Renal system Flashcards
Major functions of the urinary system
- filter blood to remove toxins, metabolic wastes + excess ions from circulation
- produce urine
- returned filtered nutrients + important ions back to blood
list 2 basic renal funcrions
- water and ion balance
- regulation of BP (through Na balance + renin-angiotensin system)
describe the blood flow through the kidney
renal artery
afferent arterioles
nephrons via glomerulus
(renal corpuscle
peritubular capillaries)
where are the two types of nephrons found
cortex = cortical nephron
medulla = juxtamedullary nephron
describe the flow of filtrate through the nephron
- glomerulus
- proximal convoluted tubule
- nephron loop
- distal convoluted tubule
- collecting duct (becomes urine)
nephron basic structure + function
- filters blood plasma to form urine
- renal corpuscle + renal tubule
how is filtrate produced from the blood at the renal corpuscle
- blood enters through afferent arteriole
- moves through glomerular capillary at the glomerulus
-> portions that are too large to be filtered exit through the efferent arteriole
->the rest becomes the glomerular filtrate - glomerular filtrate moves into the PCT
what is the glomerulus
a knot of capillaries
what is the glomerular capsule
forms outer wall of renal corpuscles + encapsulates glomerular capillaries
-> connected to initial segment of renal tubule
describe how filtration occurs + what is filtered at the renal corpuscle
- passive process (via BP)
-> forces water + small solutes across the membrane into capsular space - solutes filtered = metabolic wastes + excess ions, glucose, free fatty acids, AAs + vitamins
what solutes are excluded from filtration by the glomerulus
larger solutes:
plasma
proteins
blood cells
function of PCT
tubular reabsorption
- reabsorption of water, ions + organic nutrients
function of thick descending limb of nephron loop
pumps Na+ + Cl- ions out of tubular fluid
function of thick ascending limb
create high solute concentrations in peritubular fluid
function of thin descending limb
freely permeable to water but X solutes -> water movement helps concentrate tubular fluid
DCT function
- active secretion of ions, acids, drugs + toxins
- selective reabsorption of Na+ + Ca2+ from tubular fluid
- selective reabsorption of water to concentrate tubular fluid
structure + function of juxtaglomerular complex
- formed by macula densa (specialised DCT cells) + juxtaglomerular cells
- senses changes in filtrate conc. + flow rate in DCT
- secretes renin + EPO
function of collecting ducts
- variable reabsorption of water (conc. tubular fluid)
- variable reabsorption + secretion of Na+, K+, H+ + bicarbonate ions
- delivery of urine
3 basic steps to process of urine formation
- filtration @ glomerulus
2 + 3. absorption + secretion @ various points along the nephron
3 functions of renal tubule
- reabsorb all useful nutrients entering filtrate
- reabsorb more than 90% of water
- secrete waste products eg. unwanted ions
how does the tubular fluid eventually become urine
due to valuable substances eg. glucose being reabsorbed into peritubular capillaries + waste substances eg. excess H+ being secreted out of peritubular capillaries
how are drugs filtered by the kidneys
- X filtered at glomerulus (except small drugs)
- enter efferent arteriole
- peritubular capillaries pass drugs back into the nephron
- drugs excreted in urine
what structures does filtrate have to pass to get from the glomerular capillary to the bowman’s capsule of the renal corpuscle
- capillary endothelial pores
- dense layer (basal lamina)
- filtration slits
function of foot process of podocyte (on glomerular capillary)
increase SA
what is the value of filtration pressure in the renal corpuscle
10mmHg
what 3 pressures make up filtration pressure
- Glomerular hydrostatic pressure (GHP) = pressure fluid in plasma exerts (+55)
- Capsular hydrostatic pressure (CsHP) = pressure of filtrate arriving in capsule + exerting pressure on capillary wall (-15)
- Blood-colloid osmotic pressure (BCOP) = pressure generated by left behind proteins drawing H2O back (-30)
what 2 things is net filtration pressure governed by
hydrostatic pressure (fluid pressure)
colloid osmotic pressure (of materials in solution) on either side of capillary walls
what is glomerular filtration rate + what does it depend on
- amount of filtrate the kidneys produce each minute = average 125L/min
- depends on filtration pressure
how is GFR controlled (3 things)
- autoregulation of GFR (intrinsic - at kidneys)
- autonomic regulation (extrinsic - by Sym. NS)
- hormonal regulation (extrinsic - intitiated by kidneys though)
how does autoregulation maintain GFR and what is this in spite of
- by changing diameters of afferent arterioles, efferent arterioles + glomerular capillaries
-> through myogenic mechanisms + tubuloglomerular feedback - despite changes in local BP + blood flow