Urinary physiology Flashcards
What are the 3 basic renal processes?
Filtration - formation at the glomerular capillaries of an essentially protein-free filtrate of plasma
Reabsorption - Substances that the body wants.
Secretion - Substances may be specifically removed from body in this way.
How much blood flow does the kidney receive?
1200mls/min - 20-25% of total cardiac output. Have almost the highest BF/g tissue of any tissue in the body.
Where is the blood filtered?
None of the red cells and only a fraction of the plasma is filtered into Bowman’s capsule.
Remainder passes via the efferent arterioles into the peritubular capillaries and then to renal vein.
How much of total BV does plasma account for? And what is the renal plasma flow?
55% of total
Renal plasma flow = 55% of 1200mls/min = 660mls/min.
What is Glomerular filtration?
What is its normal value?
First step in making urine - filter excess fluid and waste products out of blood and into urine collecting tubules.
Normally 125ml/min.
19% of renal plasma becomes glomerular filtrate.
What is Glomerular filtration dependent on?
Balance between hydrostatic forces favouring filtration and oncotic pressure forces favouring reabsorption.
What determines the permselectivity of glomerular barrier?
Molecular size
Electrical charge
Shape
Why is the Glomerular capillary pressure higher than in most of the capillaries in the body?
Afferent arteriole is short and wide so offers little resistance to flow. Blood arriving at glomerulus still has high hydrostatic pressure.
Unique arrangement of efferent arteriole (long and narrow) offers a high post-capillary resistance.
What is the golden rule of circulation?
If you have a high resistance, hydrostatic pressure upstream is increased, while pressure downstream is decreased.
What in terms of efferent and afferent contributes to very high Pgc.
Afferent and efferent arterioles contribute. At glomerular capillaries the hydrostatic P favouring filtration always exceeds the oncotic pressure.
What will be entering the glomerulus?
Fluid pressure created by fluid in bowman’s capsule.
Colloid osmotic pressure gradient due to proteins in plasma but not in Bowman;s capsule.
Osmotic effects driving fluids back into Bowman’s capsule.
What is leaving glomerulus?
Hydrostatic pressure (blood pressure).
What factors affect GFR?
PGC - dependent on afferent and efferent arteriolar diameter and the balance of resistance between them.
Extrinsic control:
- Sympathetic VC nerves - afferent and efferent constriction, (afferent greater sensitivity)
- Circulating catecholamines - constriction afferent.
- Angiotensin II - constriction of efferent [LOW], both afferent and efferent [HIGH]
What does renal vasculature have that helps it adjust it resistance in response to changes in arterial BP?
Well developed intrinsic ability.
Keeps BF and GFR essentially constant = auto regulation. (effective in range from 60-130mmHg)
When does auto regulation occur?
Independent of nerves or hormones, occurs in denervated and in isolated perfused kidneys.
* if mean arterial P increases, automatic increase in afferent arteriolar constriction, preventing a rise in glomerular PGC. (capillary pressure)
What can happen in situations where blood volume face serious compromise?
Interaction between intrinsic and extrinsic controls:
Activation of sympathetic VC nerves and ALL, can override auto regulation liberating blood for more immediate important organs.
800ml can thus be used to provide to perfuse other organs at expense of kidneys. Prolonged however can lead to damage.
How does filtration flow?
- Plasma volume entering afferent arteriole = 100%
- 20% of volume filters
- > 19% of fluid is reabsorbed
- > 99% of plasma entering kidney returns to systemic circulation
- <1% of volume is excreted to external environment
What are responsible for reabsorption?
Peritubular capillaries - unique efferent arterioles has important effects.
It offers resistance along its entire length, large P drop so hydrostatic pressure is very low.
Since the filtration fraction is 20% what does this mean for blood remaining in efferent arteriole?
Higher concentration of plasma proteins and therefore a higher ontotic pressure.
Favour reabsorption.
99% H2O, 100% glucose, 99.5% Na, 50% urea filtered at the glomerulus are reabsorbed within the tubule
How do you figure out the amount of solute excreted?
Amount filtered - amount reabsorbed + amount secreted.
Why is the Pressure in the peritubular capillaries very low?
Hydrostatic P overcoming frictional resistance in efferent arteriols.
Ontotic pressure is high compared to normal, loss of 20% plasma concentrates plasma protein.
What is the mechanisms of reabsorption?
Many substances are reabsorbed by carrier mediated transport systems e.g. glucose, amino acids, organic acids, sulphate and phosphate ions.
What is Tm?
Carriers have a maximum transport capacity which is due to saturation of the carriers.
If Tm is exceeded, then the excess substrate enters the urine.
What is the renal threshold?
Plasma threshold at which saturation occurs.
