If both liver and kidneys are cleaning the blood, what’s the difference between them?
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Both the liver and kidneys can metabolise compounds very effectively.
I’d argue the main difference is in their primary functions.
The liver sits on the portal vein- that is, all blood returning from the GI tract (except part of the anus) is returned to the body via the liver. This is called first pass metabolism, and it is a key feature to reduce exposure to toxins that have been ingested.
It also makes sense why the liver and associated organs play a strong role in metabolism regulation, including insulin/glycogen, bile synthesis and excretion, gluconeogensis, toxin metabolism. The liver tries to stop things getting into the blood stream that shouldn’t be there.
The kidneys however, work to other things. They, and the organs around them, secrete hormones to control blood pressure, heart rate and hydration. They also work to excrete things in the blood that got in there, but shouldn’t be there.
Accordingly, liver- high density metabolic enzymes because high loads of substrate during digestion. Kidneys- low/moderate density of metabolic enzymes because predominantly there for excretion and blood volume regulation.
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