liver

UBERON:0002107 · iecur, jecur

Largest internal organ; synthesizes plasma proteins and clotting factors, conjugates bilirubin, metabolizes drugs, and regulates glucose and lipid handling.

Where it sits

• part of digestive system
• contains hepatocyte

What it does, and what normal looks like

• Processing drugs and waste
• Making blood proteins
• Taking in and storing iron

Markers that report on it

• Urea nitrogen synthesized by main
  The liver turns ammonia into urea, so a failing liver can make BUN low.
• Albumin synthesized by main
  The liver makes albumin, so liver damage can lower albumin in the blood.
• Protein, total synthesized by main
  Albumin, most of the protein in blood, is made in the liver, along with some globulins.
• Bilirubin, total cleared by main
  A healthy liver removes most bilirubin from the body through bile.
• Alkaline phosphatase synthesized by main
  The liver and its bile ducts hold some of the most ALP, so liver problems often raise ALP.
• Alanine aminotransferase released on injury main
  ALT is mostly found in the liver, so a high ALT level points to liver injury.
• Aspartate aminotransferase released on injury main
  AST is found mainly in the liver, and a damaged liver releases it into the blood.
• Gamma-glutamyl transferase released on injury main
  GGT is mainly found in the liver and leaks into the blood when the liver or bile ducts are damaged.
• Cholesterol, total synthesized by main
  The liver makes all the cholesterol the body needs and removes the excess.
• LDL cholesterol (calculated) cleared by main
  LDL receptors on liver cells pull LDL cholesterol out of the blood, and the liver removes most excess cholesterol.
• Ferritin stored by main
  The liver is the body's main iron store, and it keeps that iron inside ferritin.
• Iron, serum regulated by main
  The liver makes hepcidin, the hormone that plays a major role in keeping body iron in balance.
• Iron saturation regulated by main
  The liver makes most transferrin and the hormone hepcidin, which controls how much iron enters the blood.
• C-reactive protein synthesized by main
  The liver makes CRP when the body is inflamed; plasma CRP comes from liver cells.
• Urate synthesized by main
  Uric acid is made mainly in the liver, intestines and blood vessel lining from purines.
• 25-hydroxyvitamin D synthesized by main
  The liver changes vitamin D into 25-hydroxyvitamin D, the form most vitamin D blood tests measure.
• Glucose regulated by
  When blood sugar falls, glucagon signals the liver to release glucose into the blood.
• HDL cholesterol synthesized by
  The liver and intestine make apoA-I, the main HDL protein, and HDL brings cholesterol back to the liver for removal.
• Triglycerides synthesized by
  The liver makes VLDL particles and releases them into the blood, and VLDL mainly carries triglycerides.
• Triiodothyronine, free synthesized by
  Most T3 is made outside the thyroid by converting T4, and the liver enzyme DIO1 has long been thought to play a major part.
• Lactate dehydrogenase released on injury
  The liver holds large amounts of LDH and releases it when it is damaged.