Tag: liver

The digestive glands associated with the alimentary canal include the salivary glands, the liver and the pancreas. 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 hepatic lobules are the structural and functional units of liver containing hepatic cells arranged in the form of cords. Each lobule is covered by a thin connective tissue sheath called the Glissons capsule. The bile secreted by the hepatic cells passes through the hepatic ducts and is stored and concentrated in a thin muscular sac, called the gall bladder. The duct of gall bladder (cystic duct) along with the hepatic duct from the liver forms the common bile duct.

Gastrin is a peptide hormone that stimulates secretion of gastric acid by the parietal cells of the stomach.

Fat builds up in the liver cells, when the liver fails to break down, transfer and store fat effectively, causing abnormal liver function and inflammation, which can lead to liver scarring (known as cirrhosis). The main pigment in bile, bilirubin, is a waste product that is formed from hemoglobin (the protein that carries oxygen in the blood) and is excreted in bile. About half the bile secreted between meals flows directly through the common bile duct into the small intestine. The rest of the bile is diverted through the cystic duct into the gallbladder to be stored. Liver stores the fat soluble vitamins (A,D, E & K) and Vit B12.

Fibrin is a tough protein substance that is arranged in long fibrous chains; it is formed from fibrinogen, a soluble protein that is produced by the liver and found in blood plasma. In the clotting mechanism, fibrin threads form a meshwork for the basis of a blood clot. Most of the fibrinogen in the circulating blood is formed in the liver.

Glycogenesis is the process of glycogen synthesis, in which glucose molecules are added to chains of glycogen for storage. This process is activated during rest periods following the Cori cycle, in the liver, and also activated by insulin in response to high glucose levels. Mostly glycogenesis occurs in the liver.

The yellow colour of the stools is due to the presence of bile pigments. Bile pigments are the excretory products. Bile is a bitter-tasting greenish-yellow alkaline fluid produced by the liver and stored in the gall bladder and secreted into the duodenum. It assists the digestion and absorption of fats by the action of bile salts, which chemically reduce fatty substances and decrease the surface tension of fat droplets so that they are broken down and emulsified. So, the correct answer is (a).