The Structure and Function of the Liver | Quizlet

What is the Ornithine cycle?

A series of biochemical reactions that convert ammonia to urea

Why can Ammonia not be stored in the body?

-Ammonia is highly toxic, so cannot be handled in the bloodstream and needs to be converted into Urea, which is less toxic so can be handled in the body

How does Ammonia get converted to Urea?(2)

-Deamination: Amino group removed from each amino acid, along with H+, to form keto acid + ammonia

-This ammonia then reacts with Carbon Dioxide to form Urea + Water

2NH₃ + CO₂ → CO(NH₂)₂ + H₂O

What is the Function of the liver?

-Storage of glycogen

-Formation of urea

-Detoxification

What are the two main blood vessels supplying the liver?

-Hepatic artery: Carries oxygenated blood from the heart

Hepatic portal vein: Takes nutrient-rich blood from the intestine to the liver

What is the function of hepatic veins?

-Carry blood from the liver to the vena cava

What organ is the liver connected to and what is its function?

The gall bladder, which:

-Stores bile

-Releases bile into the duodenum via the bile duct

What is bile, and where is it stored?

What does bile contain?

-Water

-Bile salts

-Bile pigments

How do bile salts aid digestion?

-Emulsify fats (break them into smaller droplets) for lipase action.

What are liver cells called and what's their function?

-Hepatocytes, and they perform the metabolic actions in regards to the liver(e.g. detoxification, protein synthesis, bile production)

What are the functional units of the liver called?

Liver lobules (hexagonal structures made of hepatocytes).