Question

State the function of bile.

Answer 1

Hint:-For survival, bile is necessary. Although there is no enzyme in it it also serves as a very important digestive juice. Its value is so high that without it, life can not be sustained. In the common bile duct, once a cannula is implanted and all bile is deposited outside, it is shown that the dog exhibits multiple bone defects, anaemia, loss of nutrients, and ultimately dies (Whipple).

Complete Answer:-Bile or gall, formed by the liver of most vertebrates, is a dark-green-to-yellowish-brown fluid that helps digest lipids in the small intestine. In humans, the liver (liver bile) constantly produces bile and it is processed and collected in the gallbladder. This accumulated bile is released into the duodenum after feeding.

Functions of bile:
1. Bile is necessary for the full digestion of fats and of proteins and carbohydrates to some degree. The bile salts serve as a particular activator for various lipases by means of the cholic acid radical. As a strong solvent, Bile works. It serves as a good medium for the interacting fats and fat-splitting enzymes due to this property.
2. In the digestion of multiple compounds, bile assists. This is mostly because bile salts are present. For fat absorption, bile is imperative. Bile salts decrease the surface tension of the receiving epithelium and improve its permeability, thus promoting its absorption. Steel, calcium, and possibly other food mineral additives. In order to digest lipid-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K and pro-vitamin carotene, bile salts help.
3. For instance, some compounds are excreted by bile:
4. Certain elements, such as copper, zinc, mercury, etc.
5. Toxins, bacteria and so on.
6. Pigments of bile. A part of these pigments are then excreted in varying ways in the faeces and in the urine.
7. Cholesterol and lecithin are possibly mainly components of excretion.
8. Peristalsis is stimulated by bile salts. It triggers peristalsis of certain sections when inserted directly into the colon.
9. Cholagogues are the best bile salts. They are absorbed from the stomach, taken to the liver, and more bile secretion is induced.
10.Bile helps retain an adequate pH of the duodenal material and hence helps all enzymes to function. Bile is an essential source of alkali for stomach neutralisation of the hydrochloric acid that reaches the intestine.
11. Bile mucin serves as a buffer and lubricant.
12. Bile regurgitation of the stomach helps to neutralise the acidity of the stomach and therefore prevents the injurious effect of acids on the mucosa of the stomach.

It would be obvious from the above that bile is essential not only as a digestive juice, but for various other purposes as well.

Note:- Fats is indigestible in the absence of bile and are instead excreted in urine, a disease termed steatorrhea. Feces lack their distinctive brown colour and are white or grey, and greasy instead. Steatorrhea can cause deficiencies in essential fatty acids and vitamins that are fat-soluble. Furthermore the gastrointestinal tract and gut flora are not suited to the handling of fats outside the small intestine, leading to complications in the broad intestine. Occasionally, the cholesterol found in bile accretes into lumps in the gallbladder, forming gallstones. Cholesterol gallstones are normally treated by cutting the gallbladder surgically. However by increasing the concentration of such naturally occurring bile acids, such as chenodeoxycholic acid and ursodeoxycholic acid, they can often be dissolved.