Liver sinusoid

Hepatic sinusoidal blood vessel

Liver sinusoid

Sinusoid of a rat liver with fenestrated endothelial cells. Fenestrae are approx 100 nm diameter, and the sinusoidal width 5 µm.

Basic liver structure

Details
Drains from| Hepatic portal vein
Drains to| Central veins of liver
Identifiers
Latin| vas sinusoideum
TH| H3.04.05.0.00014
FMA| 17543
Anatomical terminology

[edit on Wikidata]

A liver sinusoid is a type of capillary known as a sinusoidal capillary, discontinuous capillary or sinusoid, that is similar to a fenestrated capillary, having discontinuous endothelium that serves as a location for mixing of the oxygen-rich blood from the hepatic artery and the nutrient-rich blood from the portal vein.[1]

The liver sinusoid has a larger caliber than other types of capillaries and has a lining of specialised endothelial cells known as the liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs), and Kupffer cells.[2] The cells are porous and have a scavenging function.[3] The LSECs make up around half of the non-parenchymal cells in the liver and are flattened and fenestrated.[4] LSECs have many fenestrae that gives easy communication between the sinusoidal lumen and the space of Disse. They play a part in filtration, endocytosis, and in the regulation of blood flow in the sinusoids.[5]

The Kupffer cells can take up and destroy foreign material such as bacteria. Hepatocytes are separated from the sinusoids by the space of Disse. Hepatic stellate cells are present in the space of Disse and are involved in scar formation in response to liver damage.

Defenestration happens when LSECs are lost rendering the sinusoid as an ordinary capillary. This process precedes fibrosis.[6]

## Endothelium

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The liver sinusoidal endothelial cells are cultured for a variety of research purposes. The utility of these cells are of particular interest. One problem to overcome is the reversing of cellular differentiation that has made these cells highly specialized phenotypically in vitro.[7]

## Additional images

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* Human liver sinusoid

* A single lobule of the liver of a pig. X 60.

## References

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1. ^ SIU SOM Histology GI
2. ^ Brunt, EM; et al. (June 2014). "Pathology of the liver sinusoids". Histopathology. 64 (7): 907–20\. doi:10.1111/his.12364. PMID 24393125. S2CID 12709169.
3. ^ DeLeve, LD (November 2007). "Hepatic microvasculature in liver injury". Seminars in Liver Disease. 27 (4): 390–400\. doi:10.1055/s-2007-991515. PMID 17979075.
4. ^ Xing, Y; Zhao, T; Gao, X; Wu, Y (18 February 2016). "Liver X receptor α is essential for the capillarization of liver sinusoidal endothelial cells in liver injury". Scientific Reports. 6: 21309. Bibcode:2016NatSR...621309X. doi:10.1038/srep21309. PMC 4758044. PMID 26887957.
5. ^ Arii, S; Imamura, M (2000). "Physiological role of sinusoidal endothelial cells and Kupffer cells and their implication in the pathogenesis of liver injury". Journal of Hepato-biliary-pancreatic Surgery. 7 (1): 40–8\. doi:10.1007/s005340050152. PMID 10982590.
6. ^ Xie, G; Wang, X; Wang, L; Wang, L; Atkinson, RD; Kanel, GC; Gaarde, WA; Deleve, LD (April 2012). "Role of differentiation of liver sinusoidal endothelial cells in progression and regression of hepatic fibrosis in rats". Gastroenterology. 142 (4): 918–927.e6. doi:10.1053/j.gastro.2011.12.017. PMC 3618963. PMID 22178212.
7. ^ Sellaro TL, Ravindra AK, Stolz DB, Badylak SF (September 2007). "Maintenance of hepatic sinusoidal endothelial cell phenotype in vitro using organ-specific extracellular matrix scaffolds". Tissue Eng. 13 (9): 2301–2310\. doi:10.1089/ten.2006.0437. PMID 17561801. Retrieved 28 April 2013.

## External links

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* UIUC Histology Subject 589
* Histology image: 15504loa – Histology Learning System at Boston University - "Liver, Gall Bladder, and Pancreas: liver, classic lobule"
* Histology image: 22103loa – Histology Learning System at Boston University - "Ultrastructure of the Cell: hepatocytes and sinusoids, sinusoid and space of Disse"
* Histology at anhb.uwa.edu.au

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Anatomy of the liver, pancreas and biliary tree

Liver|

* Bare area
* Cantlie line
* Ligamentum venosum
* Porta hepatis
* Round ligament
* Lobes of liver
* Caudate
* Quadrate
* Fibrous capsule of Glisson
* Perisinusoidal space
* Liver sinusoid
* Periportal space
* Portal triad
* Lobules of liver
* Liver segment
* Microanatomy
* Hepatocyte
* Hepatic stellate cell
* Kupffer cell
* Liver sinusoidal endothelial cell

Biliary tract|

| Bile ducts|

* Intrahepatic bile ducts
* Bile canaliculus
* Canals of Hering
* Interlobular
* Left hepatic duct
* Right hepatic duct
* Common hepatic duct
* Cells
* Cholangiocyte

|

Gallbladder|

* Cystic duct
* Common bile duct
* Ampulla of Vater
* Sphincter of Oddi
* Cells
* Cholecystocyte

Pancreas|

* Gross
* Tail
* Body
* Neck
* Head (Uncinate process)
* Ducts
* main
* accessory
* Microanatomy
* Pancreatic islets
* Centroacinar cell
* Stellate cell

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Veins of the abdomen and pelvis

To azygos system|

* ascending lumbar
* subcostal

IVC
(Systemic)|

| To IVC or left renal vein|

* inferior phrenic
* hepatic
* central veins of liver
* liver sinusoid
* suprarenal
* renal
* gonadal
* ovarian ♀/testicular ♂
* pampiniform plexus ♂
* lumbar
* common iliac

|

Common iliac|

| Unpaired|

* median sacral vein

|

Internal iliac|

| posterior:|

* iliolumbar
* superior gluteal
* lateral sacral

|

anterior:|

* inferior gluteal
* obturator
* uterine ♀
* uterine plexus ♀
* vesical
* vesical plexus
* prostatic plexus ♂
* deep of penis ♂/clitoris ♀
* posterior scrotal ♂/labial ♀
* vaginal plexus/vein ♀
* middle rectal
* internal pudendal
* inferior rectal
* bulb of penis ♂/vestibule ♀
* rectal plexus

External iliac|

* inferior epigastric
* deep circumflex iliac vein

Portal vein
(Portal)|

| Splenic|

* short gastric
* left gastroepiploic
* pancreatic
* inferior mesenteric
* superior rectal
* left colic

|

Superior mesenteric|

* right gastroepiploic
* pancreaticoduodenal
* jejunal
* ileal
* middle colic
* right colic
* ileocolic
* appendicular

Direct|

* cystic
* left gastric/esophageal
* right gastric
* paraumbilical

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