What are the accessory organs of the digestive system, and what are they responsible for secreting?
Answer
There are three accessory organs of digestion: the liver, the gallbladder, and the pancreas. The liver lies in the upper right quadrant. It is a triangular-shaped organ, which sits underneath the diaphragm. The functions of the liver are metabolic. It receives nutrient-rich blood from the gut via the hepatic portal vein. Blood from all the other gut structures enters the liver via the portal vein. The liver then processes the products of digestion. It also produces bile. Just sitting under the liver there is this little sack called the gallbladder. The liver, which produces bile stores and concentrates its bile in the gallbladder. The various ducts passing from the liver to the gallbladder form the biliary system. When food enters the stomach, a hormone is released which makes the gallbladder contract, and the gallbladder then releases bile. The bile enters the duodenum to assist in the digestion of the chyme, which enters from the stomach. Lying behind the stomach is the pancreas. The head of the pancreas sits in the curve of the duodenum, and the tail extends to the spleen. The pancreas has endocrine and exocrine functions. The endocrine functions are producing insulin and glucagon. Its exocrine function is to produce pancreatic juice which is secreted into the duodenum. This aids in digestion.
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