Tag: functions of the liver

The human liver carries out more than 500 metabolic functions, includ­ing the detoxification of harmful substances in the body. Over 2 quarts of blood pass through this important organ every minute of every day, filter­ing and transforming chemicals to keep the body clean. The liver also pro­duces bile into which fat-soluble toxins are attached and then discharged into the gastrointestinal tract.

The liver is the largest gland of the body weighing about 1.2 to 1.5 kg in an adult human. It is situated in the abdominal cavity, just below the diaphragm and has two lobes.  The bile secreted by the hepatic cells is released into the duodenum contains bile pigments (bilirubin and biliverdin), bile salts, cholesterol and phospholipids but no enzymes.  The bile secreted is a yellowish-green fluid that aids in the emulsification of fats. Bile is not an enzyme, but it does contain bile salts that emulsify large fat droplets. Hence, the liver does not produce digestive enzymes.

So, the correct answer is 'liver'.

Liver is the largest gland of the body. It plays a prominent role in the metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins, fats. It converts excess of glucose into glycogen and thus regulates sugar level in blood. It plays a major role in the breakdown of hemologbin. Thus option D is the correct answer. 

Bile or gall is a dark green to yellowish brown fluid, produced by the liver of most vertebrates, that aids the digestion of lipids in the small intestine. In humans, bile is produced continuously by the liver (liver bile) and stored and concentrated in the gallbladder (gallbladder bile). After eating, this stored bile is discharged into the duodenum. Bile is not secreted by small intestine, large intestine or pancreas.

• Deamination is the process by which amino acids are broken down if there is an excess of protein intake.  It is the removal of an amine group from a molecule in the presence of an enzyme called deaminase. It takes place in the liver. Hence the process of breaking down excess amino acids in the liver is known as Deamination. 

Angiotensin is a peptide hormone, that causes vasoconstriction and a subsequent increase in blood pressure. It is derived from the precursor molecule angiotensinogen, a serum globulin produced in the liver. It plays an important role in the renin-angiotensin system. 

Animal flesh is composed of the most highly complex type of protein and requires vast amounts of uric acid to process. Uric acid is released into the system in amounts necessary to break proteins down into amino acids. Uric acid is a toxic substance and must be flushed out by the liver. Hence the carnivore's liver is designed with the capacity to eliminate ten times as much uric acid as the liver of man or other plant eaters. 

Glycogenolysis is the process by which glycogen stored in the liver and muscle cells of animals, is broken down into glucose to provide immediate energy and to maintain blood glucose levels during fasting. Glycogenolysis occurs in the liver and is stimulated by the hormones glucagon and epinephrine (adrenaline). It is the catabolic process where break down of glycogen occurs by the enzyme glycogen phosphorylase.

Kidner functions as a blood filtration tool which separates waste from the blood. The spleen is the site where blood is filtered as a part of immune system, also recycling of old blood cells are done here. Bone marrow is the site where there is the formation of new blood cells. The intestine is the only place where the protein in ingested food is broken down into simple forms after the partial breakdown in the stomach. So major proteinaceous food is broken down into free amino acids in the intestine.