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Bile. Bile (from Latin bilis), or gall, is a yellow-green fluid produced by the liver of most vertebrates that aids the digestion of lipids in the small intestine. In humans, bile is primarily composed of water, produced continuously by the liver, and stored and concentrated in the gallbladder. After a human eats, this stored bile is discharged ...
Bile acid. Bile acids are steroid acids found predominantly in the bile of mammals and other vertebrates. Diverse bile acids are synthesized in the liver. [1] Bile acids are conjugated with taurine or glycine residues to give anions called bile salts. [2][3][4] Primary bile acids are those synthesized by the liver.
The biliary tract (also biliary tree or biliary system) refers to the liver, gallbladder and bile ducts, and how they work together to make, store and secrete bile. [1] Bile consists of water, electrolytes, bile acids, cholesterol, phospholipids and conjugated bilirubin. [2] Some components are synthesized by hepatocytes (liver cells); the rest ...
The human digestive system consists of the gastrointestinal tract plus the accessory organs of digestion (the tongue, salivary glands, pancreas, liver, and gallbladder). Digestion involves the breakdown of food into smaller and smaller components, until they can be absorbed and assimilated into the body. The process of digestion has three ...
A bile duct is any of a number of long tube-like structures that carry bile, and is present in most vertebrates. The bile duct is separated into three main parts: the fundus (superior), the body (middle), and the neck (inferior). Bile is required for the digestion of food and is secreted by the liver into passages that carry bile toward the ...
The sphincter regulates the secretion of pancreatic juice and bile into the duodenum. [3] It also prevents reflux of duodenal contents into the ampulla of Vater. [4] By preventing reflux of the contents of the duodenum, the sphincter of Oddi prevents the accumulation of particulate matter and sludge in the bile ducts, reducing the risk of cholangitis.
The liver, viewed from above, showing the left and right lobes separated by the falciform ligament. The liver is a dark reddish brown, wedge-shaped organ with two lobes of unequal size and shape. A human liver normally weighs approximately 1.5 kilograms (3.3 pounds) [11] and has a width of about 15 centimetres (6 inches). [12]
Digestive enzymes are found in the digestive tracts of animals (including humans) and in the tracts of carnivorous plants, where they aid in the digestion of food, as well as inside cells, especially in their lysosomes, where they function to maintain cellular survival. [4][5] Digestive enzymes are classified based on their target substrates ...