Hepa Wash - The Liver and its Functions

The liver is the largest and one of the most important internal organs. It weighs about 1.5 kg and is located in the right upper part of the abdominal cavity. The liver receives 30% of the blood in the systemic circulation. The venous blood from the digestive tract goes first to the liver via the portal vein before returning to the heart. The surface area for exchange between liver cells and the blood is around 400 m².

The liver consists of small functional units or lobules. Blood enters the lobules through branches of the portal vein and hepatic artery, then flows through small channels called sinusoids that are ligned with primary liver cells, i.e. hepatocytes, resonsible for most of the liver functions. The hepatocytes for example remove toxic substances, including alcohol, from the blood, which then exits the lobule through the central vein (i.e., the hepatic venule).

The main liver functions are summarized in the table below:

It plays a major role in metabolism, in addition to its large storage of glycogen and other nutrients.
It synthesizes many important substances including urea, plasma proteins, hormones, and lipoproteins.
Detoxicates certain unwanted or toxic substances by making them water soluble facilitating their removal through bile or kidney.
It is the largest gland of the body. The bile excreted by the liver cells helps in fat digestion. It also secrets important hormones into the circulation regulating platelet production and growth.
It has important immunological functions. Its large population of immune cells plays important roles in the defense against pathogens coming from digestive tract, production of cytokines and elimination of metastatic cells.
In addition, it is responsible for the regulation of the bodies acid-base and electrolyte balance.