Physiology Flashcards
What are the basic renal processes?
Filtration, reabsorption, secretion
How much blood flow do the kidneys receive?
1200mls/min
What is the renal plasma flow?
660mls/min
What is the GFR normally?
125mls/min
What is the filtration fraction?
19%
What is the glomerular filtration dependent on?
The balance between the hydrostatic forces favouring filtration and the onocotic pressure forces favouring reabsorption
Why is the glomerular capillary p[resssure (Pgc) higher than most capillaries in the body?
Because the afferent arteriolar is short and wide
In the kidney describe the afferent arteriolar
Short and wide
In the kidney describe the efferent arteriolar
Long and narrow
What does a long and narrow efferent arteriole offer?
High post-capillary resistance
At the glomerular capillaries does the hydrostatic presssure exceed the oncotic pressure?
Yes, and the hydrostatic pressure favours filtration
Where does filtration occur?
At the glomerular capillaries
What is the primary factor that controls GFR?
Glomerular capillary pressure
What effect do sympthetic vasoconstrictor nerves have on afferent and efferent arteriole a?
Constriction
What effect do circulating catecholamines have on afferent arteriole?
Constrict afferent
What effect does angiotensin II have on efferent and afferent arteriole
Constricts efferent at [low] and both afferent and efferent at [high]
What intrinsic factor has a control on renal vasculature?
Arterial BP
GFR and BF are maintained by intrinsic ability in what range of arterial BP?
60-130mmHg
If there is an increase in mean arterial pressure,. What effect is there is afferent arteriolar and subsequent glomerular PGC?
Increase in afferent arteriolar construction and thus presvention in rise of glomerular PGC
What capillary is responsible fro reabsorption?
The peritubular capillaries
What is the hydrostatic pressure in the peritubular capillaries and why?
15mmHG
Because the efferent arteriole creates resistance creating a large pressure drop and subsequent very low hydrostatic pressure in the peritubular capillaries
Is the osmotic pressure in the peritubular capillaries high or low? And why?
High because the blood remaining in th peritubular capillaries has a higher concentration of plasma proteins and thus a high osmotic pressure
What makes the peritubular capillaries favourable for reabsorption?
The low Ppc and the high osmotic pressure
Where does the majority of reabsorption from tubule to peritubular capillaries occur?
Proximal convoluted tubule`
What percentage of H2O, glucose, Na+ and urea filtered at the glomerulus is reabsorbed within the tubule?
99% H2O,
100% glucose,
99.5% Na+,
50% urea
What are the mechanisms of reabsorption from the tubules to peritubular capillaries?
Carrier mediated transport systems,tubular secretion, reabsorption of Na+ via active transport
What substances use carrier mediated transport systems?
Glucose, amino acids, organic acids, sulphate and phosphate ions
What is the maximum transport capacity of carriers called?
Tm
Define renal threshold
Plasma threshold at which saturation occurs
What is the Tm of glucose carriers?
10mmoles/l
What is glycosuria/
Glucose in urine
What is the Tm for amino acids?
It is set so high, so no urinary excretion occurs
What substances aren’t regulated by the Tm mechanism, but use the carrier system?
Sulphate and phosphate ions
How much Na+ absorption occurs in the proximal tubule?
65-75%
How many mmoles/ day of sodium is there?
25560 mmoles/ day
How is Na+ transported into interstitial fluid?
Activ Na+ pumps pump out Na into the interesting fluid
This decrease [Na+] in the epithelial cells, increasing the gradient for Na+ ions to move into the cells passively
How do Na+ transport allow Cl- to pass?
The Na+ transport creates an electrical gradient that causes negative ions to diffuse passively across the proximal tubular membrane
How does Na+ and Cl- move water out of the cells into interstitial fluid?
The active transport of Na+ and Cl- out creates an osmotic force which moves H2O out of the tubules
How does the movement of H2O into interstitial fluid affect the movement of other subrstancces?
It concentrates all the substances left in the tubule creating an outgoing concentration gradient for subvstances such as K+, Ca2+ and urea
What is the rate of reabsorption dependent on for non-actively reabsorbed solutes?
1) amount of H2O removed as this will determine the extent of the concentration gradient
2) the permeability of the membrane to any particular solute
Give an example of substance that the tubular membrane is impermeable to
Insulin and mannitol
What reabsorption is Na+ reabsorption linked to?
Glucose, amino acids, HCO3-
What transporter does Na+ use to be able to pull glucose into proximal tubule cells?
SGLT (Sodium- dependent Glucose Transporter
What is tubular secretion?
Secretory mechanisms transport substances front he peritubular capillaries into the tubule lumen and provide a second route into the tubule
What type of substances is tubular secretion important for?
Protein-bound and harmful substances
What tubule does tubular secretion occur in?
Proximal convoluted tubule
What substances can be secreted using the same carrier mediated secretory transported as lactic and uric acid?
Penicillin, aspirin and PAH
What substances can be secreted using the same carrier mediated secretory transported as choline, creatinine?
Morphine and atropine
What is a normal ECF[K+]
4mmoles/l
What is classed as hyperkalaemia?
Greater that 5.5mmoles/l
What happens to resting membrane potentials of excitable cell in hyperkalaemia?
They are decreased causing more membrane to become excitable, leading to ventricular fibrillation and death
What is classed as hypokalaemia?
<3.5mmoles/l
What happens to the resting membrane potential of cells in hypokaelaemia?
