01 / Location & anatomical relationships
In the upper right abdomen, mostly beneath the ribs.
02 / Structure & organization
Liver tissue is organized around hepatocytes, sinusoids and bile drainage pathways. Blood arrives through both the portal vein and hepatic artery. Hepatocytes process absorbed nutrients, synthesize plasma proteins and modify many endogenous and external substances.
03 / Function
It also stores some nutrients and changes many substances in your blood.
04 / Mechanism
The liver receives blood carrying absorbed nutrients from the gut. It changes, stores or releases many of these materials and produces important blood proteins. It also makes bile and processes many substances so the body can use or remove them.
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.
Meet this body system →FOR DEEPER STUDY
Connect structure with function
Blood and bile follow different routes. Portal blood brings material from the digestive tract, while bile travels through ducts toward the intestine.
Check your understanding
Locate the liver 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.