Question

State two vital functions of kidney.

Answer 1

Kidney:

1. Kidneys are a pair of bean-shaped organs located on either side of the mid-dorsal line of the abdominal cavity.
2. They are primarily involved in the formation of urine.

Vital functions of the kidney :

Ultrafiltration:

1. Ultrafiltration refers to the filtration which occurs under high pressure.
2. In this process, the blood passes through the glomerulus under high pressure. This facilitates filtration of the blood plasma through the thin, porous epithelium of the glomerulus and Bowman capsule’s wall.
3. Glomerular filtrate or ultrafiltrate contains water, urea, glucose, salts, and other plasma solutes.
4. Large molecules such as blood cells and large proteins are not filtered by the glomerulus since they do not pass through the epithelium.

Reabsorption:

1. Reabsorption refers to the absorption of water, glucose, amino acids, salts, and other useful substances from the glomerular filtrate.
2. About 99% of glomerular filtrate is reabsorbed by ‘kidney tubule or nephron’.
3. From the tubules, the reabsorbed materials are sent back to the bloodstream.