LIVER AND BILIARY SYSTEM

Irawan Yusuf
Department of Physiology

ANATOMI OF THE LIVER

The liver is the largest organ in
the body - 1,200 ~ 1,500 gm.
It comprises about 1/50 of the
total adult body weight, and it
is relatively larger in infancy,
comprising about 1/18 of the
birth weight.
It is a complex organ that
performs many vital functions,
from regulating the levels of
chemicals in the body to
producing
important
substances including blood
coagulation factors.

The liver has two lobes, the

right and the left. The right
lobe is about six times the size
of the left.

PHYSIOLOGY OF THE LIVER

The liver consists of four systems:
1.Hepatocyte ( liver cell) system
2.Biliary tract system
3.Blood circulatory system
4.Reticulo-endothelial system

Histology of the Liver Cells

Blood Circulatory System

Dual blood circulatory system:

Systemic circulation
Portal circulation
Blood flow of the liver: 1,300 cc of blood flow into the
liver every minute, it is about 1/4 of the cardiac output.
3/4 of the blood in the liver is supplied by the portal
system, and the remaining 1/4 is supplied by hepatic
artery from systemic circulation.
The liver receives blood from both the intestine and the
heart. The blood then flows through a latticework of tiny
channels inside the liver. Blood from the intestine and
heart then mix together and flow back to the heart
through the hepatic vein.

 The portal system includes all the

veins which drain the blood from
the abdominal part of the
digestive tube (with the exception
of the lower part of the rectum)
and from the spleen, pancreas,
and gall-bladder. From these
viscera the blood is conveyed to
the liver by the portal vein.
The portal vein (vena port) is
about 8 cm. in length, The right
branch of the portal vein enters
the right lobe of the liver, but
before doing so generally receives
the cystic vein. The left branch,
longer but of smaller caliber than
the right, crosses the left sagittal
fossa, gives branches to the
caudate lobe, and then enters the
left lobe of the liver.

Reticulo-endothelial System
Kupffer cells: highly mobile macrophages,
attached to the endothelium, phagocytic
Lipocytes (Ito cells): fat-storing cells in the
sinusoids
Pit cells: highly mobile, natural killer
lymphocytes attached to the endothelium
Endothelial cells:

Function of The Liver

Formation and secretion of bile

Nutrient and vitamin metabolism
Carbohydrate
Protein
Lipids
Vitamins
Drugs
Inactivation of various substances
Toxins
Steroids and other hormones
Synthesis of plasma proteins
Albumin
Clotting factors
Binding proteins
Immunity
Kupffer cells

BILIARY SECRETIONS
General Feature of Bile
Function. Bile is required for the digestion and
absorption of fats and for the excretion water-insoluble
substances such as cholesterol and bilirubin
Formation. Bile is formed by the hepatocyte and ductal
cells. Between 250-1100 ml of bile secreted daily
Storage. Bile is stored in the gall bladder
Release. Bile is released during digestive period after
chyme has triggered the release of CCK, which then
produces contraction of the gallbladder and relaxation of
the sphincter Oddi

Composition of Bile

Water
97.0%
Bile salts
0.7%
Bile pigments
0.2%
Cholesterol
0.06%
Inorganic salts
0.7%
Fatty acids
0.15%
Lecithin
0.1%
Fat
0.1%
Alkaline phosphatase ----