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459:. To achieve such balance between water and ions, the loop of Henle coordinates its function with the collecting duct to regulate the amount of water to reabsorb or to excrete. While the loop of Henle makes the medulla of the kidney salty, the collecting duct regulates the permeability of water that could be reabsorbed to such salty environment. The saltier the medulla, the more water can be reabsorbed from the pre-urine in collecting duct; before it becomes urine.
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water is easily reabsorbed here and solutes are not readily reabsorbed. The 300 mOsm/L fluid from the loop loses water to the higher concentration outside the loop and increases in tonicity until it reaches its maximum at the bottom of the loop. This area represents the highest concentration in the nephron, but the collecting duct can reach this same tonicity with maximum ADH effect.
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is not reabsorbed and ions are readily reabsorbed. As ions leave the lumen via the Na–K–Cl symporter and the Na–H antiporter, the concentration becomes more and more hypotonic until it reaches approximately 100–150 mOsm/L. The ascending limb is also called the diluting segment of the nephron because of its ability to dilute the fluid in the loop from 1200 mOsm/L to 100 mOsm/L.
467:
is limited by the length of our loop of Henle, i.e., 2.2 mm. While a camel's loop of Henle, which is around 4.1 mm, can reach 2800 mOsm. Another example is the
Australian mouse whose loop of Henle, 5.2 mm, can make the medulla as salty as 9000 mOsm. This permits that the urine of these rodents can reach 9000 mOsm, in other words, a highly concentrated urine.
466:
Vertebrates who live in the desert do not have access to lots of water. Therefore, some of them have a longer loop of Henle which creates a saltier medulla, leading them to reabsorb more water from the pre-urine. For example, the urine concentration in humans can be as concentrated as 1400 mOsm which
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The ascending limb of the loop of Henle receives an even lower volume of fluid and has different characteristics compared to the descending limb. In the ascending portion, the loop becomes impermeable to water and the cells of the loop actively reabsorb solutes from the luminal fluid; therefore water
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of the fluid in the PCT. Substances reabsorbed in the PCT include urea, water, potassium, sodium, chloride, glucose, amino acids, lactate, phosphate, and bicarbonate. Since water is also reabsorbed the volume of fluid in the loop of Henle is less than the PCT, approximately one-third of the original
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Flow of the fluid through the entire loop of Henle is considered slow. As flow increases, the ability of the loop to maintain its osmolar gradient is reduced. The vasa recta (capillary loops) also have a slow flow as well. Increases in vasa recta flow wash away metabolites and cause the medulla to
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The loop of Henle is always a U-shaped tubule, with an descending limb and an ascending limb, however its length varies among different vertebrates. This is associated with the fact that it has two functions; whilst the first is to clean wastes, the second is to maintain a balance between ions and
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While the physical shape of the loop of Henle is vital to the creation and maintenance of the medullary gradient, the length imposes a limit to the gradient. In other words, the length of the loop of Henle limits the concentration of the gradient, i.e., the longer the loop, the greater the osmotic
425:
on the basolateral membrane which maintains the ion concentrations inside the cells. On the luminal membrane, Na enters the cells passively; using the Na–K–Cl symporter. Then the Na/K-ATPase will pump 3 Na out into the peritubular fluid and 2 K into the cell on the non-lumen side of the cell. This
405:
The interstitium of the kidney increases in osmolarity outside as the loop of Henle descends from 600 mOsm/L in the outer medulla of the kidney to 1200 mOsm/L in the inner medulla. The descending portion of the loop of Henle is extremely permeable to water and is less permeable to ions, therefore
371:, it readily enters the capillaries. The low bloodflow through the vasa recta allows time for osmotic equilibration, and can be altered by changing the resistance of the vessels' efferent arterioles.
