THE HUMAN LIVER
THE HUMAN LIVER
Steve Shockley
SC235: General Biology 1: Human Perspectives
Professor Alissa Rennie
January 4, 2015
The Liver is the body 's second largest organ, weighing about three pounds in an average adult. The human Liver performs many vital functions and is not like any other organ, it cannot be compensated by other organs or machines. It is positioned in the upper right side of the abdomen, just under the diaphragm. It’s a reddish brown color with four bulging lobes. The main role of the liver is to store and filter blood, it stores about 1 pint at a time, and it also transfers about 75% of the blood around the body. Without the liver, our bodies would be poisoned and unhealthy due to the livers ability to synthesis plasma proteins, its blood clotting factors and its blood purification and detoxification abilities. Some primary functions of the liver are: Bile productions and excretion, Excretion of, cholesterol, hormones, and drugs. The liver also Metabolizes fats, proteins, and carbohydrates, and Stores glycogen, vitamins, and minerals. The liver turns most of the sugar you consume into chemicals known as glycogen or dextrose that can be used by the body as a main source of energy.
The liver has 4 unequally divided sections, known as lobes. The internal structure of the liver is made of around 100,000 small hexagonal shaped units known as lobules. Each lobule consists of a central vein surrounded by 6 hepatic portal veins and 6 hepatic arteries. These blood vessels are connected by many capillary-like tubes called sinusoids that extend from the portal veins and arteries to meet the central vein. Each sinusoid passes through liver tissue containing 2 main cell types: Kupffer cells and hepatocytes. Kupffer cells are a type of macrophage that capture and break down old, worn out red blood cells and also destroy cancerous liver cells. Kupffer cells are star shaped cells that protect the liver from bacteria and other harmful antigens that may
Steve Shockley
SC235: General Biology 1: Human Perspectives
Professor Alissa Rennie
January 4, 2015
The Liver is the body 's second largest organ, weighing about three pounds in an average adult. The human Liver performs many vital functions and is not like any other organ, it cannot be compensated by other organs or machines. It is positioned in the upper right side of the abdomen, just under the diaphragm. It’s a reddish brown color with four bulging lobes. The main role of the liver is to store and filter blood, it stores about 1 pint at a time, and it also transfers about 75% of the blood around the body. Without the liver, our bodies would be poisoned and unhealthy due to the livers ability to synthesis plasma proteins, its blood clotting factors and its blood purification and detoxification abilities. Some primary functions of the liver are: Bile productions and excretion, Excretion of, cholesterol, hormones, and drugs. The liver also Metabolizes fats, proteins, and carbohydrates, and Stores glycogen, vitamins, and minerals. The liver turns most of the sugar you consume into chemicals known as glycogen or dextrose that can be used by the body as a main source of energy.
The liver has 4 unequally divided sections, known as lobes. The internal structure of the liver is made of around 100,000 small hexagonal shaped units known as lobules. Each lobule consists of a central vein surrounded by 6 hepatic portal veins and 6 hepatic arteries. These blood vessels are connected by many capillary-like tubes called sinusoids that extend from the portal veins and arteries to meet the central vein. Each sinusoid passes through liver tissue containing 2 main cell types: Kupffer cells and hepatocytes. Kupffer cells are a type of macrophage that capture and break down old, worn out red blood cells and also destroy cancerous liver cells. Kupffer cells are star shaped cells that protect the liver from bacteria and other harmful antigens that may
References: http://www.innerbody.com/image_digeov/card10-new2.html http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/344579/liver http://www.preservearticles.com/2012032128482/short-essay-on-chronic-liver-disease.html