PhysiologyLesson 6 of 7 in the course The Digestive System

Liver, Pancreas, and Gallbladder: Digestive Roles and Secretions

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

The liver is a large, multifunctional organ whose digestive contribution is to produce bile. Its organization allows it to process nutrients and other substances carried in blood while directing bile toward the small intestine.

The liver is the body's largest gland, weighing about three pounds in an adult. It lies below the diaphragm in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen and is partly protected by the ribs. Its many functions include metabolic regulation as well as digestion.

All flashcards

Porta hepatis
The liver region where the hepatic artery and portal vein enter and the common hepatic duct exits.
Portal triad
A group at the edge of a liver lobule containing a bile duct and branches of two blood vessels.
Emulsification
The dispersal of large fat globules into smaller droplets, increasing the surface available to digestive enzymes.
Pancreatic zymogen
An inactive precursor of a protein-digesting enzyme, secreted to help protect the pancreas from self-digestion.
Gallbladder
A muscular sac that stores and concentrates bile before releasing it into the duodenum.

Quiz questions

  1. Which vessel carries nutrient-rich blood from the digestive tract to the liver?Answer: The hepatic portal vein.
  2. How do blood and bile flow relative to each other within a hepatic lobule?Answer: Blood flows toward the central vein; bile flows toward ducts at the perimeter.
  3. What is the main digestive role of bicarbonate in pancreatic juice?Answer: It buffers acidic chyme entering the duodenum.
  4. Which enzyme activates pancreatic trypsinogen in the duodenum?Answer: Enteropeptidase.
  5. What does cholecystokinin (CCK) promote when fatty chyme reaches the duodenum?Answer: Gallbladder contraction and enzyme-rich secretion from pancreatic acinar cells.

Based on Anatomy and Physiology 2e by J. Gordon Betts, Kelly A. Young, James A. Wise, Eddie Johnson, Brandon Poe, Dean H. Kruse, Oksana Korol, Jody E. Johnson, Mark Womble, Peter DeSaix (OpenStax), licensed CC BY 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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