Exam 3 Britton Renal Physiology I Flashcards
Functions of the kidney
What is excreted?
- Metabolic waste products
- Chemicals and other bioactive substances
Functions of the kidney
What is regulated?
- H2O and electrolyte balance
- Acid-base balance
- Arterial blood pressure
- Red blood cell production (erythropoietin)
- Vitamin D production
____ is the functional unit of the kidney
Nephron
Each kidney contains ____ nephrons
~ 1 million
The kidneys are well ____. Compared to other organs, blood flow is ____
Vascularized; high
Kidneys receive ____ % of the cardiac output at rest
25% (5 L/min, 1.25 RBF L/min or 180 L/day)
____ is necessary to expose the blood to filtration
High blood flow
Blood enters each kidney via a ____. Then branches into ____, ____, ____
Renal artery; interlobar arteries, arcuate arteries, interlobular arteries
How many capillary networks does the nephron have?
2
What are the capillary networks of the nephron?
- Glomerular capillaries
- Peritubular capillaries (vasa recta)
Which arterioles deliver blood to the glomerular capillaries?
Afferent arterioles (1st set of arterioles)
Which arterioles deliver blood to the peritubular capillaries?
Efferent arterioles
____ are the resistance vessels. The greatest drop in pressure occurs where?
Arterioles; Afferent and efferent arterioles
What is renal blood flow determined by?
Renal artery blood pressure and resistance in arterioles
Blood arrives at the kidneys via the ____ artery at ____
Renal artery; MAP (100 mmHg)
True or false: pressure in the glomerular capillary is low
False - it is high and constant, which is needed for filtration
Across different sections of renal blood vessels, pressure drops off in _____
Peritubular capillaries
What are the steps of urine formation?
- Filtration
- Reabsorption
- Secretion
- Excretion
During ____, plasma is filtered from the blood
Filtration
What happens during reabsorption?
Water and solutes are reabsorbed from the glomerular filtrate into the peritubular capillaries
What happens during secretion?
Metabolic waste and other substances are secreted from peritubular capillary blood into the nephron tubular fluid
During ____, the remainder of fluid is excreted as urine
Excretion
During the formation of urine, ____ L of filtrate per day yet only ____ L urine is produced
180; 1.5
____% of substances are reabsorbed and returned to circulation. What would happen if reabsorption did not occur?
> 99%; Most of the constituents of ECF would be rapidly lost in the urine
The proximal tubule is a key site for ____
Reabsorption (some filtrate substances are also reabsorbed in distal segments of the nephron)
What does urinary excretion of a substance depend on?
Its filtration, reabsorption, and secretion
What is the equation for amount of solute excreted?
Amount filtered - amount reabsorbed + amount secreted = Amount of solute excreted
____ is the first step in the formation of urine
Glomerular filtration
Where does filtration occur?
Renal corpuscle
What does the renal corpuscle consist of?
- Glomerular capillaries
- Bowman’s capsule
During glomerular filtration, what is filtered?
Low molecular weight substances that are freely dissolved in plasma
List examples of substances that are filtered during glomerular filtration
- Glucose
- Electrolytes (ions)
- Amino acids
- Peptides
- Waste products (creatinine, urea)
- H2O
- Drugs
What is NOT filtered during glomerular filtration?
- Cells (RBC, WBC, platelets)
- Proteins
- Lipoproteins
During glomerular filtration, ____ selects what molecules are filtered from the blood
The specialized structure of the glomerular filtration membrane
What is a filter?
A sieve that excludes solutes and proteins by electrical charge and size
What are the components of the glomerular filtration barrier?
- Glomerular capillary endothelial cells
- Glomerular basement membrane
- Filtration slit diaphragm
Describe the structure and function of glomerular capillary endothelial cells
- Flattened and highly fenestrated, resembling a sieve
- Allow ultrafiltration of the blood
____ carries a net negative charge that repels proteins. Why does this happen?
Glomerular basement membrane; Proteins also carry a negative charge
The filtration slit diaphragm contains specialized epithelial cells called:
Podocytes
Podocytes project “tentacle-like” foot processes that ensheath the ____
Glomerular capillaries
Podocyte foot processes ____, leaving ____ between them. The slits are bridged by a ____ that prevents proteins and large molecules from entering the ____
Inter-digitate; narrow slits; filtration slit diaphragm; Bowman space