Module 4: Renal PHGY Flashcards
how is homeostasis in the renal sys controlled
- Controlled by the kidneys
- Responsible for regulation of electrolyte composition, volume, osmolarity, and ph.
- Kidneys work to eliminate all the waste products from bodily metabolism with the exception of carbon dioxide removed via respiration
Describe the major structures of a juxtamedullary nephron and discuss the importance of each section with respect to reabsorption and secretion
- Renal Corpuscle: Filters blood and collects filtrate
- Proximal Convoluted Tubule (PCT): Reabsorbs essential substances like glucose and ions, and secretes waste products
- Loop of Henle: Establishes concentration gradient in the medulla, enabling water reabsorption
- Distal Convoluted Tubule (DCT): fine-tunes reabsorption and secretion processes initiated earlier
- Collecting duct: Responds to hormones to regulate water reabsorption and urine concentration, and maintains acid-base balance
Describe blood flow through the kidneys and its physiological importance in the generation of urine
Blood Flow:
1. Renal Artery Entry: Oxygenated blood enters each kidney through the renal artery.
2. Afferent Arterioles: Branch off the renal artery to form the glomerular capillaries within the renal corpuscle.
3. Glomerular Filtration: Blood pressure forces fluid and solutes from the glomerular capillaries into Bowman’s capsule, forming filtrate.
4. Efferent Arterioles: Carry blood away from the glomerulus, leading to two pathways:
- Peritubular Capillaries: Surround the renal tubules for reabsorption and secretion.
- Vasa Recta: Form long, hairpin-like capillaries around the loop of Henle, maintaining osmotic gradient in the medulla.
5. Renal Vein Exit: Filtered blood exits the kidney via the renal vein, carrying reabsorbed substances and wastes.
6. Urine Formation: Filtrate undergoes reabsorption (essential substances reclaimed) and secretion (additional substances added) throughout the nephron, resulting in concentrated urine.
Importance:
- Filtration: Removes waste products and excess substances from the blood, maintaining internal environment balance.
- Reabsorption: Retrieves essential substances like glucose, ions, and water, conserving body resources.
- Secretion: Excretes waste products and regulates electrolyte and acid-base balance.
- Concentration Gradient: Establishes osmotic gradient in the medulla, crucial for water reabsorption and concentration of urine.
- Blood Pressure Regulation: Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and other mechanisms adjust blood volume and pressure.
Using your knowledge of osmotic gradients, describe how the kidney can make urine either more dilute or more concentrated than other bodily fluids
The kidney regulates urine concentration through osmotic gradients. By adjusting the reabsorption of water and solutes along the renal tubules, it can produce urine that is either more dilute or more concentrated than other bodily fluids. This process involves creating and maintaining osmotic gradients in the renal medulla, primarily through countercurrent mechanisms in the loop of Henle. Hormonal regulation, such as antidiuretic hormone (ADH), also plays a crucial role in modulating water reabsorption and urine concentration. Overall, the kidney’s ability to manipulate osmotic gradients allows for precise control of urine concentration, essential for maintaining fluid and electrolyte balance in the body.
Using dehydration as an example, describe the physiological responses and processes that occur in order to reduce water loss through urine production
- Dehydration Detection:
Osmoreceptors and baroreceptors detect decreased blood volume and increased osmolality. - Release of ADH:
Hypothalamus signals pituitary gland to release ADH into bloodstream. - Increased Water Reabsorption:
ADH increases collecting duct permeability, promoting water reabsorption.
Aquaporin channels facilitate water movement from ducts to interstitium. - Concentration of Urine:
Reabsorbed water reduces urine volume, making it more concentrated.
Helps conserve water in the body. - Thirst Mechanism Activation:
Dehydration triggers thirst, prompting fluid intake. - RAAS Activation:
Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System may activate to enhance sodium and water retention.
Importance:
Maintains fluid balance, blood pressure, and electrolyte levels during dehydration, aiding overall homeostasis.
Identify the major fluid compartments and describe how they are interrelated
Fluid within cells, constituting about 2/3 of total body water.
Contains electrolytes, proteins, and other solutes necessary for cellular function.
Extracellular Fluid (ECF):
Fluid outside cells, comprising interstitial fluid, plasma, and transcellular fluid.
Interstitial fluid: Surrounds cells, exchanges nutrients and waste with blood.
Plasma: Fluid portion of blood, carries nutrients, hormones, and waste products.
Transcellular fluid: Small, specialized compartments like cerebrospinal fluid, synovial fluid, and digestive juices.
Fluid Movement: Exchange occurs between compartments via osmosis, diffusion, and active transport.
Homeostasis: Fluid balance is maintained through intricate regulatory mechanisms.
Blood Pressure Regulation: ECF volume influences blood pressure, impacting fluid movement between compartments.
Nutrient Distribution: Plasma transports nutrients to cells, while waste products are removed via interstitial fluid.
Cellular Function: ICF provides the environment for cellular metabolism and signaling.
Osmotic Regulation: Electrolyte concentrations in ECF and ICF are regulated to prevent osmotic imbalances.
Hormonal Control: Hormones like ADH and aldosterone regulate fluid balance by affecting water reabsorption in the kidneys.
Compare and contrast short-term vs long-term control of the extracellular fluid
Short-term Control:
Rapid Response: Acts within minutes to hours.
