The liver receives blood from two sources. Which vessel delivers blood high in nutrients but low in oxygen to the liver?

• A. Hepatic artery
• B. Hepatic portal vein
• C. Hepatic lobule
• D. Hepatic vein

Answer: (B)

The liver has two blood sources: oxygen-rich blood from the hepatic artery and nutrient-rich, relatively oxygen-poor blood from the digestive organs via the hepatic portal vein. The vessel that delivers blood high in nutrients but low in oxygen to the liver is the hepatic portal vein. It carries absorbed nutrients from the GI tract (glucose, amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins) and routes them to hepatocytes for processing, storage, or detoxification before they reach the systemic circulation. The hepatic artery supplies the liver’s metabolic needs with oxygenated blood, but it doesn’t bring the nutrient-rich content from digestion. The hepatic vein, meanwhile, carries deoxygenated blood away from the liver to the inferior vena cava. The hepatic lobule is the liver’s functional unit, not a vessel.