Urinary System Flashcards
What are the functions of the kidneys?
- primary regulator of fluid volume and ion concentration
- maintain constant composition and volume of body fluids
- stabilize osmolality
- secrete excesses/retain when source
is scarce
- selective excretion: important products are retained and waste is removed
- excretes foreign substances
- excrete body organic wastes: urea
(metabolism of proteins), bile
(degradation of hemoglobin)
- contribute to the acid balance by removing H+ and bicarbonate HCO3-
- produce glucose by gluconeogenesis
- produce erythropoietin to stimulate the formation of erythrocytes
- produce calcitriol (active form of vitD)
- produce renin (enzyme that regulates formation of angiotension II which regulates bp and aldosterone)
Where are the kidneys located?
upper abdominal wall
Where do arteries, veins and ureters enter through?
the renal hilus
What is the general structure of the kidney?
Refer to slide 6&7 Urinary I
What is the basic urine-forming unit?
nephron
What is the structure of a nephron?
- glomerulus: filters blood
- tubular system composed of several sections: reabsorption of filtered substances, secretion of others
- blood supply composed of 3 capillary beds: glomerular capillaries, peritubular capillaries, vasa recta
What is the vasa recta?
capillaries of the medulla
Where is the glomerulus?
confined in the cortex, enclosed in the bowmans capsule
What are some characteristics of the glomerulus?
- protein free fluid is filtered and accumulate in the bowmans space then enters the first part of the tubule = proximal tubulus
- composed of many parallel capillaries
- capillaries do not connect with venules
- capillaries connect with efferent arteriole that will feed the peritubular capillaries
Where does blood enter in the glomerulus?
through afferent arteriole
What is the tubular system?
Walls made of a single layer of epithelial cells
What are the four parts of the tubular system and what do they do?
- proximal tubule: highly convoluted in the cortex
- loop of henle: hairpin structure in the medulla; composed of the descending thin limn, the ascending thin limb, and the thick ascending limb
- distal tubule: highly convoluted in the cortex
- collecting ducts: receive distal tubules from multiple nephrons, small ducts merge into large ducts and bring urine to the renal pelvis
What is a special feature of the distal tubule?
initial part of distal tubule passes between the afferent and efferent arteriole of its own glomerulus using epithelial cells called macula densa
What do adjacent smooth muscles in the distal tubules do?
juxtaglomerular, produce and secrete renin
What are the three basic renal processes?
- glomerular filtration: filtration of plasma from glomerular capillaries into Bowmans space (glomerular filtrate)
- tubular reabsorption: movement of substance from tubular lumen to peritubular capillaries
- tubular secretion: movement of substance from peritubular plasma to tubular lumen
What complex does the glomerulus contain?
complex network of capillaries and specialized structure designed to retain cells and medium and high molecular weight proteins
What is GFR?
glomerular filtration rate is an important index of renal function
What is the function of glomerular filtration?
production of a protein free filtrate of plasma, contains all the small solutes
What are the three layers of the glomerular membrane?
Capillary endothelium: fenestrated on about 10% of their surface -> blocks cells, not blood constituents
basal lamina: mesh of protein fibers -> blocks most of the plasma proteins
inner epithelial layer of bowmans capsule (visceral epithelium): composed of podocytes -> last level of filtration between the fingers
What does the glomerular membrane function as?
a fine sieve
What layer of the glomerular membrane is the best size selection unit against proteins
basal lamina
What layer of the glomerular membrane is negatively charged?
basal lamina, repulses proteins
What forces govern giltration pressure in the glomerular capillary?
differences in hydrostatic and oncotic pressures
What is filtration facilitated by in the glomerulus?
higher hydrostatic pressure of blood in capillaries (remains fairly constant along capillary)
What is filtration reduced by in the glomerulus?
hydrostatic pressure in bowmans space (normally low), plasma oncotic pressure within glomerular capillary
What are the characteristics of pressures throughout the glomerulus?
hydrostatic pressure fairly constant
rate of filtration higher in the first part of the capillary where osmotic pressure is lower
rate decreases further along while the osmotic pressure increases due to the proteins stuck in blood compartment
What is another primary determinant of the GFR?
permeability of the filtration barrier and the SA available for filtration are other primary determinants of the GFR
What is the equation for GFR?
GFR = Pf x Kf
Pf = net filtration pressure (average over entire glomerulus)
Kf = ultrafiltration coefficient (product of the filtration barrier permeability and SA)
What maintains the regulation of the GFR?
kidneys maintain tight control over GFR
hydrostatic pressure in glomerular space and oncotic pressure cannot be regulated
What is regulated in the glomerular capillaries?
since hydrostatic/oncotic pressure is not regulated, only blood flow in glomerular capillaries is regulated
affecting constriction level of arterioles will determine the hydrostatic pressure in capillaries
What are the two arterioles that control the regulation of blood flow in glomerular capillaries
afferent - enters glomerulus
efferent - exits glomerulus
Draw the diagram of the effect of arteriole constriction on the renal filtration and renal blood flow?
slide 22 urinary I
What are the two levels of control that will affect the blood hydrostatic pressure?
- renal modulation of systemic blood pressure and blood volume (extrinsic as it affects the entire body)
- intrinsic control of renal blood flow, glomerular capillary pressure, and ultra-filtration coefficient = autoregulatory mechanisms
What is involved in long standing falls in blood pressure, or when decreased bp is accompanied by decreased extracellular fluid volume
renin-angiotensin-aldosterone
How is renin release from juxta glomerular cells?
- reduced stretch of the renin cells in the renal afferent arterioles (baroreceptors)
- sympathetic nerve impulses: arterial baroreceptors respond to fall in bp by unbraking sympathetic nerve activity in kidney
Label the diagram of the juxtaglomerual apparatus
slide 25 urinary I
Draw the diagram of the effect of renin secretion
slide 26 urinary I
What is angiotensin II?
potent vasoconstrictor
What is the function of angiotensin II?
- acts to increase systemic BP and renal perfusion pressure
- stimulates release of aldosterone (adrenal cortex) and vasopressin (pituitary)
What does aldosterone do?
enhance sodium/water reabsorption
What does vasopressin do?
enhances urea and water reabsorption
What does augmented fluid uptake increase?
intravascular volume -> improves renal perfusion -> turn off renin release
Where does intrinsic autoregulation occur?
at the level of the kidney
What does autoregulation prevent?
short term changes in arterial bp to affect the GFR
How does autoregulation occur?
feedback mechanisms that allow the kidney to vary the resistance of the afferent arterioles
smooth muscle cells react to increase in stretch by contracting
cells in the macula densa (distal tubule) secrete an unidentified factor that stimulates smooth muscle contraction
Explain the autoregulation graphs?
slide 29 urinary I
What are two events occurring in the tubules?
- glomerular filtration = bulk movements (water+dissolved substances) -> tubular fluid composition close to a protein free plasma
- fluid transormed into urine through: reabsorption and secretion
What is reabsorption?
water and dissolved susbtance from tubular lumen to peritubular capillaries
What is secretion?
substances transported from the peritubular capillaries to the tubular lumen
What substances are reabsorbed?
substances important for the body
What are the two types of active reabsorption?
Primary active reabsorption
Secondary active reabsorption
What is primary active reabsorption?
- ATP is used to transport a substance against concentration gradient
- used for Na: Na/K pumps in the epithelial cells from the basolateral membrane pump Na towards interstitial fluid -> then Na diffuse in the capillaries
- since pumps maintain low levels of Na in the epithelial cells -> Na diffuses from the lumen
- K easily leaks back out of the cell in the itnerstitial fluid