Final answer:
The central vein of the liver collects blood from the hepatic sinusoids, which are filled with fenestrated capillaries from the hepatic portal vein and hepatic artery. Hepatocytes, the liver's main cells, tightly surround the sinusoids and process nutrients, toxins, and waste materials. The blood from the sinusoids flows into the central vein, which then leads to the hepatic vein and the inferior vena cava.
Step-by-step explanation:
The central vein of the liver is the pathway through which blood from the hepatic sinusoids flows out of the liver. The hepatic sinusoids are the open, porous blood spaces formed by fenestrated capillaries from the hepatic portal vein and hepatic artery. Hepatocytes, the main cells of the liver, are tightly packed around the fenestrated endothelium of these spaces, allowing them direct access to the blood for processing nutrients, toxins, and waste materials. The central vein then collects the blood from the hepatic sinusoids, which eventually flows out of the liver through the hepatic vein into the inferior vena cava.