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Gallbladder

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The gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped organ that plays a crucial role in our digestive system. Measuring about 10 cm in length, it is comparable in size to a kiwi fruit and is located in a hollow area on the lower surface of the liver. The gallbladder's primary function is to store and concentrate bile, a fluid produced by the liver that aids in digestion.
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Bile is a crucial bodily fluid, characterized by its yellow-green color and alkaline nature. Produced in the liver, it is transported through the common hepatic duct into either the cystic duct, leading to the gallbladder, or directly into the common bile duct. The flow of bile is regulated by the sphincter of Oddi located at the entrance of the duodenum. When this sphincter is closed, bile is redirected to the gallbladder for storage and concentration.
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The liver, the largest gland within the human body, is a firm and reddish-brown organ. This wedge-shaped structure weighs approximately 1.5 kg and occupies a significant portion of the right hypochondriac and epigastric regions. It extends more to the right of the body's midline than to the left.
Located under the diaphragm, the liver is almost entirely ensconced within the rib cage, providing it with substantial protection. Except for the superior most bare area, the liver's surface is covered...

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Cholecystitis is inflammation of the gallbladder, most commonly caused by obstruction of the cystic duct. This blockage prevents bile from draining, leading to gallbladder distension, inflammation, and potentially serious complications. This condition may present acutely or chronically and can happen with or without gallstones.EtiologyAbout 95% of cholecystitis cases are calculous, caused by gallstones blocking the cystic duct, leading to bile accumulation and inflammation of the gallbladder...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 19, 2026

Determining Bile Duct Density in the Mouse Liver

Determining Bile Duct Density in the Mouse Liver

Published on: April 30, 2019

DO SPECIES LACKING A GALL BLADDER POSSESS ITS FUNCTIONAL EQUIVALENT?

¹Laboratories of The Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research.

The Journal of Experimental Medicine

|October 30, 2009

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Mice concentrate bile using their gall bladder, while rats lack this function. Bile concentration in rats does not increase during stasis, unlike in mice, indicating the rat

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Extrahepatic Bile Duct and Gall Bladder Dissection in Nine-Day-Old Mouse Neonates

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Published on: August 23, 2022

Area of Science:

Comparative physiology
Biliary system function

Background:

The gall bladder concentrates bile, while ducts slightly dilute it.
Species lacking a gall bladder may have ducts performing concentration.
Mice possess a gall bladder; rats do not.

Purpose of the Study:

Investigate if bile ducts in gall bladder-less species concentrate bile.
Compare bile concentration mechanisms in mice and rats.

Main Methods:

Quantified bile pigment as a concentration index.
Collected and analyzed normal and stasis bile from mice and rats.

Main Results:

Mouse bladder bile was more concentrated than duct bile.
Mouse bile pigment increased significantly during stasis.
Rat stasis bile showed no pigment concentration increase compared to normal bile.
Rat bile, without gall bladder concentration, contained eight times more pigment than mouse liver bile.

Conclusions:

Rats lack the gall bladder's bile-concentrating function in their ducts.
The rat's ducts likely do not serve as a reservoir due to small size and low sphincter of Oddi tonus.
Despite differences in concentration, intestinal bile composition may be similar due to varying initial pigment concentrations.