Tag: functions of the liver

The liver is a multifunctional organ that produces bile for digestion, synthesizes cholesterol for cell membranes and hormones, and stores/processes iron (ferritin).

Pepsin is in the stomach, trypsin is in the intestine, and ptyalin is in the mouth. Rennin is a gastric enzyme found in the stomach (specifically in infants), not the liver.

Bile is synthesized by hepatocytes in the liver. The gallbladder only stores and concentrates the bile produced by the liver.

Bile salts are primarily sodium and potassium salts of glycocholic and taurocholic acids. They are essential for the emulsification of fats.

The liver performs many functions like bile production, glycogen storage, and detoxification. Insulin is produced by the beta cells of the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas.

The liver stores glycogen but does NOT release glycogen into blood. Instead, it performs glycogenolysis to break down glycogen and releases glucose into blood. All other options ARE liver functions: bile production, bilirubin uptake/excretion, and urea synthesis.

Bile juice contains bile salts and pigments but lacks digestive enzymes. It aids digestion through the physical emulsification of fats.

The falciform ligament is a fold of peritoneum that attaches the liver to the anterior abdominal wall and the diaphragm.

An antioxidant is a molecule that inhibits the oxidation of other molecules, thereby protecting cells from damage caused by free radicals.

Bile salts (like sodium glycocholate) lower the surface tension of fat droplets, breaking them into smaller particles to increase the surface area for lipase action.