Liver: Key Points
- The liver is the largest exocrine gland in the body, weighing about 1.5 kg.
- It stores iron from hemoglobin in the form of ferritin.
- Located in the upper right abdomen, beneath the ribcage.
- Found only in vertebrate animals.
- It stores glucose in the form of glycogen.
- Cirrhosis is a condition where healthy liver tissue is replaced by scar tissue.
- Maximum blood is stored in the liver in human beings.
- Bile juice is a digestive fluid produced by the liver and stored in the gallbladder.
- It synthesizes proteins like prothrombin and fibrinogen.
- The liver stores fat-soluble vitamins: A, D, E, K, and B12.
- It is divided into a larger right lobe and a smaller left lobe by the falciform ligament.
- Synthesizes bile juice, fatty acids, cholesterol, phospholipids, and 50% of the body’s lymph.
- Known as the "Busy Organ" due to its high metabolic activity.
- Produces waste products like urea, uric acid, creatine, and bilirubin.
- Contains Kupffer cells that act as scavengers for microorganisms and toxins.
- Heparin, urea, and bile juice are formed in the liver.
- The portal vein supplies 75% of the liver’s blood; the hepatic artery supplies 25%.
- The liver can regenerate itself even after significant damage.
- Performs key metabolic processes: glycogenesis, glycogenolysis, gluconeogenesis, and deamination.
- Blood supply rate: 1500 ml/min (1000 ml deoxygenated via portal vein + 500 ml oxygenated via hepatic artery).
Source: Gyanpoints