubin is secreted in bile
- Bacteria in large intestine metabolise bilirubin to sterobilin (to give faeces its brown colour.
What is the function of the Gall Bladder?
Storage site for bile salts (60ml)
What regulates gall bladder contraction?
Cholecystokinin (CCK)
What is the Sphincter of Odi?
The major duodenal papilla (site at which bile and pancreatic secretions enter the duodenum)
What happens relating to the gall bladder during a non digestive period?
- Sphincter of Oddi is contracted
2. Bile flows from the liver to the gall bladder
What happens relating to the gall bladder during a non digestive period?
- Intestinal phase triggers release of CCK (cholecytokinin) and secretin
- Secretin stimulates the hepatic duct cells to release bicarbonate
- CCK triggers relaxation of the Sphincter of Oddi and contractions of the gall bladder
- Bile is released into the duodenum
How are bile salts recycled?
Transporters in the terminal ileum (end of small intestine) take up bile sales and transport them to the liver via the hepatic portal vein.
What percentage of bile salts are recycled?
95%
What does returned bile salts to the liver stimulate?
The liver to produce more bile salts
What is the importance of recycled of bile salts in drug pharmacokinetics?
Molecules bound to bile salts remain in the body for longer.
How is bile acids/salts reabsorbed in the small intestine?
- Uptake is mediated by the sodium-dependent bile salt transporter proteins (which are only in the ileum)
- 95% of bile salts absorbed here
How is bile salts absorbed in the large intestine?
- Not reabsorbed
2. Degraded by bacteria and eliminated
What is the consequence of too much bile acid/salt entering the large intestine?
Bile acid mediated diarrhoea
What can happen if insufficient bile is produced?
Steatorrhea (fatty faeces)
What is the location of the pancreas?
Posterior to the stomach - retroperitoneal
What is the two functional divisions of the pancreas?
- Endocrine
2. Exocrine
What are the endocrine and exocrine functions of the pancreas?
- Endocrine
- produces insulin (Beta cells),
-produces glucagon (alpha cells)
- produces somatostatin (gamma cells)
All are released into circulation. - Exocrine
- produces digestive zymogens (activate in the duodenum)
- amylase, lipase, proteases etc
All are released into the duodenum through the pancreatic duct (exits into duodenum via duodenal papilla)
What is the microscopic arrangements of exocrine cells?
- Arranged into acini (clusters)
- Pyramidal cells surround a central duct (eventually drains into pancreatic duct)
- Exocrine cells contain darker secretory granules
What is the microscopic arrangements of endocrine cells?
- Regions found throughout
- Make up “islets of Landgerhans”
- Mostly contain Beta cells (insulin)- special stains are required to distinguish islet cell populations.
In what form does the exocrine pancreas secrete its pro-digestive enzymes?
Zymogens (inactive enzyme)
What are the 5 main pancreatic zymogens released and their corresponding active forms?
- Trypsinogen –> trypsin (active – protein digestion)
- Chymotrypsinogen –> chymotrypsin (active – protein digestion)
- Proelastase –> elastase (active – protein digestion)
- Procarboxypeptidase –> carboxypeptidase (active – protein digestion)
- Prolipase –> lipase (active – fat digestion)
Where are digestive (zymogens) enzymes produced in the pancreas?
Acinar cells
Where is bicarbonate fluid produced in the pancreas?
Epithelial cells lining the pancreatic ducts
How does the pancreas prevent auto-digestion?
- Enzymes are synthesised as zymogens and packaged in granules
- Produces bicarbonate rich fluid to flush pancreatic ducts and prevent zymogen activation
Why does chyme need to be neutralised?
- Very acidic, from stomach, pH 2
What is released in the duodenum in response to chyme?
CCK and secretin
What is the mechanism of action for CCK and secretin in response to chyme?
- CCK drives release of bile from the gall bladder (pH 6-7)
2. Secretin drives release of bicarbonate fluid from the pancreas (pH 7-8)
What is the effect of secretion in the duodenum on pH?
- Neutralises pH to 7-8.5
2. Allows function of pancreatic enzymes at correct pH
How are zymogens activated in the small intestine?
- Brush border enzyme removes a peptide fragment from trypsinogen to convert it to activated trypsin
- Trypsin then cleaves peptide fragments from the other zymogens to activate them
What is an example of neural regulation of pancreatic exocrine function?
- Cephalic phase and gastric phases
- Trigger vagal signalling
- Triggers acinar cells to release zymogen granules
- Triggers duct epithelial cells to release bicarbonate fluid
What are examples of endocrine regulation of the pancreatic exocrine function?
- Gastrin produced in the stomach (in gastric phase) - increases secretion of zymogen granules
- Luminal contents release CCK and secretin - increase zymogen and fluid secretion
What is an Erythrocyte?
Red blood cell
What is the life span of an Erythrocyte?
120 days
How are Erythrocytes removed from circulation?
Phagocytosis (macrophages mainly in spleen, but also bone marrow and liver)
What is Bilirubin from and what colour is it?
- Breakdown product of haemoglobin
2. Yellow
What are the key events in Haeme breakdown?
- Haeme catabolised –> GREEN biliverdin (happens mainly in spleen, marrow, liver)
- GREEN biliverdin rapidly reduced into –> YELLOW bilirubin (complexed with albumin (blood protein)
- Yellow bilirubin conjugated with glucuronic acid in liver hepatocytes
- Secreted into intestines ant converted to urobilinogen by intestinal bacteria
- Urobilinogen –> Oxidised to Yellow urobilin in kidneys OR BROWN stercobilin by intestinal bacteria and excreted in faeces.
What are the colour changes and chemical changes in Haeme breakdown?
- Haem –> Green biliverdin
- Green biliverdin –> Yellow bilirubin
- Yellow bilirubin –> conjugated bilirubin
- Conjugated bilirubin –> Urobilinogen
- Urobilinogen –> Yellow Urobilin or Brown Stercobilin
How is bilirubin taken up by the liver?
Facilitated diffusion from the blood
What is bilirubin conjugated with in the liver?
Glucuronic acid
How is conjugated bilirubin secreted from the liver?
In bile into the intestines.
What are the purposes of bile salts?
- Emulsify fats so fats and fat soluble vitamins may be absorbed
- Elimination of waste products such as bilirubin
What are the two potential end points of bilirubin that enters the GIT?
1. Kidney excretion (as Urobilin) Faecal excretion (as Stercobilin)
What is the structure of cholesterol?
Lipid with four fused hydrocarbon rings to form the bulky steroid structure.
What functional roles does cholesterol have in the body?
- Cell membrane - permeability and fluidity
- Vitamin D synthesis
- Steroid hormone synthesis
Manufacture of bile salts
What are the sources of cholesterol?
- Diet (animal fats)
2. Synthesized
Where is cholesterol synthesized?
Liver (80%), peripheral tissues (20%)
How is cholesterol synthesized?
- Glucose, fatty acids, Amino acids –> Acetyl CoA
- Acetyl CoA processed by HMG-CoA reductase (rate limiting step)
- Few intermediate units before cholesterol
- Cholesterol has a negative feedback loop back onto HMG-CoA reductase.
What is the target of statins in term of cholesterol synthesis?
HMG-CoA (rate limiting step)
What is the effect of intracellular cholesterol on cholesterol synthesis?
- High = reduction in synthesis
2. Low = increase in synthesis
How are bile acids produced from cholesterol?
Oxidation of cholesterol mediated by cytochrome P450.
How are lipids and cholesterol transported in the blood?
Packaged in lipoproteins