Describe the three mechanisms that explain thekidney’s ability to concentrate urine.
Describe the three mechanisms that explain the
kidney’s ability to concentrate urine.
The kidney is a part of the urinary system that plays a major role in urine formation. Urine formed so concentratedly as compared to the plasma is necessary to reduce the water loss from the body. To maintain hemostasis into the body, the kidney help in the fluid maintain of the body by forming concentrated urine. Urea is the main component of the urine and urea is formed in the liver through the urea cycle in which the amino group of the amino acids is converted into urea.
Urea is formed from the ammonia in the liver and circulates into the blood. This blood crosses the kidney and urea is filtrated into the renal tubules of the kidney through the glomerulus of the nephron.
The urine can be concentrated with the help of enzymes such as ADH. A high level of ADH helps in water reabsorption through the late distal tubules and collecting ducts. This enzyme is released from the posterior lobe of the pituitary gland.
If there is a high osmolarity of the renal medullary interstitial fluid, it creates an osmotic gradient between the tubular lumen and nearby interstitial fluid.
The urine is concentrated through the countercurrent mechanism that creates and maintains the osmotic gradient. IT occurs mainly into the medullary nephrons and there is an exchange of water and solutes between the blood of the vasa recta and interstitial fluid of the renal medulla. The osmotic gradient is used by the kidney to form concentrated urine. The vasa recta are the main countercurrent exchanger that helps in water reabsorption.
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