2.70 Nephron Structure

Key Points:
1. The nephron is the functioning area of the kidney. The Aorta passes by the kidneys, and the artery that branches off and connects to the kidney is called the renal artery. The kidney filters the blood, and the excretion is called urine. This is collected in the bladder and prepared for release.
2. The vein carrying the filtered blood from the kidney to the bladder is called the renal vein. The renal vein eventually returns to the vena cava.
3. If the kidney was sliced across exposing the different layers of the kidney, different things would be seen. The outer lighter region is called the cortex, and the inner region is called the medulla. The space at the very edge of the kidney is called the pelvic, and this is where the urine collects. The reason for the different colours is because the kidney is made of many tubular structures. The dead end structure is known as the bowmans capsule.
4. In more detail, the tube structure is known as a nephron. In the diagram, the dotted line shows the separation between cortex and the medulla. The tube is made up of twisted sections, convoluted tubules, and the tube on the end is known as the collecting duct. The tube dips back down into the medulla, and this is known as the loop of henele. This returns back to the cortex and comes to the dead end structure, Bowmans Capsule.
5.The tight knot of blood capsules around Bowmans Capsule is known as the glomarialis. The first twisted section is known as the proximal convoluted tubule, and the second section is known as the distill convoluted tubule