Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Each kidney contains over one million microscopic filtering units called nephrons. Each nephron is
made of a tubule and is responsible for cleaning the blood by removing urea and excess water and
mineral ions.
Object 1
Stage 1: Filtration
As blood passes through the capillary at the start of the nephron, small molecules are filtered out and
pass into the nephron tubule. These small molecules include glucose, urea, ions and water. However,
large molecules, such as blood proteins, are too big to fit through the capillary wall and remain in the
blood.
Object 2
Object 3
Save
The main function of the kidney is to filter fluid from the blood and concentrate the solution of waste
materials which is passed out as urine. It can also control the levels of electrolytes and water that is lost
in the urine or retained in the body thereby influencing blood volume and blood pressure. This ensures
that the body is able to maintain a state of balance that is optimum for sustaining life (homeostasis).
The kidney broadly has three main regions, an outer lying cortex, middle region known as the medulla
and inner pelvis. The renal cortex and medulla is where the main processes of urine production occurs.
The urine then accumulates in the renal pelvis and is directed towards the ureter, a narrow tube that
carries urine from the kidney to the urinary bladder.
Glomerular Filtration
Ask a Doctor Online Now!
This occurs when fluid from the glomerular capillaries pass into the Bowmans capsule. This is fairly
non-selective meaning that almost all of the substances in the the blood except cells and plasma
proteins as well as the substances bound to these proteins enter the nephron.
Tubular Reabsorption
During this phase, all parts of the tubule act to return essential substances out of the nephron so that it
is not lost in the urine. It is a highly selective process in that the tubules carefully choose what will be
returned to the body and what will be passed out with the urine. This transfer of substances is known as
tubular reabsorption and may involve both active and passive mechanisms.
Some of the substances pass through the space between the epithelial cells while others through the
cells itself. In this way, the substances are returned back to the body either by being dumped into the
tissue of the kidney outside of the nephron or returned directly into the bloodstream.
Tubular Secretion
Just as substances that enter through the glomerulus are removed from the nephron and returned to the
body, many substances are drawn from the body and dumped into the tubules. Acids, alkalines,
certain ions, toxins and drugs are secreted into the tubules and this process is known as tubular
secretion. In this manner it can be rapidly passed out with the urine independent of glomerular filtration
and in a more selective manner.