Mechanisms:
Neural Regulation: Baroreceptors in blood vessels detect changes in blood pressure, signaling the nervous system to adjust.
Hormonal Regulation: Rapid release of hormones like ADH (vasopressin) and aldosterone in response to changes in blood pressure or osmolality.
Effects:
ADH increases water reabsorption in the kidneys, reducing urine output and conserving water.
Aldosterone enhances sodium and water reabsorption, promoting blood volume and pressure.
Long-term Control:
Gradual Adjustment: Occurs over days to weeks.
Mechanisms:
Renal Regulation: Kidneys play a central role in long-term fluid balance through processes like reabsorption, secretion, and filtration.
Thirst Mechanism: Controlled by osmoreceptors in the hypothalamus, prompting fluid intake to restore hydration.
Effects:
Renal mechanisms adjust over time to maintain fluid and electrolyte balance.
Thirst mechanism prompts increased fluid intake to replenish lost fluids and restore homeostasis.
Describe the differences between isotonic, hypertonic, and hypotonic, and how cells in each of these solutions would be affected
Isotonic:
Same solute concentration as cell cytoplasm.
No net water movement.
Cells maintain normal shape and volume.
Hypertonic:
Higher solute concentration than cell cytoplasm.
Water moves out of cells.
Cells shrink or undergo crenation/plasmolysis.
Hypotonic:
Lower solute concentration than cell cytoplasm.
Water moves into cells.
Cells swell or undergo lysis/turgor pressure.
Effects on Cells:
Isotonic: No change.
Hypertonic: Cells shrink.
Hypotonic: Cells swell.
Describe the pathways involved in the regulation of water balance in terms of intake and output
Intake Pathways:
Thirst Mechanism:
Triggered by increased plasma osmolality or decreased blood volume.
Stimulates the sensation of thirst, prompting individuals to drink fluids to restore hydration.
Regulated by osmoreceptors in the hypothalamus.
Output Pathways:
Renal Regulation:
Filtration: Blood is filtered in the kidneys, producing urine.
Reabsorption: Essential substances like water, ions, and nutrients are reabsorbed from the filtrate back into the bloodstream.
Secretion: Additional substances, such as waste products and excess ions, are secreted from the bloodstream into the filtrate for excretion.
Hormonal Regulation:
Antidiuretic Hormone (ADH):
Released by the pituitary gland in response to dehydration or increased plasma osmolality.
Increases water reabsorption in the kidneys, reducing urine output and conserving water.
Aldosterone:
Released by the adrenal glands in response to low blood pressure or low blood volume.
Enhances sodium reabsorption in the kidneys, indirectly affecting water reabsorption and blood volume.
Thirst Mechanism:
Regulates fluid intake in response to changes in fluid output and hydration status.
ICF
Intracellular Fluid
Fluid within cells
Comprises 2/3rds of total body fluid
ECF
Extracellular Fluid
Fluid surrounding the cells (plasma, interstitial fluid, lymph, and transcellular fluid
Comprises 1/3rd of total body fluid
what do barriers btwn body-fluid compartments do
They limit the movement of water and solutes between the various compartments
plasma-interstitial fluid
Separated by the blood vessel wall
Plasma and interstitial fluid are identical (except plasma proteins)
2 barriers btwn bodu-fluid compartments
- plasma-interstitial fluid
- ICF and ECF
- plasma membrane barrier
- intracellular contains proteins that do not exchange with extracellular
- greater [c] of K+ in ICF
- greater [c] of Na+ in ECF
overall umbrella def for ECF volume and osmolarity
Overall control of fluid balance is dependent upon regulating the ECF
ECF volume
is closely regulated to maintain blood pressure (salt-balance is important for long-term regulation)
ECF Osmolarity
is closely regulated to prevent swelling and shrinkage of cells
To maintain fluid balance, the extracellular volume and osmolarity is regulated closely
Short-term ECF volume control
- Only temporary and can compensate for fairly minor changes in ECF volumes
- Baroreceptor reflex
- Fluid shifts
baroreceptor reflex
Baroreceptor Reflex is mechanoreceptors that are located in the carotid artery and the aortic arch, and they detect changes in arterial blood pressure, the autonomic NS then affects the heart and blood vessels
The baroreceptor reflex regulates blood pressure
When pressure falls too low, cardiac output and total peripheral resistance will increase to raise blood pressure
When blood pressure rises above normal, both decrease to reduce blood pressure
Fluid Shifts
a decrease in plasma volume can temporarily be compensated for by a shift of the fluids out of interstitial compartment to the plasma, the opposite is also true, as an increase in plasma volume can cause fluid to shift to the interstitial compartment
Long term ECF volume control
Kidneys and thirst mechanism (control of urine output)
Describe the Control of Salt
1) describe sodium and how it is controlled
Sodium, and the anions that are associated with it (mainly chloride) accounts for more than 90% of the ECF’s solutes
When salt is transported across a membrane, water follows due to osmosis
Control salt=ECF volume is controlled
To maintain salt balance (salt input=salt output)
describe salt input
is dependent on dietary salt, replace salt loss through feces and sweat (0.5g/day)
describe salt output
excess salt must be eliminated (feces, sweat and kidneys)