Which human body organ can regenerate itself fully from only one-quarter of its tissue?

The liver is a powerhouse, performing over 500 life-sustaining functions. This 3-pound organ, the largest internal organ in the body, is located in the upper-right part of your abdomen. It filters toxins from our blood, produces digestive enzymes called bile, stores vitamins, and minerals, regulates hormones and the immune response helps clot blood.

Our liver is the only organ in our body that can regrow after parts of it have been removed or damaged. In fact, our liver can grow back to its full size in just a matter of months because of its ability to regenerate and is capable of doing so from only one-quarter of its tissue, due chiefly to the unipotency of hepatocytes (i.e., the chief functional cells of the liver that perform an astonishing number of metabolic, endocrine and secretory functions).

More Info: en.wikipedia.org

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21 Comments

Kat

The stomach can also do so. My father had 75% of his stomach removed due to cancer, and in time it has grown back to "full capacity". They left 25% so that it could do so. That was over 12 years ago, and he's going strong!

Jim Mascair

That's good to know because mine has taken some abuse over the years.

Jacqueline Tattam

Irma Rivera, how does liver regeneration prove creationism?

Cheryl Love

Kat, a stomach cannot regenerate, except its lining which regenerates in all of us often. The 25% which was left after the surgery was reattached (most likely) to the small intestine. Over time, his body has learned how to accommodate the smaller stomach, using the small and large intestines to do more of his digestion than when he had a full stomach. He is able to eat more because of this than when the original surgery was performed. (It is actually healthier for him to eat small amounts more often.) There is every reason to think he will live a normal lifespan.

✨KRISTA✨

Not 🚫 100%

patrhea

A very fine q&a! Thank you. Most people are not aware of that fact.

Cheryl Love

Susan Lake-Harris, answer to what is not quite right? The question was which organ can regenerate.

Susan Lake-Harris

The answer is close but not quite right. Bile emulsifies fats - it is not a digestive enzyme. It does, however, trigger the pancreas to produce digestive enzymes.

Marian Spitzig

our bodies. are totally amazing!!

earlepg

Kat, My grandmother had the same thing done over 75 years ago. She did fine for at least 30 additional years eating small but frequent meals including (very strong) coffee and milkshakes. She died after turning 75.

mlpruett

Maudeen Merrill, God certainly knew what He was doing!

DIVER DEAN

Jim Mascair, me too.

John W Shreve

Chrissie, You are killer!

David Roy

Richard G Schwartz, if your lover is an 'it', the mind boggles 😂

seane

Richard G Schwartz, she will appreciate it.

Chrissie

Irma Rivera, I believe that God created the universe and everything in it, but I don't see the logical connection that would make liver self-regeneration prove this. God bless. xx

Chrissie

"Unipotency of Hepatocytes" is a delightful phrase ..... like "Quinquereme of Nineveh". (Although I doubt that Lush will ever make a soap called Unipotency of Hepatocytes.)