Kidneys Flashcards
what are the main blood vessels connected to the kidneys?
Renl artery
Renal vein
What does the urine pass into out of the kidney?
ureter then urethra
What is the kidney primarily made up of?
nephrons
What are he 3 main structures of the kidney?
cortex- outer layer
medulla
pelvis
What happens in the cortex?
filtering of blood takes place because there is dense capillary network
What happens at the medulla?
it contains the tubules of the nephrons and the collecting ducts
What happens in the pelvis?
central chamber where urine collects
What is the strcuture of a nephron?
-Bowman’s capsule
-Proximal convoluted tubule
-Loop of Henle
-Distal convoluted tubule
-Collecting duct
What does the large capillary network around the nephrons join to?
venule then the renal vein
What is the Bowman’s capsule?
cup-shaped structure containing the glomerulus, tangle of capillaries, podocytes, and a basement membrane
What is the proximal convoluted tubule?
coiled region of tubules with microvilli in the cortex of the kidney, they have many mitrochondria for reabsorption
What is the loop of Henle?
a long loop of tubule with a very high solute concentration, found in medulla. It has a descending and ascending limb
What is distal convoluted tubule?
walls with variable permeability to water depending on the levels of ADH
What is the collecting duct?
situated in medulla into the pelvis, the walls are sensitive to ADH
What is ADH?
antidiuretic hormone
What is the process of ultrafiltration?
Glomerulus is supplied with blood from wide afferent arteriole and blood leaves via efferent narrower arteriole
This means there is a high hydrostatic pressure in the capillaries forcing blood out through the capillary wall. Hydrostatic pressure > oncotic pressure
The blood is then filtered by the basement membrane which is made of collagen fibres - acts as sieve.
Contains podocytes which have extensions called pedicels which makes sure no plasma proteins, or cells mange to get into the filtrate.