Bile
A liver biopsy of a patient with liver cholestasis, showing bile (yellow).
bile
biochemistry
Also known as: gall
bile, greenish yellow secretion that is produced in the liver and passed to the gallbladder for concentration, storage, or transport into the first region of the small intestine, the duodenum. Its function is to aid in the digestion of fats in the duodenum. Bile is composed of bile acids and salts, phospholipids, cholesterol, pigments, water, and electrolyte chemicals that keep the total solution slightly alkaline (with a pH of about 7 to 8). Bile is...