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lower jaw.
(c) Sub-lingual Gland These are situated beneath the tongue.
Each sublingual gland has about ten small duets called sub-lingual ducts or ducts of
Rivinus, which open into the floor of mouth.
ii. Liver
It is the largest gland of the body, an exocrine gland. In adults, it weighs about 1.2-
1.5 kg and lies in the abdominal cavity just below the diaphragm and has two lobes,
i.e., left and right lobes.
It is a large organ and occupies most of the right side of abdominal cavity.
Liver is a double membrane structure. Interiorly, it is divided into many small units
called hepatic or liver lobules (structural and functional units of liver) consisting of
many hepatic cells (hepatocytes) that are arranged in the form of cords.
Each lobule is also covered by a thin connective tissue sheath called the Glisson’s
capsule. Hepatic cells secretes the bile juice, which passes through the hepatic duct
into the gall bladder.
Functions of Liver
Liver serves the following functions
(a) It helps in producing RBCs in embryo.
(b) Bile secreted by the liver helps in emulsification of fats, i.e., breaking down of fats
into very small micelles.
(c) Bile also activates lipases.
(d) It also produces heparin for preventing clotting of blood inside the blood vessels.
Gall Bladder
It is a small pear-shaped, thin muscular sac-like organ situated just below the liver. It
is attached by connective tissues to liver. The duct of gall bladder, i.e., cystic’duct
along with the hepatic duct form a common bile duct, which regulates the amount of
bile to be discharged into the duodenum.
After certain distance, the bile duct and pancreatic duct (duct of pancreas) form
common hepato-pancreatic duct, which open into duodenum. It is guarded by a
sphincter called the sphincter of oddi.
The common hepato-pancreatic duct carries both the bile (from liver) as well as
pancreatic juice (from pancreas) into the duodenum.
iii. Pancreas
It is a compound elongated organ situated partly behind the stomach between the
limbs of the U-shaped duodenum. As it is a mixed gland, it has both exocrine as well
as endocrine activity.
An alkaline pancreatic juice containing enzymes is secreted by its exocrine portion
and the endocrine portion is responsible for the secretion of hormones, insulin and
glucagon.