What are the physiological functions of the liver

The main physiological function of the liver is detoxification. It can excrete some excess toxins and metabolic things in the human body. If there is a problem with the liver function, the detoxification system will not work normally, which will induce a series of problems. Therefore, people must pay special attention to it. Even if you take medicine, you cannot take it that has toxic side effects on the liver, otherwise it will cause great harm.

The liver has a biotransformation effect on many non-nutritional substances from inside and outside the body, such as various drugs, poisons, and certain metabolites in the body. They are completely broken down through metabolism or excreted from the body in their original form. This effect is also called "detoxification function". Some poisons can be transformed into non-toxic or less toxic substances that are easy to excrete through biotransformation; but some substances have the opposite effect, with increased toxicity (such as the formation of false neurotransmitters) and reduced solubility (such as some sulfonamide drugs).

The liver has many ways of biological transformation. Generally, water-soluble substances are often excreted in their original form from urine and bile; fat-soluble substances are easily accumulated in the body and affect cell metabolism. They must be inactivated by a series of enzyme systems in the liver, or converted into water-soluble substances before being excreted. The liver is the main organ for drug metabolism. [3]

Its biochemical reactions can be divided into four forms: ① Oxidation. For example, ethanol is oxidized into ether and acetic acid in the liver, and then into carbon dioxide and water. This type of detoxification is also called oxidative detoxification. ②Reduction effect. Certain drugs or poisons such as chloramphenicol and nitrobenzene can be transformed through reduction. Chloroacetaldehyde is reduced to trichloroethanol in the body and loses its hypnotic effect.

③Hydrolysis. Hepatocytes contain a variety of hydrolases that can hydrolyze a variety of drugs or poisons such as procaine and procainamide. ④Combination effect. It is the most important way of biotransformation in the liver, which combines drugs or poisons with glucuronic acid, acetyl coenzyme A (acetylation), glycine, 3'-phosphoadenosine-5'-phosphosulfate (PASA), glutathione, etc.

1. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT)

Normal reference value: 0-40IU/L

Clinical significance: It is of great significance for the diagnosis of liver parenchymal lesions and the observation of disease course changes.

Note: Blood should be collected on an empty stomach and the specimen should avoid hemolysis. Severe jaundice and turbid serum may also increase the result. Serum should not be frozen.