THE UNIVERSITY OF LAHORE

BDNS
SUBMITTED TO: MA’AM TARA KHURSHEED
SUBMITTED BY GROUP 5 & 10
 ROLE OF LIVER IN DIGESTION OF FOOD
One of the many functions of the liver is to secrete bile, normally between 600 and 1000 ml/day.
First, bile plays an important role in fat digestion and absorption, not because of any enzymes in
the bile that cause fat digestion, but because bile acids in the bile perform two functions: (1)
They help emulsify the large fat particles of the food into many minute particles, the surface of
which can then be attacked by lipase enzymes secreted in pancreatic juice, and (2) they aid in
absorption of the digested fat end products through the intestinal mucosal membrane

FUNCTION OF BILE SALTS IN FAT DIGESTION AND ABSORPTION

The precursor of the bile salts is cholesterol, which is either present in the diet or synthesized in
the liver cells during the course of fat metabolism. The cholesterol is first converted to cholic
acid or chenodeoxycholic acid in about equal quantities. The bile salts have two important
actions in the intestinal tract:
 First, they have a detergent action on the fat particles in the food. This action, which
decreases the surface tension of the particles and allows agitation in the intestinal tract to
break the fat globules into minute sizes, is called the emulsifying or detergent function
of bile salts.
 Second, and even more important than the emulsifying function, bile salts help in the
absorption of (1) fatty acids, (2) monoglycerides, (3) cholesterol, and (4) other lipids
from the intestinal tract. They help in this absorption by forming small physical
complexes with these lipids; the complexes are called micelles, and they are semi soluble
in the chyme because of the electrical charges of the bile salts.

ROLE OF THE GALLBLADDER

In normal individuals, bile flows into the gallbladder when the sphincter of Oddi is closed (i.e.,
the period in between meals). In the gallbladder, the bile is concentrated by absorption of water.
The degree of this concentration is shown by the increase in the concentration of solids hepatic
bile is 97% water, whereas the average water content of gallbladder bile is 89%. However,
because the bile acids are a micellar solution, the micelles simply become larger, and since
osmolarity is a colligative property, bile remains isotonic. However, bile becomes less alkaline as
sodium ions are exchanged for protons (although the overall concentration of sodium ions rises
with a concomitant loss of chloride and bicarbonate as the bile is concentrated).

REGULATION OF BILIARY SECRETION

When food enters the mouth, the resistance of the sphincter of Oddi decreases
under both neural and hormonal influences Fatty acids and amino acids in the
duodenum release CCK, which causes gallbladder contraction.

Endocrine release of
cholecystokinin (CCK) in
response to nutrients causes
gallbladder contraction. CCK
also activates vagal afferents to
trigger a vagovagal reflex that
reinforces gallbladder
contraction (via acetylcholine
[ACh]) and relaxation of the
sphincter of Oddi to permit bile
outflow (via NO and vasoactive
intestinal polypeptide [VIP]).
The production of bile is
increased by stimulation of the
vagus nerves and by the
hormone secretin, which
increases the water and HCO3− content of bile. Substances that increase the
secretion of bile are known as choleretics. Bile acids themselves are among the
most important physiologic choleretics.