Filtration of Blood in the

Kidneys
Group #7
What is Filtration?
Because of the excretion, some of the
metabolic wastes are thrown into the blood. And,
for the cellular processes to go well, wastes must
be eliminated from the blood stream.
To do such, blood enters the kidneys. The old
blood will filtered inside the kidneys to be
cleaner, while wastes are excreted as urine.
This process is what we call blood filtration.
How does Filtration happen?
Inside the kidneys, 3 different processes are
being done to filter the blood. The following are
the different processes in the blood filtration:
1.Glomerular Filtration
2.Tubular Re-absorption
3.Tubular Secretion
Glomerular Filtration
Blood enters the kidney via the renal artery.
This seperates many times, eventually forming
many afferent arterioles, each of which delivers
blood to an individual kidney nephron.

Renal Artery -> Segmental Arteries ->

Interlobar Arteries -> Arcuate Arteries ->
Interlobular Arteries -> Afferent Arterioles
 The diameter of the afferent (incoming) arteriole is greater
than the diameter of the efferent arteriole (by which blood
leaves the glomerulus). The pressure of the blood inside the
glomerulus is increased due to the difference in diameter of
the incoming and out-going arterioles.
This increased blood pressure helps to force the following
components of the blood out of the glomerular capillaries:
•Most of the water;
•Most/all of the salts;
•Most/all of the glucose;
•Most/all of the urea.
The above are filtered in preference to other components of
blood based on particle size. (Water and solutes of relative
molecular mass less than 68,000 form the filtrate.) Blood cells
and plasma proteins are not filtered through the glomerular
capillaries because they are relatively larger in physical size.
 The water and salts that have been forced out
of the glomerular capillaries pass into the
Bowman's Capsule and are called the
glomerular filtrate. This glomerular filtrate is
formed at a rate of above 125 cm3 per minute in
humans. This volume is approx. 20% of the
plasma delivered during that time.
The glomerular filtrate passes from the renal
corpuscle to the renal tubule.
 Renal Artery

Segmental Artery Segmental Artery

Tubular Re-absorption
Only about 1% of the glomerular fitrate actually leaves the body because the
rest (the other 99%) is reabsorbed into the blood while it passes through the
renal tubules and ducts. This is called tubular reabsorption and occurs via
three mechanisms. They are:
Osmosis
Diffusion, and
Active Transport.
Reabsorption varies according to the body's needs, enabling the body to
retain most of its nutrients.
The processes of tubular reabsorption occur in the following order:

In the PCT
Most of the volume of the fitrate solution is reabsobed in the proximal
convoluted tubule (PCT). This includes some water and most/all of the glucose
(except in the case of diabetics).
 In the Loop of Henle
The remaining water (together with the dissolved salts and
urea) passes from the PCT into the descending limb of Henle. It
then passes along the Loop of Henle, and up the ascending limb of
Henle.

In the DCT
The water, urea, and salts contained within the ascending limb
of Henle eventually pass into the distal convoluted tubule (DCT).
Tubular Secretion
The third process by which the kidneys clean blood (regulating
its composition and volume) is called tubular secretion and
involves substances being added to the tubular fluid. This
removes excessive quantities of certain dissolved substances from
the body, and also maintains the blood at a normal healthy pH
(which is typically in the range pH 7.35 to pH 7.45).
The substances that are secreted into the tubular fluid (for
removal from the body) include Potassium ions (K+), Hydrogen
ions (H+), Ammonium ions (NH4+), creatinine, urea, some
hormones, and some drugs (e.g. penicillin).
Tubular secretion occurs from the epithelial cells that line the
renal tubules and collecting ducts.
 It is the tubular secretion of H+ and NH4+ from the blood
into the tubular fluid (i.e. urine - which is then excreted from
the body via the ureter, bladder, and urethra) that helps to
keep blood pH at its normal level. The movement of these ions
also helps to conserve sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3).
The typical pH of urine is about 6.
Urine formed via the three processes outlined above trickles
into the kidney pelvis. At this final stage it is only approx. 1% of
the originally filtered volume but includes high concentrations
of urea and creatinine, and variable concentrations of ions.
The typical volume of urine produced by an average adult is
around 1.5 - 2.0 dm3 per day.
 After being filtered, blood will
then be flowing into the renal
vein. Then, it will be again be
used by the body. After being
used, it will be filtered again.
This cycle of filtration continues
every second in the body to
continue the excretion of
unwanted wastes.