9.3 Nephron

Excretory System -
Kidney
Anatomy
of the
kidney
Nephron
The functional unit of the kidney
Each kidney has ~ 1 million nephrons
Their job is to filter the blood, creating
urine to excrete wastes.
Blood Supply
Renal arteries: blood entering the
kidneys through these arteries
Large arteries
Together 2 kidneys receive about a
quarter of blood from left
(oxygenated) side of the heart
1.2 Litres of blood pass through 2
kidneys every minute
After entering the kidneys, renal
arteries divide into small arteries and
arterioles
Blood supply
Afferent Arteriole: Each renal corpuscle is supplied
by this arteriole, which then forms the glomerulus
Efferent Arteriole: Glomerular capillaries unite to
form this, which then passes out the renal
corpuscle
Peritubular Capillaries: After leaving the corpuscle,
efferent arteriole breaks into second capillary
network. These capillaries surround the nephron
Venous blood drains away from this network and
leaves kidney via Renal Vein.
Nephron Functions
Filtration
Reabsorption
Secretion
Filtration
Occurs in the Renal Corpuscle
Blood enters the glomerulus
through the Afferent arteriole and
leaves via the efferent arteriole
(note - alphabetical order).
Constriction of the Efferent
arteriole increases the pressure in
the capillaries.
High hydrostatic pressure forces
fluid out of the capillaries and into
the glomerular capsule.
Filtration - statistics
1.2L of blood passes through the kidneys per minute
20% of the plasma volume is filtered out of the capillaries in the renal corpuscle becoming
filtrate
125ml / minute of filtrate is produced
Only about 1% of that is eventually excreted as urine
Large particles – such as cells or proteins are not present in the filtrate of healthy kidneys
Other than the absence of cells and proteins, the composition of filtrate in the capsule is
identical to the plasma – consisting of water, salts, glucose, amino acids, fatty acids, urea, uric
acid, creatinine, hormones, toxins…
Selective Reabsorption
Many plasma components are useful and need to be conserved for use in the rest of the body.
Therefore substances are moved from the filtrate back into the blood stream.
The walls of the tubule function as semi-permeable membranes to help this to occur.
This can be either an active or a passive process
Water is passively reabsorbed in the PCT and descending LoH
Glucose and amino acids are usually completely actively reabsorbed
Other ions – sodium, potassium, calcium and bicarbonate are mostly passively reabsorbed
Urea is partially reabsorbed
Reabsorption of
Salt and Water
In a complex mechanism, set up to
maximise the efficiency of the
nephron to reabsorb water, the
differentially permeable membrane of
the Loop of Henle, allows for a large
solute concentration in the medullary
region of the kidney.
This is relevant for the collecting duct
that must also pass through this
region before emptying urine into the
calyceal system
Facultative Reabsorption
Water reabsorption can be regulated according to the needs of the body by hormone
messengers which can work to alter the permeability of the membrane (tubular cells).
This is an active process and plays a significant role on the reabsorption of water in the DCT and
collecting duct.
Tubular Secretion
In tubular secretion, substances are moved from the blood into the filtrate across the tubular
walls.
This is an important means of moving some substances into the urine, particularly:
◦ Some wastes – including urea and creatinine
◦ Substances that are largely protein bound (meaning they are not present in the glomerular filtrate to a
large extent)
◦ Many drugs
pH
The body like to exist in a very tightly controlled pH range – between 7.35 and 7.45.
Tubular secretion of hydrogen ions and ammonium ions are critical for maintaining body pH.
These are largely managed in DCT secretions
It means that our urine is usually slightly acidic!
Why is the Kidney Awesome?
The glomerulus functions to filter 20% of the plasma out of the circulation (with the massive
blood flow, that alone would get rid of a large amount of wastes)
That fluid is captured in the capsule allowing it to be further processed
The thin membrane between the blood and the capsular space enhances that filtration
The afferent and efferent arterioles maintain a higher pressure in the glomerular capillaries
enhancing that filtration
There are millions of nephrons meaning a large volume of blood is filtered
The tubules have a large surface area for maximising the reabsorption and secretion processing
of the filtrate into urine

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Excretory System -

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