5.1.2 - the kidneys Flashcards
2 major roles of the kidneys
excretion and homeostasis
nephrons
the functional unit of the kidney; responsible for forming urine
sphincter muscle
at the base of the bladder, allowing urine to flow out of the body via the urethra
renal artery
blood entering the kidneys
renal vein
blood leaving the kidneys
‘vasa recta’
blood that enters in the artery branches to beome the capillary network wrapped around the nephron
comparison of the blood in the renal vein (out) to the renal artery (in)
- much reduced urea concentration
- same concentration of glucose and amino acids
- a restored ion balance (back to ideal levels)
why is there slightly less glucose in the blood flowing out the kidney than the blood entered?
kidney cells will remove some of the glucose from theblood for cellular respiration
ultrafiltration
filtering of substances out of the blood at the molecular level
why does ultrafiltration occur?
occurs due to the water potential difference between plasma in glomerular capillaries and filtrate in bowman’s capsule
how does the structure of the arterioles cause ultrafiltration?
afferent arteriole entering the glomerulus has a larger diameter than the efferent arteriole leaving the glomerulus, meaning it enters faster than it leaves, meanung there is a high hydrostatic pressure in capillaries, forcing molecules into the renal capsule
3 layers that the molecules have to pass through in order to be filtrated
- walls of the capillaries (endothelium) - these have pores
- basement membrane of the renal capsule
- special cells called podocytes
what is the basement membrane made up of?
made up of collage and glycoproteins
role of the basement membrane?
acts as a filter as it stops large protein molecules from getting through
podocytes role
additional filter; they have extensions called pedicels that wrap around capillaries, forming slits to ensure any blood cells or large proteins do not enter the filtrate
why do we need selective reabsorption?
as lots of useful molecules left the blood and entered the renal filtrate - we do not want to lose all of these in the urine
when the filtrate is first formed, it is hypotonic to the blood. what does this mean?
it has a higher water potential than the blood plasma (lots of water has left the blood)
where does selective reabsorption take place?
PCT
how are the cells lining the PCT adapted for their role?
- microvilli (increase surface area)
- co-transporter proteins
- lots of mitochondria so lots of ATP for active transport
- tightly packed cells so no fluid can pass between cells
steps of selective reabsorption
- Na- and K+ ion pumps in menrane use ATP to pump Na- out and K+ in
- decreases conc of Na- inside cells so moves back in via cotransporters, with glucose
- conc of glucose then increases inside cells causing glucose to move from cells into tissue fluid and then into capillaries
- this lowers water potential of the blood, causing water to follow my osmosis
what happens to the urea in selective reabsorption?
stays in the filtrate which becomes urine
what substances are reabsorbed?
glucose, amino acids, and some water
what is left in the filtrate after selective reabsorption?
essentially urine, just needs some final water and mineral ion regulation
role of the loop of henle
create a low water potential (high solute concentration) in the the tissue fluid around the nephron, deep in the medulla
what happens in the ascending limb of the loop of henle
na and cl ions are pumped out by active transport
this decreases the water potential of the medulla
however it is impermeable to water, so water cannot leave by osmosis