mod 11 Flashcards
Renal system includes:
kidneys, ureters, bladder, urethra
- Function of kidneys:
○ To regulate…
§ Water balance
§ Electrolyte levels
§ pH of the blood
§ Long-term regulation of arterial pressure
other functions of kidneys
○ Remove nonessential substances from plasma (waste metabolites, excess water, electrolytes)
○ Recover essential substances (glucose)
○ Conserve water + electrolytes by reducing amount removed by body
○ Act as endocrine gland - make hormones
anatomy of kidneys
- Size of fist
- Outer renal cortex, middle renal medulla, inner calyces - then drain into central renal pelvis - to ureter
- Renal medulla has renal pyramids - which is where nephrons are
- Nephron drains through a collecting duct into a calyx
Blood supply to nephron
- Renal artery -> interlobular artery -> afferent arteriole -> glomerulus (filtration) -> efferent arteriole -> peritubular capillaries (dense network of capillaries surrounding tubes of nephron) -> interlobular vein -> renal vein
Renal corpuscle
- Made of glomerular capsule + glomerulus
- Where blood is filtered (glomerular filtration)
- Glomerular filtration facilitated by highly permeable capillary endothelium surrounded by podocytes
○ Also enhanced by Large diameter of afferent arteriole + smaller diameter of efferent arteriole
Nephron functions
- Excretion = filtration + secretion - reabsorption
- Filtration - mvmt of fluid through glomerular capillary due to hydrostatic pressures
- Filtrate - solution created by filtration
- Reabsorption - mvmt of substance from lumen back into blood
- Secretion - mvmt of substance from blood into lumen
- Excretion - removal of substance from body
Glomerular filtration
- Bulk flow of filtrate (fluid from blood) into glomerular capsule - has same stuff as plasma, no large proteins or RBC
- Is affected by extremely permeable capillaries + starling forces
- Podocytes (special epithelial cells) surround capillaries and have large filtration slits btwn pedicles
○ These increase filtration
Glomerular filtration - starling forces
- Blood hydrostatic pressure (60mmhg) - due to diff in diameter btwn afferent (large) arterioles and efferent (small) arterioles
- Colloid osmotic pressure due to plasma proteins (-32mmhg) = causes reabsorption of fluid into plasma
- Capsular hydrostatic pressure (-18mmhg) = causes reabsorption of fluid)
- No colloid osmotic force in glomerular capsule bc few proteins are filtered
- Net filtration pressure is 10 mmhg out of glomerulus into capsular space
Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and Filtered load
- Filter 180L/day
- GFR - volume of fluid filtered by glomerulus during certain time period
- Filtered load - substances filtered by kidney per day
○ Filtered load = GFR x plasma conc of substance - e.g. glucose almost completely filtered, but all reabsorbed in healthy ppl, so glucose should be excreted in urine
- e.g. should see some Na ions in urine bc it is filtered and excreted
- Amount excreted (g) = urine conc (g/L) x amount of water excreted per day (1.8L / day)
- Amount reabsorbed = filtered load - amount excreted
- Fraction excreted = (amount excreted/ filtered load) x 100%
Tubular transport mechanisms
- Over 99% filtered out by glomerulus are reabsorbed back into circulation
- When reabsorbed, 2 possible routes
○ Paracellular transport
§ When substances diffuse btwn tubular cells through tight junctions (usually don’t let stuff through, but can be leaky)
§ Non-regulated, no hormone control
○ Transcellular transport
§ Substances go across membrane from lumen into cell
§ Then into interstitial fluid and into blood
§ Can be regulated by hormones, but for most part not regulated
- When reabsorbed, 2 possible routes
- Na/K pump
○ Is active transport - 3 Na out, 2 K in
○ High conc Na outside cell + low inside, high conc K inside + low outside
○ Is active transport - 3 Na out, 2 K in
○ High conc Na outside cell + low inside, high conc K inside + low outside
- Secondary active transport
○ Na conc gradient from Na/ K pump powers other transporters
○ Stuff moves in w Na or moves out in exchange w incoming Na
○ Na/ glucose, Na/ H exchanger
○ Na/ glucose co-transporter - luminal side of each tubule cell
§ Each Na diffuses into cell, single glucose carried in w it
○ Na/ H exchanger - moves 1 H out for every Na in
§ Also on luminal side of cells
- Secretion
○ Kidneys remove unwanted substances from blood into lumen of nephron
○ Hormonally regulated process, can be non-regulated (no hormonal control)
○ Most substances that are secreted are eventually excreted in the urine
○ Secreted are H and K
○ Secretion of K relies on Na/K pump
- Na reabsorption
○ In proximal tubule, ascending limb of loop of henle, early distal tubule
○ Non-regulated mechanisms
○ Reabsorption in proximal tubule can be regulated by hormone angiotensin II
§ Aldosterone in late distal tubule + collecting duct
○ In healthy - all glucose that is filtered at glomerulus is reabsorbed in proximal tubule
§ Amino acids reabsorbed in proximal tubule
- Water reabsorption
○ In proximal tubule and descending limb of loop of henle through non-regulated mechanisms
○ No water reabsorbed in ascending loop of henle
Regulated by antidiuretic hormone (ADH) in late distal tubule and collecting duct