ANATOMY OF THE NEPHRON

NEPHRONS WASTE PRODUCTS ARE REMOVED FROM THE BLOOD HERE EACH KIDNEY CONTAINS ABOUT 1 MILLION NEPHRONS NEPHRONS ARE MADE OF A RENAL CORPUSCLE AND A RENAL TUBULE

RENAL CORPUSCLE COMPOSED OF A GROUP OF CAPILLARIES CALLED A GLOMERULUS THE CAPSULE THAT SURROUNDS THE GLOMERULUS IS THE GLOMERULAR CAPSULE RENAL CORPUSCLE IS WHERE BLOOD FILTRATION OCCURS

RENAL TUBULES EXTEND FROM THE GLOMERULAR CAPSULE THREE PARTS: PROXIMAL CONVOLUTED TUBULE LOOP OF HENLE DISTAL CONVOLUTED TUBULE * DCTs FROM SEVERAL NEPHRONS MERGE TOGETHER TO FORM COLLECTING DUCTS

COLLECTING DUCTS COLLECT URINE AND DELIVER IT TO THE RENAL PELVIS RENAL PELVIS EMPTIES URINE INTO URETERS

AFFERENT & EFFERENT ARTERIOLES AFFERENT DELIVER BLOOD TO THE GLOMERULI EFFERENT (EXIT) CARRY BLOOD AWAY EFFERENT ARTERIOLES DELIVER BLOOD TO PERITUBULAR CAPILLARIES (WRAPPED AROUND THE RENAL TUBULES OF THE NEPHRON)

CONT. BLOOD LEAVES THE PERITUBULAR CAPILLARIES THROUGH THE VEINS OF THE KIDNEYS BLOOD HAS NOW BEEN CLEANSED OF WASTE PRODUCTS

BLOOD FLOW THROUGH A NEPHRON AFFERENT ARTERIOLE- - -GLOMERULUS- - -EFFERENT ARTERIOLE- - -PERITUBULAR CAPILLARIES- - -VEINS OF KIDNEY

JUXTAGLOMERULAR APPARATUS MOST NEPHRONS CONTAIN THIS MADE UP OF TWO STRUCTURES MACULA DENSA – AREA OF THE DCT THAT TOUCHES AFFERENT AND EFFERENT ARTERIOLES JUXTAGLOMERULAR CELLS – ENLARGED SMOOTH MUSCLE CELLS IN THE WALLS OF THE ARTERIOLES

JUXTAGLOMERULAR APPARATUS SECRETES THE HORMONE RENIN RENIN REGULATES BLOOD PRESSURE