Renal Week 1 Flashcards
(287 cards)
Describe the role of the kidney in a single sentence
The main physiological function of the kidney is the maintenance of the composition and volume of the extracellular fluid
Intracellular compartment
volume
main componenets
aggregate intracellular volume of all cells
⅔ of total body fluid (27 L)
Main ICF = K+, PO4 3-, Mg2+, proteins
Extracellular compartment
volume
main component
2 parts
⅓ of total body fluid (15 L)
Plasma + interstitial fluid (space between cells) → both constantly mixing across capillary membrane, so have same concentration
Main ECF = Na+, Cl-, HCO3-, Ca2+
(GI fluids, urine, lung fluids NOT considered ECF)
Major components and volumes of daily water intake and loss
Input: Total = 2.5 L
- Ingestion in fluids and food = 2.0 L
- Metabolic processes = 0.5 L (e.g. glucose → H2O and CO2)
Output: Total = 2.5 L
- Sweat and feces = 0.1 L
- Respiration, skin “leaks” = 0.9 L
- Urine = 1.5 L
What does the renal system regulate? (3)
1) ECF characteristic: volume, osmolarity, electrolyte composition (e.g. Na+, K+, Ca2+, PO4-), pH (via bicarbonate)
2) Excretion: metabolic wastes (urea, nonvolatile acids, etc.), foreign substances (drugs and their metabolites, etc.)
3) Blood pressure: water and Na+ regulation and renin-angiotensin system
The nephron
- basic unit of renal structure and function
- 2 million nephrons in the renal system
- made up of blood supply (glomerular and peritubular capillaries) and epithelial tubules
function: blood filtration and selective reabsorption
Pathway of blood through the nephron
Blood enters through afferent artery → passes through glomerular capillaries → some fluid filtered into tubules → rest of blood leaves efferent capillaries → peritubular capillaries (surround tubules) → blood then leaves through renal veins
Four process in a nephron
1) Glomerular Filtration
2) Tubular Reabsorption
3) Excretion
4) Tubular secretion
Glomerular filtration
filter plasma into tubule = NONSPECIFIC
Free passage of H2O and solutes into tubule, but retains larger colloids (proteins, lipid aggregates, etc.) and circulating blood cells in blood
-GFR held relatively constant → rates of tubular handling of each regulated substance varied as needed
Tubular Reabsorption
once in tubule, kidney recaptures some filtered components
Transport of substances across epithelial layer
Highly selective transporters
Regulated by kidney - Selective regulation of rate of reabsorption of individual ECF components → just enough ECF components returned to circulating plasma
Excretion
substances in excess of those required to maintain ECF balance pass through tubule and are excreted as urinary output
tubular secretion
movement of substances from peritubular blood capillaries into the tubule
Regulated
Involves specific molecular transporters
Some substances undergo both reabsorption and secretion within the tubule
Normal values for: assuming CO = 5.2 L/min in 70 kg person
Renal Blood Flow
Renal Plasma Flow
Glomerular Filtration Rate
Filtration Fraction
Renal blood flow = 1.3 L/min
-Kidneys get 25% of CO! More blood than any other organ (except lungs)
Renal plasma flow = 0.65 L/min, 650 ml/min
Glomerular filtration rate = 130 ml/min
-Daily rate of 190 L!
Filtration fraction = 0.2 (20%)
-20% of RPF undergoes glomerular filtration
Non-ECF functions of the renal system
EPO production
Glucogenesis
Produce active vitamin D (calcitriol 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D)
Renin Angiotensin Axis
Decrease in BP sensed by baroreceptors → kidney increases secretion of renin
→ cleaves angiotensinogen to angiotensin I (biologically inactive)
- Renin level is rate-limiting for production of AgII
- Primary regulatory event is a decrease in BP
AgI → lungs where it is cleaved by ACE to Angiotensin II → arteriolar smooth muscle contraction → increased peripheral resistance → rise in MAP
Function of arterioles of filtration apparatus and special cells there
- on either side of glomerular capillary bed
- Serve as valves that control flow of plasma and blood through the filtration apparatus (and kidney) while regulating GFR
Granular cells: specialized smooth muscle cells of afferent arteriole
-Secrete renin - part of juxtaglomerular apparatus (JGA)
Filterability
concentration of filtrate in Bowman’s capsule vs. concentration in plasma
1 = freely filtered 0 = not filtered
Molecular size cut off of glomerular filtration
size of substances that don’t pass through filter (60,000 D)
Just lower than serum albumin size (67,000 daltons)
How does the ultrafiltrate pass from the glomerular capillaries into the urinary space? (3 things it goes through)
1) Glomerular capillary endothelium (fenestrated holes)
2) Basement membrane
3) Podocytes
Glomerular capillary endothelium
Fenestrated holes in epithelium don’t present resistance to movement of plasma through them - stop RBCs from entering
Podocytes
- sheet of tubular epithelial cells on other side of filter
- visceral epithelium of Bowman’s capsule
- Rounded cell bodies with “feet” (pedicles) projected toward endothelial layer - feet of adjacent podocyte intimately intertwine
- Act as molecular sieves
- most important filter for size
Basement membrane
basement membrane secreted by endothelial and epithelial cells
Important molecular sieve
Composed of mucoproteins (acidic sugars + protein cores), negatively charged → near molecular size cutoff, + charge macromolecules filter much better
What drives filtration in the glomerulus?
Hydrostatic pressure within glomerular capillary
osmotic force in tubule considered to be zero
What opposes filtration in the glomerulus?
1) Pt (hydrostatic backpressure in bowmans capsule)
- caused by filtrate flowing through narrow confines of the tubule
2) Osmotic force in glomerular capillary (πgc)