Liver function is the main objective that is discussed in this article.Liver plays major role in the process of digestion. It is the largest gland in human body. It performs a large number of functions in the body. It is an important topic for biology class 12.
What are the main functions of liver?
The main functions of liver are -
1.Osmoregulation - Liver helps the kidneys in the function of maintaining fluid osmoregulation by producing a protein named angiotensinogen which plays a major part in this process.
2.Excretion - It helps in the process of excretion by producing bile pigments such as bilirubin and biliverdin from haemoglobin of dead or destroyed red blood corpuscles.
3.Storage - Liver helps in storing fats, glycogen, vitamins A, D, E, K and B12, minerals like iron and copper and bile in the gall bladder
4. Detoxification - Liver helps in the cleaning of body by the process of detoxification of toxic poisons, drugs etc. It also converts ammonia which is toxic into urea.
5.Blood Clotting - Liver helps in the process of blood co-agulation or clotting by producing hormones such as fibrinogen and prothrombin. These proteins prevent the excess loss of blood from the injured parts of the body. Liver also prevents the clotting of blood inside the blood vessels by producing heparin.
6.Production of Vitamin A - Different vitamins help our body in different ways. Liver helps in producing vitamin A for the body from beta-carotene substances such as an orange-yellow substance found in the carrots.
7.Formation of Bile - Liver produces bile which plays a major role in the process of digestion. This bile secreted by liver is stored in gall bladder. Bile salts help in the emulsification, digestion and absorption of fats. Bile salts also act as an alkaline medium for the action of enzymes of intestinal and pancreatic juices.
8.Phagocytosis - It is the process in which the kupffer cells of liver sinusoids eat the dead, decayed cells and bacteria
9.Production of blood corpuscles - The process of production of blood corpuscles is known as haemopoiesis . Blood corpuscles are produced in the embryo by liver.
10.Destroying blood corpuscles - The worn out and old red blood corpuscles are destroyed by the liver. This process is called haemolysis . Liver changes the haemoglobin of these worn out cells into bile pigments.
11.Breakdown of amino acids - The unwanted and waste amino acids are converted into NH2 group and keto acids. These broken down amino acids is used to produce NH3. This process is known as deamination.
12.Lipogenesis - The unwanted glucose and amino acids are converted into fats by liver. This process is known as lipogenesis.
13.Glycogenesis - The unwanted and excess of sugar is converted into glycogen by liver. This process is known as glycogenesis.
14.Glycogenolysis - During the time of need, liver converts the glycogen into glucose. This process is known as glycogenolysis.
15.Glyconeogenesis - Liver can also convert the extra amino acids and fats into glucose.
Hope this article about Liver Function for notes of biology class 12 would be helpful to you. Please share it and comment if you want article on any other topic. You can also practice the topic on Worksheets of Science related to this article.
Related Topics
The Human Digestive System + Worksheets
How many muscles are there in a human's
Healthy Diet Plan + Worksheets
Structure of the Teeth + Worksheets
0 Comments