Renal Flashcards
What are the functions of the kidney?
filter blood/excrete toxins
metabolise compounds
secrete hormones
maintain pH (acid-base) and electrolyte balance – produce bicarb
Why is kidney disease typically silent until advanced?
No pain receptors in the kidneys so pain is not usually present
What is one instance where you may feel kidney pain?
Kidney stones
Not kidney pain however; ureter pain
What part of the kidney collects the filtrate?
Bowman’s capsule – drains into urine
What part of the kidney collects reabsorbed nutrients?
arteries – goes into the veins
What is a normal GFR?
100-120 mL/min
What size of molecules can be filtered at the glomerulus
small molecules < 70 kDa
What happens to larger molecules at the glomerulus?
cannot be filtered and therefore go back into the blood
What happens if proteins get stuck on the surface of the glomerulus and Bowman’s capsule?
become a target for the immune system therefore causing inflammation and damage to the nephrons
How much nutrients are reabsorbed at the proximal tubule?
60-70% of Na+, almost all K+ and glucose
How is water reabsorbed at the proximal tubule
passively along osmotic gradients of Na+ (high conc. in tubule and low conc. outside = gradient)
How much filtrate is delivered to the loop of Henle?
30 mL/min
What occurs at the descending loop of Henle?
permeable for water and therefore water is reabsorbed
What occurs at the ascending loop of Henle?
not permeable for water and therefore Na+ is reabsorbed
How much filtrate is delivered to the collecting duct?
5-10 mL/min (about 5-10%)
What are the water channels in the collecting duct under control of and what does this mean for water reabsorption?
vasopressin – antidiuretic hormone
stimulates water reabsorption alone without Na+
What steroid is the distal tubule/collecting duct a target for and what action does this hormone cause?
Aldosterone
causes Na+ reabsorption and K+ excretion
What regulates K+ excretion
K+ levels in the blood
low levels = less excretion of K+ to maintain levels
How does the kidney help maintain acid-base balance in the body, and what part of the kidney is responsible for this?
Distal tubule/collecting duct produces bicarbonate
Approximately how much filtrate (urine) enters the ureters and into bladder?
1-2 mL/min
98-99% reabsorption rate
Where are drugs and toxins secreted from in the kidney?
Proximal tubule
4 types of transporters in the renal proximal tubule
anionic
cationic
peptide/hormone
ABC
Which type of transporter is responsible for conferring drug resistance?
ABC transporter
What channel do thiazide diuretics inhibit?
NCCs