Chapter 25 Part A: The Urinary System - Human Anatomy and Physiology

A collection of vocabulary flashcards based on the key concepts from the lecture notes on the urinary system.

Kidneys

Major excretory organ that maintain the body’s internal environment.

Erythropoietin

Hormone produced by kidneys that regulates red blood cell production.

Renin

Hormone produced by kidneys that regulates blood pressure.

Nephrons

Structural and functional units of the kidney that filter blood and form urine.

Glomerulus

A tuft of capillaries in the renal corpuscle where filtration occurs.

Renal pelvis

Funnel-shaped tube that collects urine and leads to the ureter.

Cortical nephrons

Nephrons that make up 85% of all nephrons and are almost entirely located in the cortex.

Juxtamedullary nephrons

Nephrons that have long loops deeply invading the medulla, important for producing concentrated urine.

Filtration membrane

Triple-layered structure allowing water and small solutes to pass, but preventing cells and large proteins from filtering.

Glomerular filtration rate (GFR)

Measurement of the rate at which urine is formed; normal GFR is 120-125 ml/min.

Tubular reabsorption

Process by which kidneys selectively return substances from filtrate to blood.

Tubular secretion

Process of moving substances from blood into the filtrate.

Afferent arterioles

Small arteries that supply blood to the glomerulus.

Efferent arterioles

Small arteries that carry blood away from the glomerulus.

Juxtaglomerular complex (JGC)

Structure consisting of specialized cells that regulate filtrate formation and blood pressure.

Macula densa

Cells in the juxtaglomerular complex that sense sodium chloride concentration in the filtrate.