Question

Describe the anatomy and physiology of the Liver

Answer 1

The liver is situated in the upper right part of the abdominal cavity, below the diaphragm, and above the stomach, right kidney, and intestines.The liver is shaped like a cone and is a dark reddish-brown organ weighing around three pounds. The blood supply to the liver is from two different sources, hepatic artery(Oxygenated blood) and hepatic portal vein(nutrient-rich blood). At any given moment, the liver holds about 13 per cent of the body's blood supply. The liver is comprised of two major lobes, each consisting of eight segments which contains almost 1,000 lobules (small lobes). These lobules are linked to small ducts (tubes) which form the common hepatic duct with larger ducts. The common hepatic duct carries the bile produced by the liver cells through the common bile duct to the gallbladder and duodenum.

Any blood that exits the stomach and intestines flows through the liver. The liver filters this blood and breaks down, combines and produces the nutrients and even metabolizes medications into safer/non-toxic forms to be used by the body.

Major functions of liver include,

• production of bile, that helps remove waste and decompose fats in the small intestine during digestion.
• synthesis of certain proteins for blood plasma.
• synthesis of special proteins and cholesterol to help transport fats through the body
• turning excess glucose to glycogen for storage and converting it back to glucose when needed.
• controling amino acid level in blood.
• breaking down hemoglobin to use its iron content.
• converting of ammonia to urea.
• regulation of blood clotting.
• infection tolerance by producing immune factors and eliminating bacteria from the bloodstream.
• removal of bilirubin.

When the liver has decomposed toxic substances it excretes its by-products into the bile or blood. Bile by-products go into the intestine, exiting the body in the form of feces whereas the kidneys filter out blood by-products and exit the body in the form of urine.