Which vessel is primarily responsible for delivering nutrients to the liver?

• A. Hepatic artery
• B. Portal vein
• C. Hepatic vein
• D. Inferior vena cava

Answer: (B)

Nutrients reach the liver mainly through the portal venous system. After absorption in the gut, nutrients travel via the portal vein to the liver, where hepatocytes metabolize glucose, amino acids, fats, vitamins, and other absorbed products. The portal vein carries this nutrient-rich blood from digestive organs (formed by unions of vessels like the splenic and superior mesenteric veins) and is part of the portal triad in liver histology. The hepatic artery, while essential for delivering oxygenated blood to support liver cells, supplies a smaller portion of total blood flow and is not primarily delivering nutrients. Blood then exits the liver through the hepatic veins into the inferior vena cava.