Answer :
Final answer:
Hepatocytes secrete a yellow to green liquid called bile, an important component for fat digestion. Bile contains bile salts and phospholipids which are crucial for breaking down fats into small fragments, increasing the surface area for enzyme activity. It is stored in the gallbladder and released into the small intestine to aid in digestion.
Explanation:
Hepatocytes, the liver cells, secrete a yellow to green liquid called bile. This liquid plays a crucial role in the digestion process, particularly in the emulsification of fats. Bile is composed of water, bile salts, bile pigments, phospholipids, electrolytes, cholesterol, and triglycerides. The bile salts, in conjunction with phospholipids, are vital for breaking down large lipid molecules into tiny lipid fragments in the small intestine, thereby increasing the surface area available for enzymes to act on them.Bile is the yellow to green liquid secreted by hepatocytes in the liver. It is a mixture of water, bile salts, bile pigments, phospholipids, electrolytes, cholesterol, and triglycerides. Bile is stored in the gallbladder and then secreted into the small intestine. Its main function is to emulsify fats, increasing the surface area for lipid-digesting enzyme activity.
Bile is an alkaline solution with a pH ranging from 7.6 to 8.6 and is synthesized from cholesterol in the liver. It is stored in the gallbladder until it is needed for digestion, at which point it is secreted into the small intestine where it aids in digesting chyme. The presence of fat in the duodenum triggers the release of a hormone called cholecystokinin (CCK), which prompts the gallbladder to contract and discharge bile into the duodenum.