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397:/L) fluid from the proximal convoluted tubule (PCT). The fluid is isotonic because as ions are reabsorbed by the gradient time system, water is also reabsorbed maintaining the
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mechanism that prevents washout of solutes from the medulla, thereby maintaining the medullary concentration. As water is osmotically driven from the descending limb into the
490:
335:. The "thick" and "thin" terminology does not refer to the size of the lumen, but to the size of the epithelial cells. The loop is also sometimes called the nephron loop.
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434:, which takes water and carbon dioxide and forms bicarbonate and a hydrogen ion. The hydrogen ion is exchanged for the Na in the tubular fluid of the loop of Henle.
426:
gives the lumen of the fluid in the loop a positive charge in comparison and creates a Na concentration gradient, which both push more Na into the cell via the
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Overall the loop of Henle reabsorbs around 25% of filtered ions and 20% of the filtered water in a normal kidney. These ions are mostly Na, Cl, K, Ca and HCO
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The loop of Henle is supplied by blood in a series of straight capillaries descending from the cortical efferent arterioles. These capillaries (called the
463:(AQ2) sits in collecting duct and is selectively inserted into cell membranes, according to the body's needs, to reabsorb water to create that balance.
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As well, blood in the vasa recta still has large proteins and ions which were not filtered through the glomerulus. This provides an
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channels out of the duct, moving passively down its concentration gradient. This process reabsorbs water and creates a concentrated
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https://www.open.edu/openlearn/nature-environment/natural-history/animals-the-extremes-the-desert-environment/content-section-3.2/
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system, which uses electrolyte pumps, the loop of Henle creates an area of high urea concentration deep in the medulla, near the
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gradient. Thus, longer loops would allow for steeper gradients and greater capacity to concentrate urine. Through the
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Transverse section of pyramidal substance of kidney of an adult pig, the bloodvessels of which are injected.
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lose osmolarity as well. Increases in flow will disrupt the kidney's ability to form concentrated urine.
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297:(NKCC2). The electrical and concentration gradient drives more reabsorption of Na, as well as other
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Britannica, T. Editors of
Encyclopaedia (2022, January 8). loop of Henle. Encyclopedia Britannica.
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Scheme of renal tubule and its vascular supply (loop of Henle visible center-left)
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The main function of the loop of Henle is to set up a concentration gradient.
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The thin ascending limb is impermeable to water, but it is permeable to ions.
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Diagram of physiological functions of nephron, including the loop of Henle.
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while being highly permeable to water. The loop has a sharp bend in the
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221:. Water present in the filtrate in the papillary duct flows through
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Dunn R. B.; Kudrath W.; Passo S.S.; Wilson L.B. (2011). "8".
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the loop of Henle increases the osmolarity of the medulla.
430:. The hydrogen ion for the antiporter comes from the enzyme
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O. This allows to balance the blood pressure, blood pH and
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The thin descending limb has low permeability to ions and
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for ions to enter the vasa recta from the interstitium.
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657:"The loop of Henle, distal tubing and collecting duct"
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140:
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198:, the loop of Henle's main function is to create a
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237:The loop of Henle can be divided into four parts:
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584:https://www.britannica.com/science/loop-of-Henle
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257:going from descending to ascending thin limb.
602:. National Library of Medicine. 1 April 2010
561:Kaplan USMLE Step 1 Physiology Lecture Notes
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323:thick ascending limb drains urine into the
289:(Cl) ions are reabsorbed from the urine by
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521:Dorland's illustrated Medical Dictionary
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508:
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636:Douglas C. Eaton; John Pooler (2004).
389:The descending loop of Henle receives
331:The tissue type of the loop is simple
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640:(6th ed.). McGraw-Hill Medical.
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263:Thin ascending limb of loop of Henle
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438:Importance of loop of Henle length
347:Counter current multiplier diagram
188:. Named after its discoverer, the
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573:Human Anatomy 7th edition (p.705)
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477:
243:descending limb of loop of Henle
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275:Ascending limb of loop of Henle
1064:Extraglomerular mesangial cell
944:Intraglomerular mesangial cell
661:Principles of Renal Physiology
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1:
655:Lote, Christopher J. (2000).
