PHIL 2130 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2.1: Portal Vein, Hepatic Artery Proper, Common Bile Duct
6 May 2020
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Document Summary
Connective tissue septa divide the liver into lobules, the basic functional units of the liver. Lobule is hexagonal, with 6 portal areas at the corners, each with a branch of the hepatic portal vein, hepatic artery proper and the bile duct. At the center of each lobule is a central vein. Blood from hepatic portal vein and hepatic artery proper drain via the hepatic sinusoids, into the central vein. Blood and bile flow in the liver lobule:-hepatic sinusoids are lined by endothelium. Perisinusoidal disse"s space separates hepatocytes from endothelial cells. Phagocytic kupffer cells engulf pathogens, cellular debris and toxins. Blood flowing from blood vessels of portal areas through the sinusoids, toward the central vein is processed by hepatocytes and kupffer cells. Central veins converge to form the hepatic veins, which empty into the inferior vena cave. Hepatocytes produce and secrete bile into bile canaliculi, then bile ductules and ultimately, bile ducts into the portal area.
