01 / Location & anatomical relationships
Beneath the liver in the upper right abdomen.
02 / Structure & organization
The gallbladder has a folded mucosa and a muscular wall. It concentrates stored bile by absorbing water and electrolytes. Its cystic duct connects with the biliary tree, allowing filling and emptying.
03 / Function
It stores bile and releases it into the small intestine.
04 / Mechanism
This small pouch stores and concentrates bile made by the liver. When food enters the small intestine, signals can make the gallbladder squeeze. Bile then travels through ducts to help break fats into small droplets.
Working together: digestive system
Teeth break food into pieces, the stomach mixes it, and the small intestine absorbs nutrients. Your blood then carries these nutrients around your body.
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Connect structure with function
Bile is made by the liver, not by the gallbladder. Intestinal signals, including cholecystokinin, coordinate gallbladder contraction with digestion of a meal.
Check your understanding
Locate the gallbladder in relation to its neighbors. Explain how the structural features described above support its function, then distinguish it from a nearby structure with a different role.
Keep learning
Further reading: NIDDK: Your Digestive System & How It Works.
Continue with OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology for system-level study. This atlas is educational and has not undergone independent medical peer review.