Gallbladder and Biliary Tree

The liver produces 500-1500 ml of bile per day. Bile passes through cananiculi to the hepatic bile ducts and then into the common hepatic duct. Contraction of the spincter of Oddi during fasting diverts bile through the cystic duct into the gallbladder for storage and concentration.

After food is injected, cholecystokinin (CCK) is released from I cells in the small intestine and causes the spincter to contract and then relax, releasing a bile acid-rich bolus of bile into the intestine.