Renal Physiology and Body Fluid Homeostasis Flashcards
role of the kidney?
matching rate of excretion to intake
why is intake of fluid and electrolytes so variable?
intake is sporadic, can occur as result of social and regulatory stimuli
role of kidney when rate of intake/excretion are extremely different from each other?
can only slow rate of change in body fluids
what processes does the kidney work in conjunction with?
regulating ingestion, regulation of other excretory routes (CO2 by lungs, faeces), regulation of metabolic processes, control of absorption
amount of fluid in the intracellular fluid?
around 25 litres- the largest fluid compartment
further subdivisions of the extracellular fluid?
blood plasma, interstitial fluid, transcellular fluid
what is the blood plasma and what is its volume?
fluid within vasculature, around 3 litres
what is the interstitial fluid and what is its volume?
fluid around cells and outside vasculature, around 13 litres
what is the transcellular fluid and what is its volume?
specialised fluid compartments such as synovial fluid, cerebrospinal fluid. around 1 litre
which fluid compartment in the body is regulated independently from the rest?
transcellular fluid
how does the kidney act on composition of interstitial and intracellular fluid indirectly?
kidney acts directly on composition and volume of plasma fluid which then influences composition of interstitial fluid which then influences composition of intracellular fluid
total volume of extracellular fluid?
around 17 litres
what is osmotic pressure?
pressure required to prevent osmotic water movement
composition of blood? (proportion of plasma vs cells)
55% plasma, 45% cellular components
composition of plasma?
91% water, 7% proteins (albumin, fibrinogen, globulins etc.), 2% electrolytes, nutrients, hormones
cellular components of blood?
leukocytes (WBCs), platelets, erythrocytes
what is seen in centrifuged blood?
liquid plasma layer, leukocyte layer, other cellular components layer
what determines osmotic water movements?
osmolality
what is osmolality?
osmoles per kg of water
what separates the plasma from the interstitial fluid?
capillary membranes
why don’t ions exert osmotic pressure across the capillary membrane?
capillary permeable to ions so freely cross capillary membrane and have similar concentrations in plasma and interstitial fluid
what factor influences the water distribution between blood and interstitium?
colloid osmotic pressure produced by protein concentration
main protein in ECF?
albumin
what does osmotic pressure depend on?
osmolarity x gas constant x absolute temperature
what does it mean for osmolality to be a colligative property?
proportional to the number rather than the type of particle
what force pulls water out of the interstitium into the capillaries?
osmotic pressure as the colloid concentration in the interstitial fluid is negligible
what forces water out of the capillaries?
hydrostatic pressure higher in the capillaries than the interstitium
what is Starling’s theory of capillary water movement?
volume flow is proportional to hydrostatic pressure difference - osmotic pressure difference
why does the capillary pressure drop along the capillary?
primarily due to resistance
net flux at arteriolar end of capillary and venous end of capillary?
outward at arteriolar end, inwards at venous end
causes of oedema?
cardiac failure, septicaemia, lymphatic blockage, protein loss
what provides the majority of ECF osmolality? (compared to ICF)
NaCl
what provides the majority of ICF osmolality?
K+ and membrane impermeant anions
cause of movement between interstitial and intracellular fluid?
osmosis
overarching cause of movement between plasma and interstitial fluid?
Starling forces
how is Na+ excluded from cells?
the Na+/K+-ATPase
how are Cl- and HCO3- excluded from cells?
the membrane potential
how can extracellular ion concentrations change?
by changing amount of solute (salt intake or loss) or by changing volume of solvent (water intake or loss)
effects of increased plasma osmolality on cells?
water moves out of cells into plasma, causes cellular shrinkage, if severe can result in reduced consciousness/fitting as brain function reduced
effects of decreased plasma osmolality on cells?
can cause brain to swell, increases pressure within confines of the skull which can reduce cerebral perfusion as veins become compressed
treatment for decreased plasma osmolality (hyperhydration)?
