Hepatic Functions

The pancreas is responsible for secreting digestive enzymes into the duodenum. These enzymes then break down protein, fats and carbohydrates. The pancreas is also responsible for making insulin and secreting it directly into the bloodstream. The livers main function within the digestive system is to process the nutrients which are absorbed from the small intestine. Bile is secreted

The digestion of the stomach wall is disallowed by its mucus lining. The food in the stomach takes about three to four hours in the stomach before the semi liquid chyme is passed through the pyloric sphincter bit by bit into the small intestines.

2. Describe the functional anatomy of the duct system that conveys bile from the liver and digestive juice from the pancreas to the lumen of the

The bile emulsifies fats and neutralizes acids in partly digested food. A muscular valve in the common bile duct opens, and the bile flows from the gallbladder into the cystic duct, along the common bile duct, and into the duodenum.

The bile moves down the common bile duct, through the pancreatic duct and then into the duodenum and through the rest of the intestine.

The gallbladder, is located just behind the liver. The liver has bile ducts and that is how it is connected to

The liver has many roles in the body that associate it with many systems. For example, it acts as a digestive organ by secreting bile for the breakdown of fat (Copstead, 2010). The liver also removes bilirubin from the blood, temporarily stores blood and synthesizes the blood clotting factors (Copstead, 2010). Other functions of the liver are; removing toxins from the blood, metabolizing both sex hormones and steroid hormones. Any damage to the liver can in turn disrupt any of these processes and functions that it performs.

The gall bladder is an accessory organ to the body. The gallbladder stores the bile that is made by the liver to send to the digestive tract. It is located under the liver, so they can work together in the digestive process. The structure of this organ can be described as hollow and resembles the shape of a pear when full. When the organ is empty, it can resemble more of sac. It is a very small organ, located closer to the right lobe of the liver. The gallbladder also sits closely in relation to the pancreas, located slightly off to the right-hand side of the organ. In location to the body, you can describe the organ as being within the in the upper right quadrant of the abdomen. The gallbladder’s only enzyme is the bile that is created by

porta hepatis to the inferior edge of the liver. The gallbladders length is 7-10cm, and its width is 3-4cm, and furthermore contains from 30-50ml bile.

The gallbladder is a small storage organ shaped like a small pear under the liver, in which bile is stored after it is secreted by the liver and before it is released into the duodenum of the small intestine to break down any fatty foods. Bile comes from cholesterol, bile salts, and waste products and without the gallbladder there is no longer a storage place to hold the bile. It continuously runs from the liver, through the hepatic ducts, into the bile duct, and straight into the small intestine. When a rich in fat meal is consumed, there is too little bile accessible to digest it suitably.

The Liver the largest and heaviest organ makes bile then stores it in the gallbladder. Which stores the bile then squirts it into the small intestine to break down fatty foods if needed. Banana squeezes through the Duendom the beginning part of the small intestine connecting the small intestine to the stomach. The small intestine is a 600cm long tube, and does the most absorption in the whole digestive system through little finger like sponges called villi. Villi have capillaries located through them that absorb nutrients then leak the nutrients into the bloodstream. The nutrients are leaked into the bloodstream because cells need nutrients to be able to do their jobs for the body. Nutrients and

The pancreas is a digestive organ that lies below the stomach, it is mostly made up of exocrine and endocrine tissues. The exocrine parts form sacs known as Acini, which connect to ducts with empty into the first part of the intestine (The duodenum). Smaller parts of the exocrine glands are dispersed all throughout the pancreas which are known as islets of Langerhans (Anon, Unknown).

The digestive system contains nutrients, water, and electrolytes that the body needs to maintain a healthy lifestyle. “The organs of this system ingest, and absorb food and eliminate the undigested remains as feces” (Human Anatomy and Physiology, 2012). The process of the digestive system first starts by eating food through the mouth. After the food has been eaten, it then breaks down into subunits, process called digestion. Next is the movement of the food along the GI tract so all functions can be fulfilled. Then the absorption of the nutrients in the GI tract are delivered to cells through the blood. The elimination of indigestible molecules is the last step in the process. The alimentary canal walls have four tunics (layers). “Each of these tunics has a predominant tissue type and a specific function in the digestive process” (Human Anatomy and Physiology, 2012). The mucosa is the innermost layer and is a “wet epithelial membrane abutting the alimentary canal lumen” (Human Anatomy and Physiology, 2012). The mucous membrane “consists of a surface epithelium, a lamina propia, and a muscularis mucosa” (Human Anatomy and Physiology, 2012). The

The gallbladder stores and concentrates bile. If the gallbladder was damaged or dysfunctional there would be softer and more frequent stools. (Audesirk, T., & Audesirk, G. (1999). Retrieved November 21, 2015 from Chapter 29: Nutrition and Digestion. In Biology: Life on Earth (5th ed., p. 585, 586). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall.) (General Surgery- Gallstones (Cholelithiasis). (n.d.). Retrieved November 21, 2015, from

The bile moves into the gallbladder via tiny tubes. The bile is stored in the gallbladder and waits, becoming concentrated, for the signal to be released into the duodenum aiding in digestion. Without bile, the body could not digest fats, as fats do not absorb into water. The bile acts as a detergent and allows the two to mix.