Analysis of Liver Structure and Function: Biology Report

This report provides an overview of the structure and function of the liver. It begins by describing the anatomical features of the liver, including its lobes, lobules, and the Glisson’s capsule. The report highlights the role of blood vessels, such as the hepatic artery and portal vein, in supplying blood to the liver and the structure of lobules, which are the functional units of the liver, containing hepatic cells. Furthermore, the report details the key functions of the liver, including the regulation of blood chemicals, bile production, conversion of glucose to glycogen, conversion of ammonia to urea, processing of bilirubin, and regulation of blood clots. References to the provided sources such as Stanford Children's Health and Memmler's the human body in health and disease are also included.

STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF LIVER
Structure And Function Of Liver
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Author Note

2STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF LIVER
Struture of Liver
Liver is the largest and heaviest organ in the body, weighing around 2-3 pounds in adults. It
is mainly involved in the regulation of metabolic and immune functions of the body. It is
situated in the upper right hand side of the stomach, below the diaphragm. The liver is a
reddish brown organ having four lobes, which is further divided into eight segments. These
segments consists of lobules, each lobule has a a small duct that leads to the common hepatic
duct. The liver is connected by two blood vessels, hepatic artery which carries oxygen rich
blood to the liver and hepatic portal vein which carries nutrient rich blood(Stanford
Children's Health, 2020). The blood vessels are subdivided into small capillaries, which leads
to lobules. Lobules are the functional unit of liver and consist of hepatic cells which are the
basic metabolic cells of the liver. Each lobule is connected by fibrous capsules called
Glisson’s capsule. The two lobes of the liver is connected by falciform ligament.
Function of Liver
Liver helps in regulating the level of chemicals and amino acids in the blood and also secretes
bile, a greenish yellow juice, which helps in elimation of excretory substances from the liver
and breakdown of fats in the small intestine. It also regulates conversion of excess glucose
into glycogen which is stored in the muscles(Cohen & Hull, 2018). It converts poisonous
ammonia into urea, which is an end product in protein metabolism and gets excreted from the
body through urine. Liver eliminates excess bilirubin from the erythrocytes, since buildup of
excess bilirubin may lead to jaundice. Other functions of liver includes processing of
haemoglobin and regulation of blood clots in the plasma.

3STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF LIVER
REFERENCE:
Cohen, B., & Hull, K. (2018). Memmler's the human body in health and disease. Lippincott
Williams & Wilkins.
Stanford Children's Health. (2020). Retrieved 26 February 2020, from
https://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?id=anatomy-and-function-of-the-
liver-90-P03069