Question

What is the role of aldosterone in distal parts of the tubule?

Answer 1

Aldosterone:

1. Aldosterone is a steroid hormone made by the adrenal cortex.
2. It helps control the balance of water and salts in the kidney by keeping sodium in and releasing potassium from the body.
3. It acts by binding to and activating a receptor in the cytoplasm of renal tubular cells. The activated receptor then stimulates the production of ion channels in the renal tubular cells, thereby increasing sodium re-absorption into the blood and increasing potassium excretion into the urine
4. The aldosterone induces the re-absorption of water and Na+ from the distal parts of the tubule.
5. Aldosterone is synthesized in the body from a corticosteroid, a steroid derived from cholesterol.