(i) Liver is the largest gland in the human body.
(ii) It lies below the diaphragm and above the abdomen.
(iii) It is dark brown and triangular in appearance.
(iv) Liver weighs 1400-1600 gm in adult male and 1200-1400 gm in female.
(v) Liver is divided into four unequal lobes. Right lobe, left lobe, caudate and quadrate lobe.
(vi) Right segment is largest, left segment is smallest. The right lobe is six times larger than the left lobe. The caudate and quadrate segments are square-like.
(vii) Liver is covered by membrane called Gison’s capsule. This membrane divides the liver into lobules or segments.
(viii) Liver cells are arranged like spokes of a wheel in each lobule.
(ix) The space between adjacent lobules is called sinusoid.
(x) There is a central vein between each lobule.
(xi) Right and left hepatic ducts together form the common hepatic/hepatic duct.
(xii) Common hepatic duct joins with common bile duct to form common bile duct. The common bile duct enters the duodenum through the ampulla of Vater.
(xiii) About 500 types of biochemical functions are carried out in the liver. Hence the liver is called the biochemistry.
(xiv) Liver performs storage and metabolic functions in the human body.