The hepatic portal vein transports nutrients from which location to which destination?

• A. Drains liver to systemic circulation
• B. Supplies oxygen to hepatic tissue
• C. Transports bile from intestine to liver
• D. Transports nutrients from intestine to liver

Answer: (D)

The key idea is that the portal venous system brings nutrients absorbed from the gut to the liver for processing. The hepatic portal vein collects nutrient-rich blood from the capillaries of the digestive organs (primarily the intestines, along with spleen and other gut-associated tissues) and delivers it to the liver. In the liver, hepatocytes metabolize and store nutrients, detoxify substances, and regulate glucose and other chemical levels before the blood enters the general circulation via the hepatic veins to the inferior vena cava. The blood carried by this vein is not highly oxygenated—that role is mainly served by the hepatic artery. Bile transport is not part of this path; bile is produced in the liver and travels through ducts to the intestine.