Organ
Renal corpuscle
The glomerular filter and its surrounding capsule
High-yield
Filtration depends on an integrated endothelial surface, basement membrane and podocyte slit-diaphragm barrier. Albumin restriction cannot be explained solely by negative charge in the basement membrane.
Overview
A renal corpuscle contains a capillary tuft within Bowman's capsule. Blood enters and exits at the vascular pole, while filtered fluid leaves capsular space at the urinary pole. Mesangial cells support and regulate the capillary network.
Reference facts
- Location
- Located entirely in the cortex, including corpuscles close to the corticomedullary junction.
- Parts
- Glomerular loops and mesangium, podocyte visceral layer, capsular space and a parietal epithelial layer, organized around vascular and urinary poles.
- Blood supply
- Afferent inflow and efferent outflow meet at the vascular pole; filtration also depends on plasma forces and barrier permeability and area.
- Innervation
- Renal sympathetic pathways act chiefly through associated arterioles and renin-containing cells.
- Function
- Produces an ultrafiltrate of plasma; combined adult filtration is often roughly 150–180 liters daily, varying with body size and kidney function.
Clinical correlation
Podocyte injury can produce marked proteinuria, whereas inflammatory glomerular injury often causes hematuria and may produce red-cell casts. These patterns can overlap, so one microscopic alteration does not define every clinical presentation.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the renal corpuscle located?
The renal corpuscle lies located entirely in the cortex, including corpuscles close to the corticomedullary junction.
What does the renal corpuscle do?
Produces an ultrafiltrate of plasma; combined adult filtration is often roughly 150–180 liters daily, varying with body size and kidney function.
What are the parts of the renal corpuscle?
Glomerular loops and mesangium, podocyte visceral layer, capsular space and a parietal epithelial layer, organized around vascular and urinary poles.
What is the blood supply of the renal corpuscle?
Afferent inflow and efferent outflow meet at the vascular pole; filtration also depends on plasma forces and barrier permeability and area.