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The glomerulus (pl.: glomeruli) is a network of small blood vessels (capillaries) known as a tuft, located at the beginning of a nephron in the kidney. Each of the two kidneys contains about one million nephrons. The tuft is structurally supported by the mesangium (the space between the blood vessels), composed of intraglomerular mesangial cells.
The glomerular basement membrane of the kidney is the basal lamina layer of the glomerulus.The glomerular endothelial cells, the glomerular basement membrane, and the filtration slits between the podocytes perform the filtration function of the glomerulus, separating the blood in the capillaries from the filtrate that forms in Bowman's capsule. [1]
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. The capsule and tubule are connected and are composed of epithelial cells with a lumen. A healthy adult has 1 to 1.5 million nephrons in each kidney.
Each nephron begins in a renal corpuscle, which is composed of a glomerulus enclosed in a Bowman's capsule. Cells, proteins, and other large molecules are filtered out of the glomerulus by a process of ultrafiltration , leaving an ultrafiltrate that resembles plasma (except that the ultrafiltrate has negligible plasma proteins ) to enter Bowman ...
[17] [6] [18] Differences in kidney structure are the result of adaptations during evolution to variations in body mass and habitats (in particular, aridity) between species. [19] [20] [12] The cortex and medulla of the kidney contain nephrons, [21] each of which consists of a glomerulus and a complex tubular system. [22]
[2] [3] They are located on the left and right in the retroperitoneal space, and in adult humans are about 12 centimetres (4 + 1 ⁄ 2 inches) in length. [4] [5] They receive blood from the paired renal arteries; blood exits into the paired renal veins. Each kidney is attached to a ureter, a tube that carries excreted urine to the bladder.
The collecting duct system of the kidney consists of a series of tubules and ducts that physically connect nephrons to a minor calyx or directly to the renal pelvis.The collecting duct participates in electrolyte and fluid balance through reabsorption and excretion, processes regulated by the hormones aldosterone and vasopressin (antidiuretic hormone).
The afferent arterioles, then, enter Bowman's capsule and end in the glomerulus. From each glomerulus, the corresponding efferent arteriole arises and then exits the capsule near the point where the afferent arteriole enters. Distally, efferent arterioles branch out to form dense plexuses (i.e., capillary beds) around their adjacent renal tubules.