ABSTRACT
The liver is one of our vital organs; it has several roles which include metabolic, synthetic, secretory, and excretory functions. In the fetus it is a hematopoietic organ, and a processing, storage, and defense organ throughout our lifespan. The liver operates like a complex chemical factory, producing many essential blood proteins and lipids, metabolizing foodstuffs and foreign compounds, altering and synthesizing new substances, and regulating plasma concentrations of many molecules. Diseases of the liver are related to one or more functions; changes in the biochemical bases of these functions, therefore, lead to hepatic ailments. The control of synthesis and metabolism represents the maintenance of homeostasis. The integrity of the plasma membrane structure is essential for the maintenance of normal hepatic functions. The importance of membrane structure in relation to hepatobiliary disease is mostly concerned with the endoplasmic reticulum and the plasma membrane.
