Lecture 6: Renal Blood Flow, Glomerular Filtration and Assessment of Kidney Funtion Flashcards
What is ultrafiltration?
Formation of fluid from plasma that is nearly free of protein as result of effects of hydrostatic and oncotic pressure gradients applied across a semi-permeable membrane
-most important in glomerular filtration barrier of kidneys as this membrane as well as artificial membrane in dialysis
What is diuresis?
Technically refers to water excretion alone (with natriuresis indicating sodium loss) but often used to refer to both water and sodium excretion in urine
What is oncotic pressure?
The osmotic pressure resulting specifically the presence of nonpermeable macromolecules (such as albumin in plasma)
How much of total Cardiac Output goes to kidney?
20% of 1 L/min
Where do interlobar arteries extend?
Along columns of Bertin
What does the efferent arteriole give rise to?
A peritubular capillary network (vasa recta)
Drains into peritbular venous network
That then goes to renal veins
How do you tell difference between cortex
And medulla under the microscope?
Cortex has glomeruli
What is the difference between Renal blood flow
And Renal plasma flow? RBF vs RPF?
RBF = 20% of cardiac output = Renal plasma flow + renal RBC flow
Thus renal plasma flow is only ONE component of renal blood flow
RPF = RBF*(1-hematocrit) = 600 ml/min = 60% of RBF
What is the significance of renal plasma flow?
This is what is being removed from the blood at the level of the glomerulus
RPF = composition of ultrafiltrate
What are the three components of the glomerular filtration barrier?
- endothelial cells of glomerular capillaries
- glomerular basement membrane
- foot processes including many proteins on podocytes
What is the first step in formation of urine?
Ultrafiltration of plasma at the glomerulus
What gets absorbed at the proximal tubule?
2/3 of filtered Na, K, Cl and H20
80% of bicarb and phosphate
~100% of glucose and amino acids
What is GFR?
Amount of filtration per unit time
The amount of ultrafiltrate that passes through the glomerulus at a given minute
Expressed in ml/min or ml/min/1.73m^2
GFR of adults = 120 ml/min = 180 L/day … and urine volume is 2L/day
As one ages (>30 yo), GFR = 100/ml/min/1.73m^2
What is the significance of GFR?
Primary measure used experimentally and clinically to define the level of kidney function
What is UF/P?
Ratio of concentration of each solute in glomerular ultra filtrate (UF) to that in the plasma (P)
A ratio of 1 = no restriction to filtration
Any ratio less than 1 = restriction of filtration
Is there such a thing as Inulin?
YES
It is not insulin misspelled lmao
What molecules does the glomerular barrier (3 components) select for?
- small size
- neutral or positively charged
Examples: Na, K, urea, creatinine, glucose
What molecules usually can’t get through glomerular barrier?
Myoglobin, hemoglobin, albumin because they are too big/have negative charges
What prevents anions from passing through glomerular barrier?
Heparan sulfate is a negatively charged compound on the endothelium/fenestrations
Also negatively charged glycocalyx
What is analogy for glomerular filtration?
Strainer for spaghetti
Pouring water into spaghetti in bowl with small slits
So only water goes through and no spaghetti can go through
Disease = when spaghetti can squeeze its way through the bowl
What are the four forces that drive filtration across filtration barrier?
- Glomerular capillary hydrostatic pressure (promotes filtration)
- Bowman’s space oncotic pressure (close to 0 and promotes filtration)
- Bowman’s space hydrostatic pressure (opposes filtration)
- Glomerular capillary oncotic pressure (opposes filtration)
What are the two pressures that promote filtration at glomerulus?
- Glomerular capillary hydrostatic pressure
2. Bowman’s space oncotic pressure
What are the two pressures that oppose filtration at Glomerulus?
- Bowman’s space hydrostatic pressure
2. Glomerular capillary oncotic pressure
What are the characteristics of the Bowman’s space hydrostatic pressure?
It is low
Entire capillary sees the same low pressure along its entire length
Determined by rate of urine formation and flow of urine into proximal tubule
Can increase if there is urine backup
What are the characteristics of the capillary oncotic pressure?
It increases during transit along the capillary bed because of progressive extraction of water by ultrafiltration
This is a fail-safe mechanism to prevent too much plasma from being filtered
What are the characteristics of the capillary hydrostatic pressure?
The hydrostatic pressure in glomerular capillaries is nearly constant along their length because of regulation of the resistances of afferent and efferent arterioles
Can increase or decrease this capillary hydrostatic pressure (which promotes filtration) by vasodilating or vasoconstricting afferent and efferent arterioles
What is the net driving force favoring ultrafiltration (P_UF)?
Difference between forces favoring filtration and those opposing
P_GC + oncotic pressure of bowmans space – P_BS + oncotic pressure of glomerular capillary = P_UF
As one goes along the capillary, the pressure favoring ultrafiltration will decrease (since the opposing pressure of glomerular capillary oncotic pressure is increasing while everything else remains constant
What is the relationship between renal plasma flow and glomerular filtration rate?
Directly proportional with tapering off as it increases
A fall in renal plasma flow can reduce GFR and vice versa if RPF is increased
A fall in RPF will reduce GFR by a greater proportion than an increase in RPF will be able to raise GFR
What is the filtration fraction (FF)?
The fraction of arterial renal plasma flow (RPFA) that is filtered at the glomerulus
FF = GFR/RPFA
Or
GFR = FF*RPFA
Normal filtration fraction = 20% which means 80% of arterial renal plasma flow just goes through capillary network unfiltered
If patient were to take a medication that causes efferent arteriolar vasoconstriction, what happens to GFR?
Increases
What happens if you have higher afferent resistance compared to efferent arteriolar resistance? High Afferent resistance and Low Efferent resistance?
Decrease GFR because glomerular capillary pressure will decrease
What happens if you have lower afferent resistance as compared to efferent resistance?
Low afferent:High efferent?
Increase GFR because glomerular capillary pressure will increase
What happens to oncotic pressure as filtration fraction goes up?
They increase proportionally