Nephron’s Parts and

their functions

Nephron
 basic structural and functional unit of
the kidneys that regulates water and
soluble substances in the blood by
filtering the blood, reabsorbing what
is needed, and excreting the rest as
urine.
 Regulated by the neuroendocrine
system by hormones.
Glomerulus
 Filter plasma to produce glomerular
filtrate, which passes down the
length of the nephron tubule to form
urine.

Afferent Arterioles
 Group of blood vessels that supply
the nephrons in many excretory
systems. They play an important role
in the regulation of blood pressure as
a part of the tubuloglomerular
feedback mechanism.
 The afferent arterioles branch from
the renal artery, which supplies blood
to the kidneys.
Bowman’s capsule
 Cup-like sack at the beginning of the
tubular component of a nephron in
the mammalian kidney that performs
the first step in the filtration of blood
to form urine.

Proximal Convoluted Tubule

 Efficiently regulates the pH of the
filtrate by exchanging hydrogen ions
in the interstitium for bicarbonate
ions in the filtrate; it is also
responsible for secreting organic
acids, such as creatinine and other
bases, into the filtrate.
Renal Cortex
 Provides a space for arterioles and
venules from the renal artery and
vein, as well as the glomerular
capillaries, to perfuse the nephrons
of the kidney.
 Erythropotein - hormone necessary
for the synthesis of new red blood
cells, is also produced in the renal
cortex.

Renal Medulla
 Interior portion of the kidney where
the primary functions of the organ
occur: the filtering of waste materials
 and elimination of fluid from the
body.

Descending Loop of Henle

 Receives isotonic (300 mOsm/L) fluid
from the proximal convoluted tubule
(PCT).
 The fluid is isotonic because as ions
are reabsorbed by the gradient time
system, water is also reabsorbed
maintaining the osmolarity of the
fluid in the PCT.

Ascending Loop of Henle

 A direct continuation from the
descending limb of loop of Henle, and
 one of the structures in the nephron
of the kidney.
 Has a thin and a thick segment.
 Drains urine into the distal
convoluted tubule.

Loop of Henle
 The principal function of the loop of
Henle appears to be the recovery of
water and sodium chloride from the
urine.
 Allows production of urine that is far
more concentrated than blood,
limiting the amount of water needed
as intake for survival.
Vasa Recta
 Capillary networks that supply blood
to the medulla.
 Highly permeable to solute and
water.
 Form a parallel set of hairpin loops
within the medulla.

Distal Convoluted Tubule

 The nephron segment that lies
immediately downstream of the
macula densa. Although short in
length, the distal convoluted tubule
plays a critical role in sodium,
potassium, and divalent cation
homeostasis.
  Macula Densa - collection of
specialized epithelial cells that detect
sodium concentration of the fluid in
the tubule.

Collecting Ducts
 The last part of a long, twisting tube
that collects urine from the nephrons
(cellular structures in the kidney that
filter blood and form urine) and
moves it into the renal pelvis and
ureters. Also called renal collecting
tubule.