The Kidney

Process within the Malpighian Body

Ultra filtration:

The high hydrostatic pressure in the glomerulus

which forces water and other small molecules
in the plasma through the walls of the capillaries
and the walls of the Bowman’s capsule, into the capsular
space.
• Pores (fenestrations) on endothelium of glomerular
capillaries are large enough for plasma proteins to pass.
 Only red blood cells and white blood cells, which are
bigger in size than the plasma proteins, remain in the
plasma.

• Basement membrane completely envelops each capillary,

and only allows materials that are of size <68000 kilodaltons
to pass through.
Main filter in action and prevents plasma proteins from
passing out. (only water, urea, salts and other small
molecules are filtered.)
• Walls of bowman’s capsule (Podocytes)
- highly modified epithelium cells.
- Do not fit together to form a continuous sheet of cells.
Instead, they branch off into finer structures:
- primary/major processes
- secondary/minor processes (pedicels)
- Filtration slits present between adjacent pedicels to allow
water and other small molecules to enter the capsular space.
Nephron
 Basement Membrane

Ions
Water
Urea
Salts
Glucose
Other small molecules
Plasma Proteins

Bowman’s Capsule
Blood Vessel

Filtration Slits (Podocytes)

Fenestrations
 Net Filtration Pressure (NFP)
• Ultrafiltration depends on three main
pressures

 Glomerular Blood Hydrostatic Pressure

 Capsular Hydrostatic Pressure

 Blood Colloid Osmotic Pressure

 Glomerular Blood Hydrostatic Pressure
(HPglomerularblood or HPblood)

• Promotes Ultrafiltration

 Rather high pressure because the efferent

arteriole has a smaller diameter than the
afferent arteriole

 Pushes water and blood plasma through the

glomerular filtrate into capsule space to form
glomerular filtrate
 Capsular Hydrostatic Pressure
HPcapsule

• Back pressure of glomerular filtrate that

opposes filtration

Glomerular Filtrate
 Blood Colloid Osmotic Pressure
OPblood

• Due to presence of
large plasma
proteins.

 Cannot pass through basement

membrane

 Remain in glomerular capillaries.

 Tendency to draw filtrate back.

Opposes filtration.

Proteins remain in capillaries

 Filtration Pressures

• Filtration Pressures
• Promoted by:
(1)HYDRAULIC PRESSURE (HPblood)
= 55 mmHg
• Opposed by:
(2)FLUID PRESSURE (HPcapsule)
= 15 mm Hg

(3)OSMOTIC PRESSURE (OPblood)

= 30 mm Hg
• NET pressure = 55 - 30 - 15 = 10 mm Hg
 Summary
• Net Filtration Pressure (NFP) is the total pressure
promoting filtration

NFP = HPglomerularblood – (OPblood + HPcapsule)

OPblood + HPcapsule HPglomerularblood

There is hence a net pressure favoring formation of glomerular filtrate