Picture of the Liver
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Front View of the Liver
The liver is a large, meaty organ that sits on the right side of the belly. Weighing about 3 pounds, the liver is reddish-brown in color and feels rubbery to the touch. Normally you can't feel the liver, because it's protected by the rib cage.
The liver has two large sections, called the right and the left lobes. The gallbladder sits under the liver, along with parts of the pancreas and intestines. The liver and these organs work together to digest, absorb, and process food.
The liver's main job is to filter the blood coming from the digestive tract, before passing it to the rest of the body. The liver also detoxifies chemicals and metabolizes drugs. As it does so, the liver secretes bile that ends up back in the intestines. The liver also makes proteins important for blood clotting and other functions.
The liver is the largest gland or chemical factory in the body. It is like a sponge shaped like a wedge. It has many metabolic and secretory functions. It produces a digestive fluid called bile, which is important in faciliating fat digestion and absorption.
It stores vitamins and glycogen (a polysaccharide, that is the main form of carbohydrate storage in animals and occurs primarily in the liver and muscle tissue. It is readily converted to glucose as needed by the body to satisfy its energy needs. Also called animal starch).
Some of its other tasks are;
to synthesize blood clotting substances,
to remove waste and toxic material from the blood,
to regulate blood volume, and
to eliminate red blood cells that are no longer needed.
The liver produces and releases about 800 and 1,000 ml of bile each day. Bile is also a gateway for the excretion of toxic substances such as drugs. A duct carries the bile to the common bile duct, which pours the bile into the duodenum (first section of the small intestines). The ducts are also connected to the gallbladder where the bile is concentrated and stored. Used red blood cells, which are called senescent red blood cells, are destroyed in the liver, spleen, and bone marrow. Bile is a greenish orange color because of the pigment bilirubin, which is made by the breakdown of hemoglobin (the iron-containing respiratory pigment in red blood cells).
Liver cells produce a number of enzymes. When blood flows through the liver, the cells and enzymes are filtered. Nutrients that come into the liver through the intestines are converted so they can be used by cells and stored more easily.
1. Fats --> Fatty acids-->Carbohydrates or ketone bodies
2. Sugars --> Glycogen (stored in the liver until energy production --> glucose)
Some of its other tasks are;
to synthesize blood clotting substances,
to remove waste and toxic material from the blood,
to regulate blood volume, and
to eliminate red blood cells that are no longer needed.
The liver produces and releases about 800 and 1,000 ml of bile each day. Bile is also a gateway for the excretion of toxic substances such as drugs. A duct carries the bile to the common bile duct, which pours the bile into the duodenum (first section of the small intestines). The ducts are also connected to the gallbladder where the bile is concentrated and stored. Used red blood cells, which are called senescent red blood cells, are destroyed in the liver, spleen, and bone marrow. Bile is a greenish orange color because of the pigment bilirubin, which is made by the breakdown of hemoglobin (the iron-containing respiratory pigment in red blood cells).
Liver cells produce a number of enzymes. When blood flows through the liver, the cells and enzymes are filtered. Nutrients that come into the liver through the intestines are converted so they can be used by cells and stored more easily.
1. Fats --> Fatty acids-->Carbohydrates or ketone bodies
2. Sugars --> Glycogen (stored in the liver until energy production --> glucose)
The liver produces blood serum proteins and many clotting factors.
The liver metabolizes nitrogenous waste products and detoxifies poisonous substances, making them ready for excretion through urine or feces.
The liver metabolizes nitrogenous waste products and detoxifies poisonous substances, making them ready for excretion through urine or feces.
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