Structure of the Liver

Question 1

What does the hepatic artery do?

Answer 1

• Supplies the liver oxygenated blood from the heart from the heart, so the liver has a good supply of oxygen for respiration, providing plenty of energy.

Question 2

What does the hepatic vein do?

Answer 2

• takes deoxygenated blood away from the liver

Question 3

What does the hepatic portal vein do?

Answer 3

• brings blood from the duoenum and ileum, so it’s rich in the products of digestion
• Any harmful substances are filtered out and broken down straight away

Question 4

What does the bile duct do?

Answer 4

• Takes bile to the gall bladder to be stored

Question 5

What is the role of bile?

Answer 5

• A substance produced by the liver to emulsify fats
• Move from liver to gall bladder via the Bile Duct

Question 6

What are the uses of the liver?

Answer 6

• Detoxification e.g. alcohol
• carbohydrate metabolism
• Deamination of amino acids
• transamination of amino acids
• conversion of one amino acid to another

Question 6

What is the role of the Gall Bladder?

Answer 6

• stores Fats

Question 7

What are lobules?

Answer 7

• cylindrical structures made up of rows of individual liver cells called hepatocytes

Question 7

What are hepatocytes?

Answer 7

• individual liver cells which radiate outwards in rows from the centre of each lobule

Question 8

What are sinusoids?

Answer 8

• specialised capillaries

Question 9

What are Portal Triads?

Answer 9

• Between each hepatocyte is a triad of portal veins, arteries and bile ducts which drain into or out of the central vein of a hepatocyte to transfer substances via diffusion.

Question 10

What are Kupffer cells?

Answer 10

• Specialised phagocyte cells which can deal with any pathogens entering the liver