Renal physiology Alfred Saturday Flashcards
(50 cards)
Which part of the nephron is hugged by the afferent and efferent arterioles?
Thick ascending limb of Henle’s loop/Distal convoluted tubule
Which part of the kidney are the glomeruli in?
Cortex
(only 15-20% of the nephron is at juxtamedullary)
Filtration fracture
- Ratio of GFR to renal plasma flow
- Approximately 0.2
- How much plasma arrives into tubules
- RBF is 1L/min (cardiac output is 5L/min)
- Only plasma is filtered so 550ml/min (assume haematocrit is 0.45)
- GFR is 550 x 0.2 = 110 mL/min
How does the filtration fraction change with reduction in systemic pressure
Increases because because GFR is reduced less than RPF to maintain GFR
What are the factors that impact on the GFR?
- Glomerular hydrostatic pressure
- Tubular hydrostatic pressure
- Glomerular oncotic pressure
Where are the biggests drops in hydrostatic pressure in the nephron?
Afferent then efferent arterioles

What is the gold standard for measurement of GFR?
Isotopic GFR (nuclear study)
What factors causes afferent arterial dilatation or efferent arterial constriction
- Prostaglandins
- Kinins
- Dopamine (low dose)
- ANP
- NO
Of note, angio II causes afferent AND efferent arteriole constriction but greater effect on efferent than afferent
What factors causes constriction of the afferent arteriole
- Angio II (high dose)
- Adenosine
- Noradrenaline
- Endothelim
- Vasopressin
Of note, prostaglandin blockage (e.g. NSAIDs) will cause afferent constriction, dropping the GFR
What are the targets of angiotension and the MOA?
AT1
- Vasoconstriction
- Sympathetic activation
- Sodium and fluid retention
AT2
- Vasodilatation
- Inhibition of cell growth
- Apoptosis
AT1 has predominant action (target of ARBs)
What cells secrete renin?
Juxtaglomerular granular cells in the afferent (and less so efferent) arterioles
TGF feedback with sodium
- Volume expansion increases sodium and chloride in the macular densa
- That causes the nephron cells to release adenosine (through increased ATP production) and leads to vasoconstrivtion, renin suppression and increase in naturetic peptides
- Where is angiotensinogen produced?
- Where is angiotensin I converted to angiotensin II
- What stimulates production of renin?
- Liver
- Lung
- Hypotension
5 MOA of angiotensin II
- Increases sympathetic activity
- Increases Na+ reabsorption
- Increases aldosterone secretion
- Powerful vasoconstriction (except heart and brain)
- ADH secretion (posterior pituitary)
What are the 3 stimuli of aldosterone production?
- RAAS system
- ACTH
- Hyperkalaemia
Of note, anything that increases glucocorticoid production will increase aldosterone productionz
In tubular cells, which sides are the basolateral and apical membrane?
Apical membrane = urine side (brush side)
Basolateral = blood side
What are the differences between channels and transporters
Channels are always to facilitate diffusion, not ATP-driven. (E.g. aquaporin)
Transporters can be ATP dependent. The conformation of the protein changes to transport the materials. (e.g. Na+/K+ ATPase)
What are examples of primary active and secondary active transporters in the kidney?
Primary active = coupled directly to an energy source (e.g. Na+/K+ ATPase)
Secondary active = coupled indirectly to an energy source (e.g. Na+/glucose transporter that relies on the negative gradient intracellularly made by the Na+/K+ ATPase that drives Na+ through the basolateral membrane)
- Where is sodium not permeable in the nephron?
- Where is water not permeable in the nephron?
- Descending thin limb of the loop of Henle
- Ascending thin and thick limbs of loop of Henko; Distal convoluted tubules
What kind of receptors are ADH receptors and where are they located?
G-protein coupled receptor
Basolateral side of cell
Collecting duct
What are the transporters involved in sodium reabsorption in the nephron?
Proximal tubule
- Basolateral side
- 3Na+/2K+ATPase
- Apical side
- Na+/glucose (organics also including vitamins)
- Na+/K+
- Paracellular
Thick ascending limb
- Basolateral side
- 3Na+/2K+ ATPase
- Apical side
- Na+/2Cl-/K+ (Barter’s syndrome imacts on this channel, frusemide blocks this)
- These transports relies on K+ and Cl- channels
Distal tubule
- Basolateral
- 3Na+/2K+ ATPase
- 3Na+/Ca++
- Apical
- Na+/Cl- (blocked by Thiazide, which increases action of 2Na+/Ca++ to compensate and causes hypercalcaemia)
Convoluted tubule
- Basolateral
- 3Na+/2K+ ATPase
- HCO3-/Cl- (intercalated cell)
- Apical
- H+ ATPase (intercalated cell)
- H+/K+ ATPase (intercalated cell)
What is the main difference in function between the cortical collecting duct and medullary collecting duct?
Medullary collect duct is permeable to urea
Function of intercalated cells in the distal tubules

What part of the nephron has the greatest impact on the change in osmality of the luminal urine?
Ascending limb of Henle (because it is not permeable to water)
