THE KIDNEY

Organ of osmoregulation and

excretion

2008 Paul Billiet ODWS

The urinary
system

Aorta
Renal vein

Kidney
Renal artery
Vena cava
Ureter

Bladder

Urethra
2008 Paul Billiet ODWS

The Kidney
Outer membrane
Renal
artery
Nephrons
(2 million)

Renal
Vein
Pelvis

Cortex
Medulla organised
in pyramids

Ureter

Urine
2008 Paul Billiet ODWS

The blood supply

2008 Paul Billiet ODWS

The cortex (view x100)

Tubule

Malpighian or renal corpuscles

2008 Paul Billiet ODWS

The Malpighian corpuscle

(view x400)

Glomerulus
a ball of
capillaries

Bowmans capsule
2008 Paul Billiet ODWS

Medulla (view x400)

Tubules

Capillaries
2008 Paul Billiet ODWS

The nephron
In the cortex

In the medulla

2008 Paul Billiet ODWS

The nephron
Branch of renal
artery
Branch of renal
vein
Distil convoluted
tubule

Bowmans capsule
Glomerulus
Proximal
convoluted tubule
Capillary

Collecting duct
Loop of Henl

2008 Paul Billiet ODWS

Filtration in the glomerulus

Blood enters the glomerulus

from a branch of the renal
artery
This blood is under high
pressure
The capillary walls are one
cell thick
They are pierced with
openings (fenestrations)
The plasma filters though
the membrane under
pressure
Proteins do not pass

2008 Paul Billiet ODWS

Southern Illinois School of Medicine

Filtration in the glomerulus

A membrane surrounds
each capillary of the
glomerulus
The blood plasma is
filtered at about 150 litres
per day

Southern Illinois School of Medicine

2008 Paul Billiet ODWS

Filtration in the glomerulus

Southern Illinois School of Medicine

The filtration membrane is

held in place by specialised
podocytes
2008 Paul Billiet ODWS

Auer Lab Life Sci Div Lawrence Berkley National Lab

Blood plasma v Filtrate

Component

Plasma
/ mg 100cm-3

Filtrate
/ mg 100cm-3

Urea

0.03

0.03

Glucose

0.10

0.10

Amino acids

0.05

0.05

Salts

0.72

0.72

Proteins

8.00

2008 Paul Billiet ODWS

The nephron functions

Freely permeable Impermeable Variable permeability

to water
to water
to water
2008 Paul Billiet ODWS

The nephron osmoregulation

Active reabsorption
Na+ Na+ Na+

H2O H2O
Passive
osmosis
Ultrafiltration
under pressure

80% of water
reabsorbed

Freely permeable Impermeable Variable permeability

to water
to water
to water
2008 Paul Billiet ODWS

The nephron osmoregulation

H2O
H2O

Na+
Na+
Na+

H2O

H2O

H2O

H2O

H2O

H2O

Freely permeable Impermeable Variable permeability

to water
to water
to water
2008 Paul Billiet ODWS

More and more salty

Collecting duct

Loop
of
Henl

The nephron osmoregulation

The

blood concentration is monitored by

osmoreceptors in the hypothalamus
If the concentration rises the hypothalamus
releases ADH
ADH makes the collecting duct walls more
permeable
More water is reabsorbed from the filtrate as
the ducts pass through the salty tissues of
the medulla
2008 Paul Billiet ODWS

The nephron osmoregulation

The

urine released into the pelvis is more or

less concentrated depending upon the blood
concentration
Excessive sweating and eating salty food will
produce concentrated urine
Drinking and cold weather will produce dilute
urine

2008 Paul Billiet ODWS

Kidney reabsorption
Component

Filtrate
/ mg 100cm-3

Urine
/ mg 100cm-3

Urea

0.03

2.00

Glucose

0.10

Amino acids

0.05

Salts

0.72

1.50

Proteins

2008 Paul Billiet ODWS

Reabsorption
Microvilli on cuboidal epithelial cells

Kidney tubule with brush border

Dr Millet USC Med schooll

2008 Paul Billiet ODWS

The proximal tubules

reabsorb:
80% of water
All of the glucose
All of the amino acids
Blood pH is regulated
Blood salt levels are regulated
Urea is left behind and even secreted into the
tubules
Reabsorbed molecules pass into the surrounding
capillaries

2008 Paul Billiet ODWS