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The nephron is the minute or microscopic structural and functional unit of the kidney. It is composed of a renal corpuscle and a renal tubule. The renal corpuscle consists of a tuft of capillaries called a glomerulus and a cup-shaped structure called Bowman's capsule. The renal tubule extends from the capsule.
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This is accomplished by urinalysis, measurement of urine protein excretion, kidney imaging, and, if necessary, kidney biopsy. [1] Much of renal physiology is studied at the level of the nephron – the smallest functional unit of the kidney. Each nephron begins with a filtration component that filters the blood entering the kidney.
This part of the nephron in mammals is most at risk of ischemic or toxic damage. [200] In addition, the repair of nephrons occurs in the course of normal physiological activity throughout the life due to the shedding of tubular epithelial cells. [202] The glomerulus has a complex structure, and its ability to recover after injury is limited. [203]
Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is the volume of fluid filtered from the renal (kidney) glomerular capillaries into the Bowman's capsule per unit time. [4] Central to the physiologic maintenance of GFR is the differential basal tone of the afferent (input) and efferent (output) arterioles (see diagram).
The microscopic structural and functional unit of the kidney is the nephron. It processes the blood supplied to it via filtration, reabsorption, secretion and excretion; the consequence of those processes is the production of urine. These include the nitrogenous wastes urea, from protein catabolism, and uric acid, from nucleic acid metabolism.
This filtrate then flows along the length of the nephron, which is a tubular structure lined by a single layer of specialized cells and surrounded by capillaries. The major functions of these lining cells are the reabsorption of water and small molecules from the filtrate into the blood, and the secretion of wastes from the blood into the urine.
Diagram showing Bowman's capsule as part of the renal corpuscle. The process of filtration of the blood in the Bowman's capsule is ultrafiltration, and the normal rate of filtration is 125 ml/min, equivalent to 80 times the daily blood volume. [citation needed] It is a major site for blood filtration (including glomerulus)