It is increased, hyperpolarises muscles, leading to cardiac arrhythmias and eventually death
What effect does aldosterone have on K+ secretion?
It increases K+ secretion
What concentration is the fluid on leaving the proximal tubule?
Isosmotic with plasma, 300mosmoles/l
What is the maximum concentration of urine that can be produced by the human kidney?
1200-1400mOsmoles/l
What concentration of waste products must be excreted in a day and what is the minimum obligatory H2O loss needed for this?
600mOsmoles and 500mls of water loss is needed
What is the minimum [urine} that a human can produce?
30-50mOsmles/l
What system allows the kidney to produce urine of varying concentrations?
The counter-current multiplier system of the loops of Henle of juxtamedullary nephrons
What are the critical characteristics of the loops that makes them counter-current multipliers?
- the ascending loop actively co-transports Na+ and Cl- ions out of the tubule lumen into the interstitium. And is impermeable to H20
- the descending limb is freely permeable to H2O but relatively impermeable to NaCl
At any given horizontal level of the loop of Hemel what is the mOsmol gradient different between the ascending limb and interstitium?
200mOsmoles
What range does the vertical gradient in the interstitium go from/
300-1200mOsmols
How do diuretics work eg frusemide?
They stop the use of the NaCl channels in the acsending limb of loop of Henle which causes all concentration differences to be lost and the kidney to only produce isotonic urine
So what is the overall function of the countercurrent multiplier?
It concentrates the medullary interstitium and delivershypotonic fluid to the distal tubule
What is the vasa recta?
The specialised arrangement of peritubular capillaries of the juxtamedullary nephrons
What role do the vasa recta play in the countercurrent mechanism?
Countercurrent exchangers
What are the functions of the vasa recta?
They provide O2 for the medulla, remove volume from the interstitium and don’t disturb the interstitial gradient
What hormone controls water regulation?
Anti-diuretic hormone (ADH or vasopressin or arginine vasopressin (AVP))
Where is vasopressin synthesised?
The supraoptic (SO) and paraventricular (PVN) nuclei of the hypothalamus of the brain and contained in the posterior pituitary
What mechanism controls ADH secretion?
Plasma osmolarity, ECF volume
If there is an increase in osmolarity what happens?
There is an increase of H2O secretion from the cell, causing the cell to shrink and the stretch sensitive ion channel to be activated, this causes neural discharge and increase in ADH secretion
If there is a decrease in osmolarity what occurs?
H2O enters the cells causing them to swell, this cases a decreased neural discharge and decreased ADH secretion
What is the normal plasma osmolality?
280-290mOsm/kg H2O
Does it take a large or small change in osmolality to get a large increase in ADH?
A small change, there is a 10 times increase in [ADH] for a 2.5% increase in osmolality
Is there an increase in [ADH] if there is in an increase in osmorality but not tonicity
No, there must be a change in tonicity for an increase in [ADH]
Is there a change in [ADH] for a increase in urea?
No because urea is freely permeable so is an ineffective osmole
Why can dehydration occur when you ingest hypertonic solutions?
Because there is an increase solute load that needs to be excreted and thus an increased urine flow and more H2O required for excretion
Where is the site of water regulation?
The collecting duct
How does ADH increase H2O reabsorption?
It binds to membrane receptors,
The receptor activated cAMP second messenger system,
The cell inserts AQP2 water pores into apical membrane,
Water is absorbed by osmosis into the blood
If youre deficit in water what is the likely concentration of your urine?
1200mOsm
If you have excess water what is your likely urine osmolarty?
30-50mOsm/L
What enhances the permeability of urea?
ADH
Where is there an increasing tendency for urea to move out of the collecting duct down its concentration gradient?
The medullary tips
In antidiuresis with high levels of ADH what does urea do when absorbed form the CD into the interstitium?
It acts to reinforce the interstitial gradient in the region of the thin ascending loops of Henle
What is it important that urea is reabsorbed?
Because if it remained in the tubule, it would exert an osmotic effect to hold H2O in the tubule and thus cause dehydration
What happens with regards to [ADH] if there is an increase in ECF volume
[ADH] will decrease
What happens with regards to [ADH] if there is a decrease in ECF volume
[ADH] levels will increase
Where are low pressure receptors located?
In the L and R atria and great veins
What are low pressure receptors also called and why?
“Volume receptors” because they monitor the return of blood to the heart and the “fullness” of circulation
Where do you find high pressure receptors?
Carotid and aortic arch baroreceptros
If there is a moderate decrease in ECF volume what detects it and what is its effect?
The atrial receptors detect and their receptor discharge is decreased which causes and increase in ADH release
If the ECF volume changes enough to affect MBP what receptors detect this and what is their response?
Carotid and aortic receptors which increase ADH release
What stimuli can increase ADH release?
Pain, emotion, stress, exercise, nicotine, morphine, traumatic surgery
What stimuli can decrease ADH release?
Alcohol
If the osmoratlity is greater that 280 mOsm what detects this change?
Hypothalamic osmoreceptors
What is diabetes insipidus ?
ADH deficiency
What are causes of central diabetes insipidus
ADH synthesising hypothalamic arease diseased due to tumours, Meningitis, surgery
What are peripheral causes of diabetes insipidus
Collecting duct insensitive to ADH
How is central diabetes insipidus treated?
ADH
What are typical causes of peripheral diabetes insipidus?
Hypercalcaemia or hypokalaemia