Library · Physiology
Bile duct function
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The bile duct serves as a pathway for bile. Picture a pipe carrying a fluid made by the liver: the duct network moves it, the gallbladder can store and concentrate it, and then the bile reaches the small intestine.
There, bile helps the body digest and absorb fats and fat-soluble vitamins, the vitamins absorbed along with fat. The same route also allows certain waste products that dissolve in lipids to leave the body.
In brief
The bile duct transports and releases bile. The liver makes this fluid, the ducts carry it, and the gallbladder can store and concentrate it before it reaches the small intestine.
The ducts form a route for bile.
In the intestine, bile helps digest and absorb fats and fat-soluble vitamins, meaning vitamins absorbed along with fat. It also provides an exit route for certain waste products that dissolve in lipids.
Sources (1)
- National Center for Biotechnology InformationAnatomy, Abdomen and Pelvis: Biliary DuctsPublished
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