Al Najah national university

veterinary department

liver
Prepared by: Marah Abo Rashed
Instructor : Dr.Nimer Khraim

The liver is a roughly triangular organ that extends across the entire
abdominal cavity just inferior to the diaphragm.

Most of the livers mass is located on the right side of the body.
It consist from two lobes .
They are separated by the falciform ligament.

Its the largest gland in the body .

And its characterized by several complex function :1.Phagocytosis ( bacteria )
2.secretion ( bile )
3.storage ( lipids , vitamins A&B , glygoen )
4. Production of hormones .
5.Synthesis of blood proteins and clotting factors
6.excretion ( waste products)

liver lobules :
The classic hepatic lobules
are hexagon-shape.
Branches of the portal vein,
the hepatic artery and the
bile ducts run in connective
tissue along the longitudinal
axis in between adjacent
lobules in the portal spaces.

The vessels send

distributing branches
along the periphery of
each lobule.

Inlet Venules and

arterioles branch spill
their blood into
sinusoids.The
sinusoids drain into
the central vein.

Hepatic acinus: diamondshaped, borders defined by

lines that connect the central
veins of two neighboring
classical lobules.

the cells in the hepatic acinus are subdivided into

three zones I-III with the incoming blood passing
through zone I first and continuing into zone II and
III.

The gradient for substances coming in with the

blood (nutrients, oxygen, toxic substances)
thus define functional differences among the
hepatocytes in the different zones

Portal lobule: triangular, borders defined by lines connecting the three

central veins .

The liver is covered by a thin layer of denes connective tissue.

The sinusoids lined by a discontinuous layer of endothelial cells ( vary large

gap between the cells ) , so do basal lamina .

This arrangement allows the blood plasma to leak through the endothelial cell
layer and come into close contact with the microvilli of the underlying
hepatocytes in the Space of Disse.

It thus provides optimal conditions for an extensive metabolic exchange

between the plasma and hepatic cells

it have a very special type of cell :

kupffer cell : these cell derived from monocytes or macrophages.
fixed macrophages present into liver sinusoids along with the end , so that
when blood moving from periphery to the center kupffer cell will Filter the blood
from toxic material , bacteria ..( phagocytosis )
And they also secrete growth factors

The Ito cells (fat-storing cells) : are located in the Space of Disse.
They store Vitamin A and synthesize hepatic growth factor. They also are
involved in the production of the extracellular matrix (collagen).

Hepatocytes they are large cells and have a different types of secretory cell

An increase in cell surface is provided by the microvilli that protrude into the
Space of Disse and line the bile canaliculi.