Lecture: Urinary System Flashcards
Le Milieu Intérieur
Internal environment
Coined by Claude Bernard
Major functions of the urinary system
-Excretion of toxins and metabolic by-products
-Homeostasis of major ions
-Homeostasis of blood volume and osmolarity
-Acid-base balance
-Stimulation of erythrocyte production
-Synthesis of vitamin D
What are the functional compartments of the kidney?
The medulla (renal pyramid) and the cortex
Renal papilla
Where filtrate is collected in channels at the end of the renal medulla
Minor calyx
Located at the tip of the renal papilla. Each pyramid corresponds to one minor calyx. They join to form the major calyx
Renal column of Bertin
portion between the pyramids
Hilum of the kidney
Middle of the kidney where the major renal artery enters and renal vein leaves
What is the functional unit of the kidney? What is it composed of?
The nephron is the kidney functional unit. It is composed of a glomerulus and a kidney tubule
Juxtamedullary nephron
- Very long loop of Henle
- Important for concentrating urine
Cortical nephron
Located higher up in cortex
What are the subdivisions of the kidney tubule?
Bowman’s capsule, Proximal convoluted, Thick descending, Thin descending and ascending, Thick ascending, Distal convoluted, Collecting duct
Bowman’s capsule
receptacle where the network of capillaries of the glomerulus is found.
Like a glove that completely covers the network of capillaries.
Bowman’s capsule is composed of a visceral and a parietal layer
- Visceral layer is composed of epithelial cells known as podocytes
- Parietal layer is composed of squamous epithelial cells (continuous with proximal convoluted)
Proximal convoluted tubule
- Exclusively found in the cortex
- Similar morphology to the thick descending limb
- Permeable to: glucose, ions, water, and amino acids
- Reabsorbs the molecules and sends them back to into the circulatory system
The proximal tubule plays a key role in the reabsorption of key nutrients (e.g. glucose; amino-acids, vitamins) and ions. Its brush border (microvilli) increases the surface and absorption area. Cells contain many mitochondria to sustain active transport. The proximal convoluted tubule is very long and is responsible for much of the reabsorption.
Thick descending limb
- Crosses the junction between medulla and cortex
- Part of the Loop of Henle
- Similar morphology to the proximal convoluted tubule
Thin ascending limb
- Thin ascending limb is NOT permeable to water
- No aquaporin channels
- It has specialized transporters to take out Na+ and Cl-
Thick ascending limb
- Crosses the junction between medulla and cortex
- Similar morphology to the distal convoluted tubule
- Part of the Loop of Henle
Contains a large number mitochondria and Na+/K+ ATPases and regulate ion transport (i.e. Na+, Cl-, Ca++)
Morphological feature
* No brush border
Properties
* Impermeable to water
* Permeable to Na+/K+
Distal convoluted tubule
- Only in the cortex
- Similar morphology to the thick ascending limb
- Permeable to Ca2+, Na+, and Cl- which flow out
Contains a large number mitochondria and Na+/K+ ATPases and regulate ion transport (i.e. Na+, Cl-, Ca++)
Morphological feature
* No brush border
Properties
* Impermeable to water
* Permeable to Na+/K+
Collecting duct
- Has specialized channels, some of which are permeable to water, others are permeable to ions
- At this level, transport is regulated by hormones
Why is the tubule very long and convoluted?
High surface area in order to maximize exchange