Liver
Functions of the Liver
The liver is the body's largest compound gland. It is a major metabolic organ, and is important for degrading alcohol and drugs. It stores glycogen, secretes glucose, plasma proteins and lipoproteins into the blood, and secretes bilirubin (by-produce of haemoglobin), secretory IgA, and bile salts (which emulsify fats) as components of bile (endocrine secretion of the liver).
It is unusual because it has a dual blood supply. Not only does it receive arterial blood from the hepatic artery (about half of the total blood flow), it also receives blood from the hepatic portal vein, which contains nutrients absorbed from the GI tract. After passing through the liver, the blood collects and leaves in hepatic veins. These major blood vessels, enter and leave the liver at the porta hepatis. Also emerging from the porta hepatis are the left and right hepatic ducts which contain the collected bile, and the efferent lymphatics.