Loop of Henle Flashcards
What is the major site of reabsorption?
Proximal tubule (65-75% of all NaCl and H2O; all nutritionally important substances)
How much of the albumin presented at the glomerulus gets through?
~30g protein/day
0.5% (however this is ultimately all reabsorbed by a Tm carrier mechanism in the proximal tubule)
How does the nonpolar and therefore highly lipid soluble character of drugs/pollutants aid in their reabsorption?
The removal of H2O in the proximal tubule establishes concentration gradients for their reabsorption
Therefore since drugs/pollutants are highly lipid soluble you would think we could never get rid of them - but how does the liver aid in their excretion?
The liver metabolises them to polar compounds thus reducing their permeability and facilitating their excretion
Review of tubule function

review of tubule function 2

The fluid that leaves the proximal tubule is…
ISOSMOTIC with plasma i.e. 300mOmoles/L
Why is the fluid that leaves the proximal tubule isosmotic with plasma?
ALL solute movements are accompanied by equivalent H2O movements, so that osmotic equilibrium is maintained
Where do all nephrons have their proximal and distal tubules? Do all nephrons have common processes for reabsorption and secretion of solutes of the filtrate?
The Cortex
Yes
A special system is attributable to the loops of Henle of juxtamedullary nephorns, what is it essential for?
Water balance
Through this mechanism - the kidney can produce concentrated urine in times of H2O deficient (a major determinant of our ability to survive without water)
What is the maximum concentration of urine that can be produced by the human kidney? How much more concentrated is this than plasma?
1200-1400mOsmoles/l
i.e. 4x more concentrated than plasma = excess of solute over water
Urea, sulfate, phosphate, other waste products and non-waste ions (Na+ and K+), which must be excreted each day amount to how many mOsmoles?
600
So the substances excreted each day amount to 600mOsmoles, this therefore means a minimum obligatory H2O loss of how much?
500mls
(this occurs even if there is no H2O intake - urinate to death!)
What is the minimum [urine] in man? (e.g. in conditions of excess H2O intake when H2O is excreted in excess of solute)
30-50mOsmoles/L
(i.e. 10x dilution compared with plasma)
What do the loops of Henle of juxtamedullary nephrons act as to allow the kidney to produce urine of varying concentrations?
Counter-current multipliers
How does fluid flow in counter-current in the loop of Henle?
Fluid flows down the descending limb and up the ascending limb
What are the 2 critical characteristics of the loops which make them counter-current multipliers? (hint: 1 for descending limb; 1 for ascending)
- Descending limb is freely permeable to H2O but relatively impermeable to NaCl
- Ascending limb of the loop of Henle actively co-transports Na+ and Cl- ions out of the tubule lumen into the interstitium; the ascending limb in impermeable to H2O

How does the loop of Henle start off?
Filled with stationary fluid of [300mOsm/l] i.e. isosmotic with plasma

As NaCl is pumped out of the ascending limb (key step), what happens to the fluid?
It’s concentration falls and that of the interstitium rises i.e. the osmolarity in the tubule decreases and it increases in the interstitium - this occurs until a limiting gradient of 200mOsm is established
(reaching this 200mOsm gradient is the ‘aim’ of the ascending limb)

So due to the concentration gradient produced by the ascending limb, the descending limb is not exposed to greater osmolarity in the interstitium, and what does H2O therefore do?
Moves out to equate the osmolarity
(it does not then stay in the interstitium - it is reabsorbed by high πp and tissue P into the vasa recta (Starlings)

This is all occuring and fluid is actually still moving - entering at proximal and leaving at distal tubule. Concentrated fluid is therefore continuously being delivered from the descending to the ascending limb - what then occurs at the ascending?
Again, active NaCl removal - further concentrating the interstitium

Greater concentration of descending limb (by removal of water) means…
greater concentration of interstitium by addition of salt from ascending limb