can give mannitol- unreactive sugar that can cross capillary membrane but not cell membrane so increases interstitial osmolality to draw water from cells by osmosis
how are body water compartment volumes estimated clinically?
if jugular vein overfilled then high enough plasma volume, can measure urine output
what is the dilution technique of measuring body water compartment?
add a known amount of substance A into compartment, measure its concentration, volume = amount/conc. in practice A should be restricted to 1 compartment, evenly distributed, not change V, not be lost (metabolised/excreted), be non-toxic and easily measurable
what substances can be used to measure total body water?
D2O or HTO have fairly rapid excretion but slow compared to volume of distribution
single injection method for measuring plasma volume?
single injection of substance, measure concentration in blood over time- decreases as it is lost so some lost by time it is evenly distributed. can extrapolate back to see what concentration would be if evenly distributed at t=0
how can blood volume be determined from plasma volume?
centrifuge blood to get haematocrit, blood volume = plasma volume/(1-H)
requirements for substances used in single injection method?
slow excretion or metabolism, non-toxic, easily measurable
continuous infusion method for measuring fluid compartment volumes?
infuse substance at constant rate until the plasma concentration becomes constant- then infusion stopped and amount of substance excreted from urine measured to calculate A- as concentration increases excretion increases so will reach steady state when excretion rate= infusion rate which is when can measure concentration in plasma.
requirements for substances used in continuous infusion to measure ECF volume?
fast excretion, single measurable route of excretion, can cross capillary membrane but not cell membrane
substances that can be used in continuous infusion?
inulin, radiolabelled Na+/Cl-, thiosulphate
how can intracellular water be calculated?
by subtraction ECF volume from total body water (estimated with D2O/HTO)
where does blood enter the kidneys? via what?
at the renal hilum via the renal arteries
how much of the resting CO do kidneys receive?
25%
what do the renal arteries divide into?
the interlobar arteries
what do the interlobar arteries give off?
arcuate arteries
where do the interlobar arteries run?
up the renal columns to the junction between the renal cortex and the medulla
where do the arcuate arteries run?
along the corticomedullary border
what do the arcuate arteries give off?
interlobular arteries which supply cortex via afferent arterioles
what do the afferent arterioles in the kidney lead to?
the glomerular capillaries
where does the majority of blood flow from the glomerular capillaries?
through the peritubular capillaries for filtrate reabsorption
where does 1% of blood flow from the glomerular capillaries?
follows the vasa recta
what is the vasa recta?
long capillary loops that descend into the medulla before returning to the cortex
how and why is there a hyperosmotic environment generated and maintained within the medulla?
needed to produce concentrated urine, happens as medulla receives very little renal blood flow compare to cortex
what % of the plasma is filtered from the glomerular capillaries into the renal tubules?
approximately 20%
why is the blood flow through the renal artery and renal vein almost identical?
around 99% of the renal filtrate is reabsorbed into the peritubular capillaries and vasa recta
first step of filtration in kidney?
blood filtered in glomerulus, filtrate containing about 20% of renal plasma flow enters Bowman’s capsule and then the proximal tubule
what is the route taken by the filtrate on leaving Bowman’s capsule?
proximal convoluted tubule, proximal straight tubule, thin descending limb of LoH, thin ascending limb of LoH, thick ascending limb of LoH, distal convoluted tubule, cortical collecting duct, outer medullary collecting duct, inner medullary collecting duct
what occurs in the proximal tubule?
reabsorption of the majority of filtrate and essentially all filtered glucose and amino acids
histological features of the proximal tubule?
large SA, many mitochondria
what occurs in the LoH?
separates reabsorption of solutes and water so fluid leaving LoH is hypo-osmotic to plasma, inner medulla is very hyperosmotic.
what is the distal tubule responsible for?
