Option D.3

Option D.3 - Functions of the liver

Blood arrives at the liver from 2 sources:

Hepatic artery and hepatic portal vein

Hepatic artery

Branches off from aorta bringing oxygen-rich blood from the heart

Hepatic portal vein

Brings blood from the stomach and the intestines to the liver

Most of the blood circulating in the liver comes from…

Hepatic portal vein

Sinusoids

Vein subdivides into divisions

One of the main functions of the liver is to:

Regulate the quantity of nutrients circulating in the blood

The liver intercepts blood from the gut to…

Regulate nutrient levels

Some excess nutrients can be stored in the…

Liver

Insulin stimulates…

Hepatocytes to take up the glucose and store is as glycogen

Typical life span of a red blood cell (erythrocyte)

120 days

Liver is involved in the breakdown of…

erythrocytes and hemoglobin

Kupffer cells

Macrophages that line the sinusoids in the liver

Kupffer cells release…

Bilirubin to the blood

Kupffer cells are capable of…

Phagocytosis (Engulfing foreign particles and substances)

Iron is carried to the bone marrow to produce…

Hemoglobin in new red blood cells

Transferrin

Protein bound to iron

Red blood cells are formed from…

stem cells in the bone marrow

Hepatocytes secrete a green-brown fluid called…

Bile

When a disease interferes with the normal metabolism or excretion of bilirubin…

It can build up in the blood therefore causing jaundice

Jaundice

Yellowing of the eyes and skin

Jaundice is a condition in which…

the skin and eyes are discolored due to the deposition of excess bilirubin in skin tissues

Surplus cholesterol is converted to…

Bile salts

Lipoproteins

Lipids are transported in the blood in vesicles

Endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus in hepatocytes produce…

Plasma membranes

The liver removes…

toxins from the blood and detoxifies them