Urinary System Flashcards
Is the blood flow to the kidneys just enough to oxygenate the kidneys, or more?
no, they receive much more blood than they need because they condition the blood
What is a nephron?
smallest unit of the kidney that performs all of the kidneys functions
What are the two regions of the kidney?
renal cortex and renal medulla
Could you name and describe the components of a nephron?
glomerulus: ball like tuft of capillaries where some water and solutes are filtered from the blood
afferent arterioles
efferent arterioles
peritubular capillaries: supply renal tissue and aid in reabsorption and secretion to form urine
bowman’s capsule: hollow tube surrounding glomerulus, filtered plasma flows into
What is the difference between cortical nephrons and juxtomedullary nephrons?
the difference between the two is the length…
cortical (80% nephrons, short loop) and juxtomedullary (20% nephrons, long loop)
What is the path of filtrate from its formation to the renal pelvis?
bowman’s capsule -> proximal tubule -> loop of Henle -> juxtaglomerular apparatus -> distal tubule -> collecting duct -> renal pelvis
What are the three layers of the glomerular membrane and what do they do?
1.) glomerular capillary wall: 100 x more permeable to H2O and solutes than other capillaries in the body
2.) basement membrane: layer of collagen (strength) and glycoprotein ( negative charge repels small plasma proteins)
3.) inner layer of bowman’s capsule: consists of podocytes (epithelial cell that encircles glomerulus, form filtration slits)
What the three basic renal processes?
1.) glomerular filtration
2.) tubular reabsorption
3.) tubular secretion
Which glomerular force pull plasma into the capillaries?
plasma colloid osmotic pressure: plasma proteins are stuck in the capillaries, displacing H2O
Bowman’s capsule hydrostatic pressure: pressure exerted by the fluid in the capsule push fluid back into capillaries
Which glomerular force push plasma out of the capillaries?
glomerular capillary pressure: blood pressure remains high in afferent arterioles
What forces cause plasma to leave the glomerular capillaries and enter Bowman’s capsule?
1.) glomerular capillary pressure
2.) plasma-colloid osmotic pressure
3.) bowman’s capsule hydrostatic pressure
Why is glomerular pressure typically higher than in systemic capillaries?
efferent arteriole is much smaller diameter than the afferent arteriole, creating a higher vascular resistance in the efferent arteriole
What is the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and what factors does it depend on?
GFR: volume entering Bowman’s capsule per minute
depends on…. net filtration pressure and filtration coefficient
Define filtration coefficient
encompasses surface area available to diffuse thru, and permeability of glomerular membrane
How does arterial blood pressure affect glomerular capillary pressure?
increased arterial blood pressure increases capillary pressure
How does increased arterial blood pressure affect plasma-colloid osmotic pressure? How does it affect the GFR?
does not change the plasma colloid osmotic pressure, but a greater arterial blood pressure means a greater GFR
What are the two intrinsic mechanisms used by the kidneys to counteract changes in GFR?
myogenic and tubuloglomerular feedback
Define myogenic mechanism
stretch of afferent arteriolar smooth muscle (due to increased arterial blood pressure) causes automatic contraction.
tubuloglomerular feedback
in the juxtaglomerular apparatus, tubular cells in the macula densa sense increased or decreased GFR via increased salt concentration
what is the macula densa?
tubular cells in the glomerulus that releases cytokines, which activate granular smooth muscle cells to contract or dilate around afferent arteriole (increase or decrease glomerular capillary blood pressure)
How can GFR be controlled extrinsically?
by the sympathetic nervous system (no parasympathetic innervation)
How does the sympathetic nervous system control glomerular filtrate rate?
arteriolar vasoconstriction, increase cardiac output, mesangial cell contraction
What are mesangial cells, and how are they affected by sympathetic activity?
cells that hold the glomerular capillary bundle together
What are mesangial cells, how are they affected by sympathetic activity?
cells that hold the glomerular capillary bundle together
What is the difference between passive and active reabsorption?
in passive transport no steps require energy to move substance down gradient. In active transport one or more steps of transepithelial transport require energy to be used to move solute against the gradient
What is transepithelial transport?
movement of substances across epithelial cell layers (5 key layers)