control of plasma K+ and pH, water reabsorption in concentrating kidney, water impermeable in diluting kidney
what is the collecting duct responsible for?
allows reabsorption of water from the hypo-osmotic tubule into the cortex and then the hyper-osmotic medulla to produce hyper-osmotic urine
where does urine flow from the collecting ducts?
into the minor calyces then the major calyces and then into the renal pelvis and then the ureter
what are the 2 populations of nephrons?
cortical and juxtamedullary
which nephrons have LoHs that extend into the inner medulla?
juxtamedullary nephrons
what are the 3 layers filtrate flows through in Bowman’s capsule?
fenestrated capillary membrane, basal lamina and filtration slits between the foot processes of podocytes
why is filtration in the renal corpuscle considered ultrafiltration?
indicates that separation is occurring at the level of ‘ultra-small’ sizes (molecular sizes)
role of the fenestrated capillary membrane in the filtration barrier?
large pores (around 70nm) that entirely prevent passage of cells, allow passage of largest protein molecules
role of the basement membrane in the filtration barrier?
negatively charged, restricts passage of large solutes
role of the podocytes in the filtration barrier?
have foot processes separated by filtration slits bridged by thin diaphragm with pore approx. 4 by 14 nm. negative charge. most restrictive layer of filtration barrier
why is only very little albumin able to pass into Bowman’s capsule despite it being small enough?
both albumin and the filtration barrier are negatively charged
why is the charge on the filtration barrier irrelevant to small molecules like ions?
charges must be close to interact, small molecules don’t pass sufficiently close to the borders of the filtration barrier
what factors affect the glomerular filtration rate?
difference between glomerular capillary and Bowman’s capsule hydrostatic pressure, difference between colloid osmotic pressure of glomerular capillary and Bowman’s capsule, and the filtration coefficient (product of capillary permeability and SA available for filtration)
how is glomerular filtration rate primarily regulated? what contributes to this factor?
by regulating the glomerular capillary hydrostatic pressure. can be varied by changing resistance of afferent or efferent arterioles
effect of constriction of the afferent arteriole on glomerular capillary hydrostatic pressure? what is the effect of this on GFR?
reduces glomerular capillary hydrostatic pressure, which reduces GFR
when is constriction of the afferent arteriole needed?
when arterial blood pressure is high- would otherwise increase renal plasma flow and pressure in glomerular capillaries increasing GFR
effect of constriction of the efferent arteriole on glomerular capillary hydrostatic pressure? effect of this on GFR?
restricts escape of blood to low pressure venous system, increases glomerular capillary hydrostatic pressure, increases GFR
what mechanism is usually enough to reduce or increase glomerular capillary hydrostatic pressure to control GFR?
afferent arteriole constriction/dilatation
what allows independent control of renal plasma flow and filtration pressure?
dilatation of the efferent arteriole will decrease glomerular capillary hydrostatic pressure while increasing renal plasma flow, dilatation of the afferent arteriole will increase both glomerular capillary hydrostatic pressure and renal plasma flow
what is the evidence for autoregulation of GFR?
over a wide range of ABP, GFR stays relatively constant, outside this range is much more affected
what are the 2 intrinsic mechanisms of regulation of GFR?
the myogenic mechanism and tubuloglomerular feedback
what is the myogenic mechanism of GFR regulation?
afferent arteriole constricts when stretched, relaxes when released from stretch
what is the tubuloglomerular feedback mechanism of GFR regulation?
the macula densa (between ThickAL of LoH and the distal tubule) senses NaCl uptake, raised NaCl uptake suggests more NaCl than normal being delivered to distal areas of nephron, suggests flow rates through nephron are too high for normal levels of reabsorption. in response to raised NaCl delivery macula densa releases ATP, stimulates afferent arteriole constriction which reduces glomerular capillary pressure and renal plasma flow offsetting effects of raised ABP
what are the extrinsic mechanisms controlling GFR?
