SCIENCE LESSONS ABOUT THE LIVER

The human liver and its functions
The liver is located in the upper right-hand part of the abdominal cavity, below the diaphragm, and on top of the stomach, right kidney, and intestines.
It is cone shaped; it is a dark reddish-brown organ because of the enormous blood volume it carries. In weight it lies between 1.44-1.66kg.
It is supplied with blood from:
a.    the hepatic artery bringing in Oxygenated blood
b.    the hepatic portal vein bringing in Nutrient-rich blood  from the digestive system
The liver consists of two main lobes, and each lobe is made up of thousands of lobules. The lobules are connected to small ducts that connect with larger ducts which join up to form the hepatic duct. The hepatic duct transports the bile produced by the liver cells to the gallbladder and duodenum.
 Functions of the liver: the liver is the largest body organ and the most important because of the very many functions it plays in the body. A few of the functions are;
•    Production of bile, which helps carry away waste and break down (emulsifies) fats in the small intestine during digestion.  To emulsify is to break lipids (fats and oils) into smaller droplets which are the chemically digested by enzymes into fatty acids and glycerol. The salts in bile neutralize the acidic food from the stomach and then provide an alkaline pH medium in which the enzymes in the duodenum work best. The wastes in bile are passed out of the body together with faeces.
•    Production of certain types  proteins for blood plasma
•    Production of cholesterol and special proteins to help carry fats through the body
•    Conversion of excess glucose into glycogen for storage using the hormone insulin.
•    It converts glycogen back to glucose for energy once the blood glucose levels drop below normal. The hormone glucagon converts excess glycogen back to glucose.
•    Regulation of blood levels of amino acids from proteins. The body does not store excess amino acids. So do not eat many eggs or a lot of meat alone. It does you no good, apart from giving more tasks to your liver to remove.
•    Processing of hemoglobin for use of its iron content (the liver stores iron)
•    Conversion of toxic ammonia to urea which is less poisonous. Urea is then passed to the kidneys to be excreted in the urine.
•    It detoxifies blood. I.e. removes poisonous substances from blood. These poisons get into blood from the foods we eat and drinks consumed and drugs.
•    Regulating blood clotting.
•    Resisting infections by producing immune factors which guard us against poisons and removing germs from the bloodstream.
•    It regulates blood volume in circulation. It thus stores excess blood.
•    Formation of new red blood cells which aid the transportation on oxygen within the body.
We need to be careful about our health practices, because so far there is no transplantation of the liver. If it gets damaged, our life gets into danger.

For more information, please read biology books like ;understanding biology, functional approach, biological science .