39) An introduction to kidneys & body fluids Flashcards
What is the water composition of the body?
- The body composition is about 50-60% water
Where is the water distributed in the body?
- The water is distributed in two main fluid compartments (separated by the cell membrane) known as the intracellular fluid (ICF) and the extracellular fluid (ECF)
- 2/3rds of the water is intracellular and 1/3rd is extraacellular
Why is there no osmotic movement of water between the ICF and ECF?
- The ICF and ECF are in osmotic equilibrium which prevents the osmotic movement occurring
- Without this equilibrium osmotic movement can occur leading to cells growing and shrinking
- Therefore large shifts in osmolarity must be avoided to prevent changes in cell volume
- Large shifts in osmolarity can cause neurological complications
What is the cell membrane?
- The barrier between the ICF and the ECF
- It is semi-permeable as it is permeable to water (via water channels called aquaporins) and impermeable to most solutes
What is the main salt in the different components?
- In the intracellular component the main salt is K+ with its anion
- In the extracellular component the main salt is Na+ with its anion
How are osmotic shifts avoided?
- Through a physiological process that maintains constant ECF osmolarity (called osmoregulation)
How is an effective circulating volume achieved?
- Regulation of ECF volume ensures effective circulating volume and hence maintains adequate tissue perfusion
How is the ECF subdivided?
- Interstitial (or extravascular) compartment (about 75%)
- Plasma (or vascular) compartment (about 25%)
What is volume regulation of the ECF?
- Controlling the amount of salt and water in the ECF in order to maintain plasma volume
- The plasma volume is regulated by starling’s forces
How is salt and water balance maintained in the body?
- It is maintained through osmoregulation and volume regulation
- Osmoregulation: control of salt concentration by adjusting the amount of pure water in the body
- Volume regulation: control of the amount of salt and water in the ECF and hence the ECF volume
- Although many organs and systems are involved, the kidneys are central to both processes
What vessel supplies the kidneys with blood?
- The renal artery
What vessel drains blood from the kidneys?
- The renal vein
How is urine made and excreted?
- They have a rich blood supply from which they produce urine
- This urine flows down the ureters for temporary storage in the bladder before it is excreted by the urethra
What is the function of the kidneys?
- Osmoregulation
- Volume regulation
- Acid-base balance
- Regulation of electrolyte balance
- Removal of metabolic waste products from the blood
- Removal of foreign chemicals in the blood
- Regulation of red blood cell production
(All these roles can be categorised under homeostasis)
What is the nephron?
- The functional unit of the kidney which consists of special blood vessels and elaborate tubules
- They join together and are drained (via draining ducts) into calyxes which are finally drained into the ureter
What are the different components of the nephron?
- The blood vessel component
- The renal tubule component
Describe the structure of the renal tubule component.
- The renal tubule begins at the Bowman’s capsule
- The Bowman’s capsule is then continuous with the rest of the renal tubule starting with the proximal tubule
- It wiggles around a little bit before descending deeper into the cortex and reaching the medulla where it turns and ascends back up to form a loop (called Loop of Henle)
- Whilst ascending it starts to wiggle again as it becomes the distal tubule and finally joins with the collecting duct
- Many collecting ducts join together into the calyces
- Many calyces join together to drain into the ureter
Describe the structure of the blood vessel component.
- The renal artery enters the kidney and is subdivided into many arteries until each nephron is supplied by an afferent arteriole
- The afferent arteriole enters the interstitial space within the glomerulus and forms a dense capillary network
- The glomerulus is drained away by another arteriole called the efferent arteriole
- These efferent arterioles further subdivides into two capillary networks: the peritubular capillary (which surrounds the proximal and distal tubules) and the vasa recta (which surrounds the loop of Henle)
- These networks then drain into the venules which all come together to drain into the renal vein
What processes take place in the kidneys?
- Glomerular filtration: Water and solute from the glomerulus is filtered out into interstitial space and crosses into the lumen of the Bowman’s capsule
- Tubular reabsorption: Most of the salt and water are reabsorbed back into the peritubular capillaries
- Tubular secretion: Some substances are secreted from the peritubular capillaries into the kidney of the kidney tubule
- Excretion of water and solutes in urine: What is leftover after all these processes is the urine that is to be excreted
What is glomerular filtration?
- Relies on Starling forces (Hydrostatic pressure and oncotic pressure) to drive water and solutes across the capillary membrane
- Small molecules pass readily whereas large molecules are unable to pass
- This leads to the formation of plasma ultrafiltrate in the Bowman’s capsule
- The rate at which this occurs is called the Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) and is the amount of filtrate produced by both kidneys per minute
- GFR is an important clinical indicator as it is reduced in renal failure
What is tubular reabsorption?
- Most of the filtered water and salt is reabsorbed from the proximal tubule.
- There is further reabsorption at the loop of Henle however it does not absorb as much as the proximal tubule.
- Finally there is a very tiny fraction of reabsorption at the distal tubule and collecting duct
- The amount of reabsorption (in the distal tubule) can be adjusted to maintain salt and water balance
What is tubular secretion?
- It is important for disposing substances that have reached beyond their level of filtration and in eliminating toxins and metabolic by-products
- Furthermore it also helps with potassium balance (as excess K+ is secreted in the distal tubules and collecting duct)
- They also maintain acid-base balance which relies on H+ secretion by distal tubule and collecting duct
What is excretion of water and solutes in urine?
- The fluid left in the tubules after filtration, reabsorption and secretion are excreted as urine
- It can be used to estimate GFR
How is osmotic equilibrium maintained?
- When we drink water the ECF becomes diluted.
- This sets up an osmotic gradient and so causes water do diffuse into the ICF component
- It does this in such a way that allows the ICF and ECF to be expanded and have the same concentrations
- This causes the kidneys to increase renal water excretion which will reduce the ECF volume of water
- This sets up another osmotic gradient causing the water to shift from the ICF into the ECF
- This results in an overall decrease in ECF and ICF water concentartion resulting in osmotic equilibrium.