THE KIDNEY

Organ of osmoregulation and

excretion

© 2016 Paul Billiet ODWS

The urinary
system Aorta

Renal vein

Kidney

Renal artery

Vena cava

Ureter

Bladder

© 2016 Paul Billiet ODWS Urethra

The Kidney

Outer membrane
Renal
artery
Renal Nephrons
Vein (2 million)
Pelvis
Cortex

Medulla organised
Ureter
in pyramids

Urine
© 2016 Paul Billiet ODWS
The blood supply

© 2016 Paul Billiet ODWS

The cortex (view x100)

Tubule

© 2016 Paul Billiet ODWS Malpighian or renal corpuscles

 The Malpighian corpuscle
(view x400)

Glomerulus
– a ball of
capillaries

© 2016 Paul Billiet ODWS Bowman’s capsule

Medulla (view x400)

Tubules

Capillaries
© 2016 Paul Billiet ODWS
The nephron

In the cortex

In the medulla

© 2016 Paul Billiet ODWS

 The nephron
Bowman’s capsule
Branch of renal
artery Glomerulus

Branch of renal Proximal

vein convoluted tubule

Distil convoluted Capillary

tubule

Collecting duct

Loop of Henlé

© 2016 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 Southern Illinois School of Medicine

pressure
 Proteins do not pass.
© 2016 Paul Billiet ODWS
 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

© 2016 Paul Billiet ODWS
Filtration in the glomerulus

Southern Illinois School of Medicine

Auer Lab Life Sci Div Lawrence Berkley National Lab
The filtration membrane is
held in place by specialised
podocytes.
© 2016 Paul Billiet ODWS
Blood plasma v Filtrate
Component Plasma Filtrate
/ mg 100cm-3 / 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 0

© 2016 Paul Billiet ODWS

The nephron functions

Freely permeable Impermeable Variable permeability

to water to water to water
© 2016 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
© 2016 Paul Billiet ODWS
The nephron osmoregulation

Collecting duct
Loop

More and more salty

of
Henlé
Na+
Na+ H2O H2O
H2O
Na+
H2O H2O
H2O
H2O H2O

Freely permeable Impermeable Variable permeability

to water to water to water
© 2016 Paul Billiet ODWS
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.
© 2016 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.

© 2016 Paul Billiet ODWS

Kidney reabsorption

Component Filtrate Urine

/ mg 100cm-3 / mg 100cm-3
Urea 0.03 2.00
Glucose 0.10 0
Amino acids 0.05 0
Salts 0.72 1.50
Proteins 0 0
© 2016 Paul Billiet ODWS
Reabsorption
Microvilli on cuboidal epithelial cells

Kidney tubule with brush boarder

© 2016 Paul Billiet ODWS

Dr Millet USC Med school
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.
© 2016 Paul Billiet ODWS