Renal Clearance and Tubular Function Flashcards
What is renal clearance?
The volume of plasma from which that a substance is completely cleared, by the kidney per unit time (mL/min). Denoted Cx
Cx =?
Cx = (Ux*V)/ Px
Ux: urine concentration of x (mg/mL)
V: urine volume (mL)
Px: Plasma concentration of x (mg/mL)
What condition must be met to estimate GFR using renal clearance?
Mass of urine (Uw) excreted per unit time = Mass of urine filtered (Uw) per unit time
GFR =?
GFR = (Uw*V)/Pw
Uw: mass of urine
V: volume of urine
Pw: Plasma concentration of w
GFR = (Uw*V)/Pw is only true if “w” is ______? (5)
- Freely filterable at the renal corpuscle
- Not reabsorbed
- Not secreted
- Not synthesized by tubules
- Not broken down by tubules
What is inulin?
A polysaccharide that is completely cleared from the kidney, so it can be used to determine GFR; not made endogenously, so it must be administered to measure clearance
Clearance of Inulin (Cin) = GFR
What is creatinine?
An inert product of protein metabolism that is freely filterable and not reabsorbed by the kidney; measuring clearance of creatinine can determine GFR, but it is slightly higher than the actual value due to a small amount of creatinine being secreted
What is a normal plasma creatinine level? What would happen to creatinine levels if GFR decreased by 50%?
10 mg/L
Increases then stabilizes at 20 mg/L; indicates renal function (especially GFR) is impaired
What is PAH?
Para-aminohippurate
IV medication used to measure GFR; not reabsorbed and almost totally secreted
Approximates renal plasma flow
CPAH =?
CPAH = UPAHV/PPAH = ERPF
CPAH: Clearance of PAH
UPAH: urine concentration of PAH
V: volume
PPAH: Plasma concentration of PAH
ERPF: effective renal plasma flow
Why does clearance of PAH only approximate effective renal blood flow?
10-15% of total renal plasma flow supplies non-filtering and non-secreting portions of the kidneys (ie. peripelvic fat), which cannot lose PAH by secretion
Describe diffusion
Movement of charged or uncharged solutes down its concentration gradient
Diffusion of ions is affected by electrical potential differences across cell membranes of the renal tubules
Describe facilitated diffusion
Solutes move down their concentration gradients with the help of transport proteins in the cell membrane
Describe primary active transport
Movement of molecules through a mechanism which is directly coupled to ATP consumption, going against a solute’s concentration gradient
Describe secondary active transport
Energy from downhill movement of solute provides energy for the uphill movement of another solute
Describe solvent drag
Occurs when water is reabsorbed and solutes follow behind (movement of nutrients across capillaries)
What are the two potential routes for reabsorptive movement from lumen to interstitium?
Paracellular
Transcellular
What is paracellular reabsorption?
Movement of solutes between cells (i.e. across tight junctions); can be by diffusion or solvent drag
What is transcellular reabsorption?
Reabsorption of substances that must cross two plasma membranes between the tubular lumen and the interstitial fluid
Ex: lipid-soluble substances (by diffusion and net passive reabsorption)
What are the two criteria for transcellular transport?
- One of the transporters MUST be active
- The transporter used at the luminal membrane must be different from the one on the basolateral membrane
What is a transport maximum?
Tm
Amount of material that can be transported across a membrane per unit time (when all transporters are fully saturated); reflects the maximal transport capacity of BOTH kidneys
What is renal threshold?
The plasma concentration where a substances first beings to appear in the urine; this begins when Tm is almost reached
Describe the concept behind bidirectional transport. What part of the nephron does this typically occur?
Secretion creates a concentration of substances X higher in the lumen than in the ISF, which favors paracellular reabsorption
Reabsorption establishes a concentration lower in the lumen than in the ISF, which favors passive paracellular secretion
Typically occurs in the proximal tubule
Is reabsorption of sodium active or passive? Transcellular or paracellular?
Active
Transcellular
Is reabsorption of chloride passive or active? Paracellular or transcellular?
Passive (paracellular diffusion)
Active (transcellular)
*directly or indirectly coupled with sodium reabsorption*
What substances of a filtered load are almost completely reabsorbed? (6)
Water (99.2%)
Na+ (99.4%)
Ca2+ (98.2%)
HCO3- (99.9%)
Cl- (99.2%)
Glucose (100%)
Why is K+ only 86.1% reabsorbed by the kidney?
Most K+ resides WITHIN the cell
What is the normal pH range of urine?
5.0 - 7.0