Renal system 1 & 2 Flashcards
name the key features of the uraniry system
Kidneys
Renal Pelvis (into which urine is drained)
Ureters (carry urine to urinary bladder)
Bladder (stores urine)
Urethra (tube between bladder and external environment)
main function of kidney?
filtration
reabsorption
homeostasis
how much weight is the kidneys in the body?
1%
Yet receive about 25% of Cardiac Output
¼ of all ‘work’ performed by heart is to perfuse kidneys
smallest Functional unit = is the nephron
Approx 2.5 million
Each approx 5 cm in length about 50 µm in diameter
Approx 125 km of tubing (not including blood vessels)
Processes 180 L plasma/day
Only about 1.5 drops per nephron
Of which ~ 1% ends up as urine
About 600g of sodium reabsorbed per day
What are the Substances filtered and reabsorbed
- WATER Glomerular filtrate = 180-200 l/day approx
Urinary volume = 1.5 l/day approx (ie most of water filtered is reabsorbed)
- SODIUM CHLORIDE
Nearly all Na+ and Cl- is reabsorbed to maintain internal O.P. - GLUCOSE
Reabsorbed as long as plasma glucose < 200 mg/100ml (10 mM) - HYDROGEN IONS –
Normal diet generates H+ ions and kidney eliminates them. - UREA H2N - CO - NH2
End product of protein metabolism
2/3 of that filtered is passed out in urine
Remainder is reabsorbed - TOXIC SUBSTANCES
Body metabolites Drugs + Drug metabolites
Some of these may be actively secreted (removed)
High coinc of what does urine include?
Urea
Ureic acie
Creatinine
K+
Other substances that are toxic
rest reabsorbed
blood supply travels to the kidney and substance are filtered ____
out
artery divides =
interlobular arteries - where they come into contact with the nephron (incl. swealling = where blood supply interacts with nephron)
blood means afferent to efferent
afferent - towards the glomerulus
efferent - from something (out efferent arterial)
what two components does the nephron include?
vascular (Blood)
Tubular (filtered fluid)
Some of the nephron is in renal cortex
outer region
granular
Some of the nephron is in renal medulla
inner region,
made up of triangles (renal pyramids)
The Nephron: Vascular component
Interlobular artery > afferent arteriole (aa)
splits > the glomerulus (g)
a ball of capillaries
responsible for filtration
rejoin > efferent arteriole (ea)
(in other beds, a venule)
splits > peritubular capillaries
a second capillary bed!
supply renal tissue with blood
receives compounds reabsorbed by tubule
source of compounds secreted by tubule
The Nephron: Tubular component
composed of?
epithelial cells
The Nephron: Tubular component
Bowman’s capsule (BC)
encloses glomerulus
in cortex
where filtration occurs
Proximal Convoluted Tubule (PCT)
in cortex
responsible for most reabsorption/secretion
Loop of Henle (LH)
cortex/medulla
responsible for osmotic gradient in medulla
Distal Convoluted Tubule (DCT)
in cortex
‘fine-tuning’ of solute/water reabsorption
Collecting Tubules/Ducts (CD)
in cortex/medulla
‘fine-tuning’ of urine concentration
Vascular and Tubular nephrons
peritubular capillaries
Bowman’s capsule and
Juxta glomerular apparatus
JG cells in afferent arteriole
MD in DCT
JG cells and MD form JG apparatus
regulates blood pressure and the filtration rate of the glomerulus
podocytes
found in epithelium of BC and surround capillaries (filtration)
MD - densely staining cells of DCT
detect low Na+ in DCT and can alter flow through glomerulus and water volume (fine tuning)
JG cells (afferent arteriole) –
responsible for releasing hormones (Renin) that control how much water is reabsorbed (fine tuning)
Can also control filtration rate
Roles of Kidneys
Excretion of waste products (eg urea) / foreign compounds (eg drugs)
Long term control of blood pressure
Via regulation of H2O and electrolytes
Homeostatic regulation of pH/
Long term acid/base balance (H+ and bicarbonate HCO3)
Production of hormones
Control of RBC number via erythropoietin
Production of/conversion to active form of Vit D
Important to regulate H2O because of…
‘volume’ effects ↔ osmotic/hydrostatic forces
Circa 40 L H2O in ‘average’ body
fluid compartments mean
water can move between different compartments
what are the fluid compartment barriers
- cell membrane
Very thin
Little barrier to H2O movement
Barrier to solute movement - Capillary wall (Interstitial fluid ↔ plasma)
Thin
Variable barrier to H2O movement
Little barrier to solute movement (except protein)
fluid moevments (ml/min) = Dynamic equilibrium
Renal adjustment of plasma composition affects other compartments
Renal adjustment of plasma volume affects blood pressure
Link between H2O & solutes
Water regn through solute regn
‘Most important’ solute is Na+
Moved via Na-pump
Molecular mechanism
Energy-consuming (ie ATP)
‘Up’ concentration gradient
There is no equivalent molecular H2O pump
H2O only ever moves via osmotic & hydrostatic forces
ie pumping of heart or osmotic effects of Na-pump
What are the Implications for Renal Function?
1) Need to maintain solute/H2O balance in body
2) Filtration into nephrons
3) Reabsorption back into peritubular capillaries
renal function = 1) Need to maintain solute/H2O balance in body
Intake is ‘unpredictable’
Therefore need both hypertonic and hypotonic urine ( hypertonic sol - greater conc of solutes than another etc)
renal function = 2) Filtration into nephrons
125 ml/min (180 L/day, 60x plasma vol)
Protein-free plasma
Topologically on surface of body