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314:Cortical thick ascending limb
924:Glomerular basement membrane
421:. The powering force is the
363:for "straight") also have a
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196:Friedrich Gustav Jakob Henle
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10:
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962:Proximal convoluted tubule
291:secondary active transport
182:proximal convoluted tubule
1157:Internal urethral orifice
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1134:Median umbilical ligament
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1041:Juxtaglomerular apparatus
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365:countercurrent multiplier
211:countercurrent multiplier
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989:Distal convoluted tubule
685:Loop of Henle physiology
663:. Springer. p. 70.
325:distal convoluted tubule
186:distal convoluted tubule
50:Metanephrogenic blastema
865:Peritubular capillaries
1090:Ureteropelvic junction
994:Collecting duct system
777:medullary interstitium
348:
219:collecting duct system
200:concentration gradient
176:) is the portion of a
98:Anatomical terminology
1054:Juxtaglomerular cells
346:
295:Na–K–Cl cotransporter
16:Part of kidney tissue
180:that leads from the
1217:Lacunae of Morgagni
1162:Urethral sphincters
563:. pp. 209–223.
457:membrane potentials
333:squamous epithelium
432:carbonic anhydrase
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91:17718 17698, 17718
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999:Connecting tubule
670:978-0-7923-6178-7
471:Additional images
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22:Loop of Henle
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1202:intermediate
1107:Circulation
1049:Macula densa
1031:Renal pelvis
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954:Renal tubule
845:interlobular
825:Renal artery
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604:. Retrieved
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359:is from the
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339:Blood supply
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170:counterpart
164:nephron loop
163:
159:
156:Henle's loop
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66:
1026:Major calyx
1021:Minor calyx
814:Circulation
600:MedlinePlus
596:"AQP2 gene"
524:, Elsevier.
461:Aquaporin-2
423:Na/K-ATPase
56:Identifiers
972:Descending
914:Glomerulus
880:interlobar
870:Vasa recta
860:Renal vein
835:interlobar
502:References
399:osmolarity
385:Physiology
353:vasa recta
160:Henle loop
1197:prostatic
1166:External
1059:Mesangium
939:Mesangium
830:segmental
821:Arteries
305:(Mg) and
303:magnesium
283:potassium
233:Structure
223:aquaporin
193:anatomist
125:English:
45:Precursor
1244:Category
1182:Internal
1123:(female)
929:Podocyte
885:efferent
850:afferent
772:pyramids
516:Elsevier
402:volume.
391:isotonic
321:cortical
301:such as
287:chloride
285:(K) and
1149:Urethra
1139:Trigone
1100:Bladder
1082:Ureters
897:Nephron
875:arcuate
840:arcuate
804:Nephron
767:Medulla
750:Capsule
730:Kidneys
307:calcium
299:cations
217:in the
204:medulla
202:in the
184:to the
178:nephron
166:or its
114:In the
79:D008138
39:Details
1207:spongy
1175:female
856:Veins
760:column
755:Cortex
745:Fascia
738:Layers
667:
644:
606:23 May
190:German
154:) (or
118:, the
116:kidney
784:Sinus
535:H3.06
393:(300
361:Latin
357:recta
309:(Ca).
293:by a
241:Thin
227:urine
168:Latin
102:[
62:Latin
1170:male
789:Lobe
665:ISBN
642:ISBN
608:2023
395:mOsm
319:The
251:urea
74:MeSH
86:FMA
1246::
659:.
598:.
541:^
518:,
355:;
162:,
158:,
713:e
706:t
699:v
673:.
650:.
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453:2
451:H
419:3
327:.
150:/
147:i
144:l
141:n
138:ɛ
135:h
132:ˈ
129:/
122:(
106:]
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