In the liver, lobules are the basic functional units.

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Multiple Choice

In the liver, lobules are the basic functional units.

Hepatic lobules function as the liver’s basic working units. Each lobule is organized around a central vein and is bordered by six or so portal triads at its corners, where hepatic artery branches, portal vein branches, and bile ducts meet. Blood from the artery and vein flows through sinusoids lined by hepatocytes, allowing those liver cells to perform metabolism, detoxification, and bile production. The bile produced by hepatocytes drains into canaliculi and moves toward the bile ducts in the portal triads. This modular arrangement lets the liver carry out its many tasks efficiently in repeating units, which is why the lobule is identified as the basic functional unit. The other terms describe coverings, nerves, or connective tissue partitions, not the functional unit itself.

Hepatic lobules function as the liver’s basic working units. Each lobule is organized around a central vein and is bordered by six or so portal triads at its corners, where hepatic artery branches, portal vein branches, and bile ducts meet. Blood from the artery and vein flows through sinusoids lined by hepatocytes, allowing those liver cells to perform metabolism, detoxification, and bile production. The bile produced by hepatocytes drains into canaliculi and moves toward the bile ducts in the portal triads. This modular arrangement lets the liver carry out its many tasks efficiently in repeating units, which is why the lobule is identified as the basic functional unit. The other terms describe coverings, nerves, or connective tissue partitions, not the functional unit itself.

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