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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
Note 
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