A nephron is the microscopic fundamental structural and functional unit of the kidney. Its principal function is to regulate water and soluble substances by filtering the blood, reabsorbing what is needed, and excreting the rest as urine.
Nephrons eliminate nitrogenous wastes from the body, regulate blood volume and pressure, regulate levels of electrolytes and metabolites, and regulate blood pH.
Each nephron consists of an initial filtering component which is the renal corpuscle and a tubule specialized for reabsorption and secretion which is the renal tubule. The renal corpuscle filters out large solutes molecule from the blood, delivering water and small solute molecules to the renal tubule for modification.
Glomerulus:
The glomerulus is a filtering unit of the kidney and is composed of a network of capillaries and highly differentiated epithelial cells.
The glomerular blood pressure helps the fluid and solutes to be filtered out of the blood and into the space made by Bowman's capsule.
Glomerular Capsule or Bowman's Capsule:
It surrounds the glomerular capillary loops and participates in the filtration of blood from the glomerular capillaries.
Function:
It removes all waste products including solid wastes and other excess water from the blood.
It converts blood into urine by various mechanisms such as filtration, reabsorption, secretion, and excretion of useful and harmful substances present in the blood.