What is the most important substance to be considered?
Glucose - it is freely filtered, so whatever its [plasma] that will be filtered. Up to 10mmoles/l, all will be reabsorbed.
What happens when plasma glucose is over 10mmoles/l?
It appears in the urine due to renal plasma threshold for glucose.
What is glycosuria?
The appearance of glucose in the urine of diabetic patients - due to failure of insulin NOT the kidney.
ANY PATIENT WITH GLUCOSE IN THEIR URINE SHOULD BE FOLLOWED UP
What substances does the kidney regulate?
Sulphate and phosphate ions - by means of Tm mechanism.
Tm is set at a level whereby the normal [plasma] causes saturation.
Any increase in the normal level will be excreted, therefore achieving its plasma regulation
How are sodium ions reabsorbed?
99.5% is reabsorbed, 70% occurring in the proximal tubule. Reabsorbed by active transport, which establishes a gradient for sodium ions across the tubule wall.
How does sodium move passively into cells across the luminal membrane?
Active sodium pumps are located on the basolateral surfaces where there is high mitochondria - decreasing [Na] in epithelial cells - increasing gradient.
What is special about the brush birder of the proximal tubule?
Higher permeability for Na ions due to enormous SA offered by microvilli and large number of sodium ion channels.
Why is reabsorption of Na ions so important?
Key to the reabsorption of other components of the filtrate.
What happens when sodium and chlorine (down electrical) exit the tubule?
An osmotic force is created, drawing water out of the tubules. This then concentrates all substances left in tubule creating outgoing concentration gradients.
What does the rate of reabsorption of theses non-actively reabsorbed solutes depend on?
- amount of water removed, determines extent of concentration gradient
- The permeability of membrane to any particular solute.
* Tubule membrane only moderately permeable to urea 50% reabsorbed.
Is active transport of sodium important for carrier mediated transport systems?
Yes, as substances such as glucose and amino acids share same carrier molecule.
High [Na} in tubule facilitates and low [Na] inhibits glucose transport.
Where are substances going if they are filtered?
From blood to lumen.
Where are substances going if they are reabsorbed?
From lumen to blood.
Where are substances going if they are secreted?
From blood to lumen.
Where are substances going if they are excreted?
From lumen to external environment.
What is tubular secretion?
Secretory mechanisms transport substances from peritubular capillaries into the tubule lumen and therefore provide a second route into the tubule.
Why is tubular secretion important?
For substances that are protein-bound, since filtration at glomerulus is very restricted.
Is there at threshold for carrier-mediated secretory mechanism?
Yes, Tm known for a large number of endogenous and exogenous substances such as dugs. e.g. penicillin.
What happens to K+ in the body?
K+ is filtered at the glomerulus and is reabsorbed, at proximal tubule.
What happens when there are changes to K+ excretion?
Due to changes in secretion in distal parts of tubule. Any increase in renal tubule cell [K] due to increased ingestion will increase K+ secretion, while a decrease in intracellular [K] will reduce secretion
How is K secretion regulated?
Adrenal cortical hormone aldosterone.
An increase in [K] in ECF bathing in aldosterone secreting cells stimulates aldosterone release - circulates to kidneys - stimulate increase in renal tubule cell K secretion.
What is hyperkalaemia?
Over 5.5mmoles/l of [K] - decrease in resting membrane potential of excitable cells and eventually ventricular fibrillation. Death.
What is hypokalaemia?
[K] <3.5 moles/l - increases resting membrane potential - hyper polarise muscles, cardiac cells - cardiac arrhythmias - death.
What is the function of the proximal tubule?
Major site of reabsorption, 65-75% of all NaCl and water all nutritionally important substances.
How are drugs and pollutants able to leave the body?
What is the role of the liver in this?
Removal of water in the proximal tubule establishes conc gradients for their reabsorption. Due to lipid solubility we would never get rid of them.
Liver metabolises them to polar compounds thus reducing their permeability and facilitating their excretion.
What is collecting duct a site of?
Site of water regulation under the control of ADH - vasopressin.
What happens at dilated tubule?
Ionic regulation
What happens in justamedullary nephron?
Loop of hence establishes hypotonic medullary gradient.
Where are the proximal and distal tubules of nephrons located?
In the cortex.
What is the special system attributed to loops of Henle
of juxtamedullary nephrons?
Why is it important?
Essential for water balance.
Important because through this the kidney is able to produce concentrated urine in times of water deficit. Max conc of urine = 1200-1400.
Why does the body require a minimum obligatory water loss of 500mls per day?
What happens if there is no water intake?
Urea, sulphate, phosphate and other products must be excreted each day.
No water - as long as the kidneys are functioning, this volume will be excreted.