Liver

Question 1

hepatic artery delivers?

Answer 1

oxygenated blood from heart to liver

Question 2

hepatic vein delivers?

Answer 2

deoxygenated blood from liver to heart

Question 3

hepatic portal vein delivers?

Answer 3

blood from intestines to liver

Question 4

3 portal triad vessels?

Answer 4

Branch of the Hepatic Artery: brings oxygenated blood to the liver from the hepatic artery.

Branch of the Portal Vein: brings nutrient-rich blood from the digestive tract to the liver.

Bile Ductule (Branch of the hepatic Duct): collects bile produced by the hepatocytes and directs it towards the gallbladder and intestine

Question 5

central vein delivers?

Answer 5

Receives deoxygenated blood from the sinusoids and drains it into the hepatic veins, ultimately returning blood to the heart via the inferior vena cava

Question 6

what are hepatocytes?

Answer 6

cells responsible for most of the functions of the liver

Question 7

what performs blood water regulation (osmoregulation)?

Answer 7

Albumin

Blood protein mainly responsible for maintaining blood osmolarity

High osmolarity means high solute concentration in the solution, and vice versa

Increases the osmolarity of the blood, preventing water loss into the interstitial fluid

Question 8

how does iron regulation work?

Answer 8

Regulated by a negative feedback loop

Normal levels of transferrin in the blood are ~250-300 mg/dL (ie, 300 mg in 1/10 of a Litre).

Control centre: hepatocyte cells in liver, activated by transferrin binding to transferrin receptor 2 on the cell surface

Signals: hepcidin

Effectors: liver, gut, spleen

Iron can only leave cells through a transmembrane iron transporter (channel). Ferroportin acts like a tap, releasing iron into the bloodstream. The regulator of this is the hormone hepcidin (made in the liver), which turns the taps off. Ferroportin is found in 3 places: gut cells, WBC, liver

Mechanism
Hepcidin binds to ferroportin, removing it from the membrane and breaking it down, which prevents the release of iron from cells into the bloodstream

Question 9

what are the types of lipoprotein and what do they do?
[hint: lipo - lipids - cholesterol]

Answer 9

High-density lipoprotein (HDL), often called “good” cholesterol, helps remove excess cholesterol from the blood and transports it back to the liver, where it’s processed and eliminated from the body

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or “bad” cholesterol carries cholesterol to the arteries, where it can build up as plaque, potentially narrowing or blocking blood vessels, which increases heart disease risk

Question 10

bile components

Answer 10

Bile salts: emulsifies fats, facilitates absorption of fat and cholesterol

Bilirubin: pigment that is a waste product from the breakdown of red blood cells in the liver. Gut microbes further breaks down bilirubin to other compounds and eliminated in faeces