What does the secretion of the liver do?

The liver is the largest digestive gland in human body, and it is also an important organ of material metabolism in human body. Most of them are located in the upper right abdominal cavity. People often compare it to a chemical plant in the body, which plays a complex role in the process of transformation, processing, synthesis, transformation and excretion. Besides secreting bile, the liver has many important functions.

(1) The role of the liver in the metabolism of various substances: First, the metabolism of protein. The liver is an important organ for synthesizing protein. In addition to synthesizing the protein of the liver itself, albumin, prothrombin, fibrinogen and some globulins in plasma are all synthesized by the liver. The second is the metabolism of sugar. Liver plays an important role in the synthesis and decomposition of glycogen and the transformation of other non-sugar substances into sugar (glycogen heterogenesis). The third is lipid metabolism. The liver secretes bile and promotes the digestion and absorption of fat. It is also an important place to produce ketone bodies and synthesize cholesterol and phospholipids. The fourth is vitamin metabolism. The liver secretes bile, which can assist the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins. The fifth is hormone metabolism.

(2) Secretion and excretion function of liver: There are both liver secretions (mainly bile salts) and excreta in bile, and many metabolites can be excreted through bile, such as bile pigment, cholesterol, some drugs and metal compounds that enter the body.

(3) Detoxification function of the liver: After liver treatment, some metabolic wastes or putrefaction products of intestinal bacteria in the body, as well as drugs taken, turn toxic substances into non-toxic or less toxic substances, or easily soluble substances, making them easily excreted. These changes are called detoxification. For example, alcohol is oxidized into carbon dioxide and water in the liver, and bilirubin combines with glucuronic acid to form direct bilirubin, which is discharged into the intestine with the liver fluid. These changes are the detoxification of liver.