the renin-angiotensin system and the renal sympathetic nerves
effect of AngII and sympathetic activity on the renal arterioles?
both constrict them
which arteriole does AngII act on primarily at low concentrations?
the efferent arteriole
what cells surround the glomerular capillaries and function to adjust the capillary SA?
mesangial cells- similar to smooth muscle, contraction may reduce capillary SA
why can severe rhabdomyolysis reduce GFR?
skeletal muscle breakdown can release large quantities of myoglobin which can block the filtration pores
what is the hydrostatic pressure in Bowman’s capsule normally?
around 10mmHg
how can urinary tract obstruction impede filtration?
by increasing hydrostatic pressure in Bowman’s capsule so decreasing GFR
what is nephrotic syndrome?
pathologies leading to an increase in glomerular protein permeability and therefore a reduction in the reflection coefficient and reduction in plasma colloid osmotic pressure so reduction in GFR
how does increased RBF affect the glomerular capillary colloid osmotic pressure?
when RBF is high the increase in capillary colloid osmotic pressure over distance is decreased so more filtration can occur at the distal end of the glomerular capillary
how much filtrate is reabsorbed in the proximal tubule, how much of substances such as glucose and and amino acids is reabsorbed in the proximal tubule?
65% of filtrate, nearly 100? of substances like glucose and amino acids
what is clearance?
the rate of excretion expressed as a function of the plasma concentration
what does clearance allow?
comparison of renal handling of different substances even if present in plasma at very different concentrations
filtration rate calculation if a substance is freely filtered?
GFR x plasma concentration
what is clearance for a substance that is freely filtered and neither reabsorbed or secreted? what does this mean?
clearance = GFR. means can use one of these substances to measure GFR
what is the clearance ratio of a substance?
clearance of the substance relative to that of inulin- if >1 implies secretion of the substance and in <1 implies reabsorption or incomplete filtration of the substance
how can creatinine be used to calculate GFR?
creatinine is produced at a relatively constant rate, freely filtered, not reabsorbed and only slowly secreted so only overestimates GFR by a small amount. can calculate creatinine clearance from rate of creatinine excretion in urine measured over 24 hours and plasma creatinine concentration.
how can GFR be estimated from plasma GFR concentration?
if GFR drops less creatinine is excreted, plasma concentration has to rise to increase creatinine excretion again. needs correction for age, sex and body weight as creatinine production is proportional to muscle mass
how can inulin be used to measure GFR?
inulin is freely filtered and not reabsorbed or secreted, doesn’t influence GFR. so can use constant perfusion to calculate arterial plasma concentration and rate of excretion. then can use this to calculate clearance which = GFR
what is PAH?
para-aminohippurate- substane secreted by the cortical peritubular capillaries of kidney and freely filtered that can be used to estimate renal plasma flow
passive mechanisms of transcellular transport?
simple diffusion, facilitated diffusion, solvent drag (carried in water flow)
how can PAH be used to estimate renal plasma flow if plasma concentrations sufficiently low?
if plasma concs. low enough PAH can be almost completely cleared by the kidney, flow = rate of excretion so can measure PAH concentrations in the artery and then renal vein
why does using PAH to estimate renal plasma flow produce an underestimate of around 10%
as PAH is only secreted by the cortical peritubular capillaries and around 10% of blood travels through medullary capillaries instead
methods of secondary active transport?
symport (all substances transported in same direction) and antiport (transport in opposite directions)
active mechanisms of transcellular transport?
primary active transport (directly coupled to hydrolysis of ATP by transport protein), secondary active transport (coupled to electrochemically favourable movement of another substance), endocytosis
active components of reabsorption in the proximal tubule?
sodium and glucose co transport into cells by SGLTs out of PT, then GluT2 transports glucose out coupled to Na+/K+-ATPase so glucose and Na+ transported into blood together. NHE transports Na+ out of PT in exchange for H+. HCO3- actively transported into blood