Enterohepatic circulation Flashcards
What is enterohepatic circulation?
Compounds that are secreted, absorbed, and re-secreted between the liver and the small intestine
What are two examples of enterohepatic circulation?
bilirubin, but 80% of bile salts also surrounded by micelle
What is bilirubin?
Breakdown product from heme
How does bilirubin become water-soluble?
Bilirubin is conugated with gluconic acid
Bacteria in gut change conjugated bilirubin into this
Urobilinogen
What gives the brown color to feces?
Stercobilin
What is jaundice?
What causes it?
Yellow staining of tissues, by blocked bile ducts or liver disease
Free bilirubin is not water-soluble. The liver _______ it.
conjugates
Can the kidneys excrete bilirubin?
No, it must be changed to Urobilinogen
Conjugated bilirubin goes in the ____, into the small intestine
bile
Where and how is bilirubin changed to urobilinogen?
By bacteria in the small intestine
About __% of urobilinogen stays in the blood through the liver
80%
What gives urine its amber color?
Urobilinogen
Some urobilinogen goes back into bile and is sent back to the _______, this is changed to _______, which gives brown color to feces
intestine
stercobilin
Without bile, what do feces look like?
feces are grey/white with fatty streaks
