nephron /neph·ron/ (nef´ron) the structural and functional unit of the kidney, numbering about a million in the renal parenchyma, each being capable of forming urine; see also renal tubules, under tubule.
Nephron
nephron
neph·ron (n f r n)n. The functional unit of the kidney, consisting of the renal corpuscle, the proximal and distal convoluted tubules, and the nephronic loop. |
Nephron
The smallest functional unit of the kidney involved in the removal of waste products and excess water from the blood.
Mentioned in: Kidney Disease, Nephrotoxic Injury
nephron
[nef′ron]
Etymology: Gk, nephros, kidney
a structural and functional unit of the kidney resembling a microscopic funnel with a long stem and two convoluted tubular sections. Each kidney contains about 1.25 million nephrons. All nephrons have a renal corpuscle and renal tubules. Juxtamedullary nephrons also have loops of Henle. Each renal corpuscle consists of a glomerulus of renal capillaries enclosed within Bowman's capsule. The renal corpuscles and the convoluted parts of the renal tubules are located in the cortex of the kidney. The loops of Henle and collecting tubules are located in the medulla. Urine is formed in the renal corpuscles and renal tubules by filtration, reabsorption, and secretion. See also kidney, malpighian corpuscle.
nephron
the structural and functional unit of the kidney, each nephron being capable of forming urine by itself. The nephron consists of the renal corpuscle, the proximal convoluted tubule, the descending and ascending limbs of the loop of Henle, the distal convoluted tubule, and the collecting tubule. Each kidney is an aggregation of many nephrons. The specific function of the nephron is to remove from the blood plasma certain end-products of metabolism, such as urea, uric acid and creatinine, and to regulate excretion of sodium, chloride, potassium and other ions. By allowing for reabsorption of water and some electrolytes back into the blood, the nephron also plays a vital role in the maintenance of normal fluid balance in the body.
The nephron is a complex system of tubules. Blood is brought to the nephron via the afferent arteriole. As the blood flows through the glomerulus (a network of capillaries), about one-fifth of the plasma is filtered through the glomerular membrane and collects in the glomerular (Bowman's) capsule, which encases the glomerulus. The fluid then passes through the proximal tubule, from there into the loop of Henle, then into the distal tubule, and finally into the collecting tubule (collecting duct). As the fluid is making its tortuous journey through these various tubules, most of its water and some of the solutes are reabsorbed into the blood via the peritubular capillaries. The water and solutes remaining in the tubules become urine.
intact-nephron hypothesis
nephron loop
see renal tubule.
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