How does your liver actually clean your blood?

Your liver cleans blood through several mechanisms. Blood from your digestive system flows directly to the liver via the portal vein, carrying nutrients, drugs, and toxins absorbed from the gut. Liver cells called hepatocytes then chemically transform harmful substances through two main phases. Phase one uses enzymes, primarily cytochrome P450 proteins, to break down toxins through oxidation, reduction, or hydrolysis. Phase two attaches molecules like glucuronic acid or sulfate to these broken-down substances, making them water-soluble so they can be excreted in bile or urine. The liver also filters out bacteria and old red blood cells using immune cells called Kupffer cells, produces bile to carry waste into the intestines, and neutralizes ammonia by converting it into urea for kidney excretion.