What is liver acinus?

What is liver acinus?

A liver acinus is the functional unit of the liver, comprising all liver parenchyma supplied by a terminal branch of the portal vein and hepatic artery.

Where is the liver is anatomically located?

Anatomy of the liver The liver is located in the upper right-hand portion of the abdominal cavity, beneath the diaphragm, and on top of the stomach, right kidney, and intestines. Shaped like a cone, the liver is a dark reddish-brown organ that weighs about 3 pounds.

What routes are taken by absorbed nutrients to reach the liver?

Nutrients absorbed in the small intestine travel mainly to the liver through the hepatic portal vein. From the liver, nutrients travel upward through the inferior vena cava blood vessel to the heart.

What is zone 3 of the liver?

This zone is most susceptable to damage from toxins carried to the liver in the hepatic portal vein. Most of the metabolic activity of the liver takes place here. Zone 3 is the furthest from the portal triad and closest to the central vein and thus is more susceptable to ischaemic damage.

What do liver lobules do?

These lobules are very small. Each lobule is made up of numerous liver cells, called hepatocytes, that line up in radiating rows. These small blood vessels diffuse oxygen and nutrients through their capillary walls into the liver cells.

How does the blood leave the liver?

Blood leaves the liver through the hepatic veins. This blood is a mixture of blood from the hepatic artery and from the portal vein. The hepatic veins carry blood to the inferior vena cava—the largest vein in the body—which then carries blood from the abdomen and lower parts of the body to the right side of the heart.

Does water pass through the liver?

Your liver also safely handles the alcohol you drink by turning it into a chemical called acetate, which other tissues in your body break down into carbon dioxide and water.