KIDNEY Flashcards
what is the function of the kidney?
to clean out blood by taking waste and unwanted substances out of it
what is urine made up of?
urea
ions
water
why is urea in urine?
proteins can’t be sorrows in the body so any excess amino acids are converted into fats and carbs that can be stored
ammonia is a waste product of this reaction
therefore as ammonia is toxic it’s converted to urea in the liver- which gets transported to the kidneys where it’s extracted from blood excreted from the body as urine
why is there water in urine?
the body needs to constantly balance the water coming in and out the body
this helps it balance if there’s too much water
what is selective reaborbtion?
where glucose, some ions and the correct amount of water is reabsorbed back into the blood after passing through kidneys
what is the concentration of urine controlled by?
a hormone called anti-diuretic hormone (ADH)
how is the hormone ADH released?
released into the blood stream by the pituitary gland
how does the brain know when to release ADH?
the brain monitors the water content of the blood and instructs the pituitary gland to release ADH into the blood depending on how much is needed
water content regulation is controlled by negative feedback, what does this mean?
if the water content gets too high or too low a mechanism will be triggered that brings it back to normal
alcohol suppresses the production of ADH, suggest how this can lead to dehydration?
the kidneys will absorb less water so too much water will be lost with urine
