Human anatomy diagram organs kidney

Here are examples of organs that could be added to reach a more comprehensive list:. During embryonic development, organs form through a process called organogenesis. This begins with the differentiation of germ layers:. Stem cells play a critical role in the early stages of development, giving rise to the specialized cells that make up each organ.

This tightly regulated process ensures proper organ placement and function. Organ transplants involve replacing a failing organ with a healthy one from a donor. Common transplants include the kidney, liver, and heart. Special epithelial cells known as podocytes form the layer of the glomerular capsule surrounding the capillaries of the glomerulus.

Podocytes work with the endothelium of the capillaries to form a thin filter to separate urine from blood passing through the glomerulus. The outer layer of the glomerular capsule holds the urine separated from the blood within the capsule. At the far end of the glomerular capsule, opposite the glomerulus, is the mouth of the renal tubule.

A series of tubes called the renal tubule concentrate urine and recover non-waste solutes from the urine. The renal tubule carries urine from the glomerular capsule to the renal pelvis. The primary function of the kidneys is the excretion of waste products resulting from protein metabolism and muscle contraction. The liver metabolizes dietary proteins to produce energy and produces toxic ammonia as a waste product.

The liver is able to convert most of this ammonia into uric acid and urea, which are less toxic to the body. Meanwhile, the muscles of our body use creatine as an energy source and, in the process, produce the waste product creatinine. Ammonia, uric acid, urea, and creatinine all accumulate in the body over time and need to be removed from circulation to maintain homeostasis.

The glomerulus in the kidneys filter all four of these waste products out of the bloodstream, allowing us to excrete them out of our bodies in urine. Urea in the blood helps to concentrate other more toxic waste products in urine by maintaining the osmotic balance between urine and blood in the renal medulla. The kidneys are able to control the volume of water in the body by changing the reabsorption of water by the tubules of the nephron.

Under normal conditions, the tubule cells of the nephron tubules reabsorb via osmosis nearly all of the water that is filtered into urine by the glomerulus. Water reabsorption leads to very concentrated urine and the conservation of water in the body. ADH stimulates the formation of water channel proteins in the collecting ducts of the nephrons that permit water to pass from urine into the tubule cells and on to the blood.

Hydrogen ions accumulate when proteins are metabolized in the liver and when carbon dioxide in the blood reacts with water to form carbonic acid H2CO3. Carbonic acid is a weak acid that partially dissociates in water to form hydrogen ions and bicarbonate ions. Both ions are filtered out of the blood in the glomerulus of the kidney, but the tubule cells lining the nephron selectively reabsorb bicarbonate ions while leaving hydrogen ions as a waste product in urine.

The tubule cells may also actively secrete additional hydrogen ions into the urine when the blood becomes extremely acidic.

Human anatomy diagram organs kidney

The reabsorbed bicarbonate ions enter the bloodstream where they can neutralize hydrogen ions by forming new molecules of carbonic acid. Carbonic acid passing through the capillaries of the lungs dissociates into carbon dioxide and water, allowing us to exhale the carbon dioxide. The kidneys maintain the homeostasis of important electrolytes by controlling their excretion into urine.

The kidneys help to control blood pressure in the body by regulating the excretion of sodium ions and water and by producing the enzyme renin. Because blood is mostly made of water, an increased volume of water in the body results in an increase in the volume of blood in the blood vessels. Increased blood volume means that the heart has to pump harder than usual to push blood into vessels that are crowded with excess blood.

Thus, increased blood volume leads to increased blood pressure. On the other hand, when the body is dehydrated, the volume of blood and blood pressure decrease. The kidneys are able to control blood pressure by either reabsorbing water to maintain blood pressure or by allowing more water than usual to be excreted into urine and thus reduce blood volume and pressure.

Sodium ions in the body help to manage the body's osmotic pressure by drawing water towards areas of high sodium concentration. To lower blood pressure, the kidneys can excrete extra sodium ions that draw water out of the body with them. Conversely, the kidneys may reabsorb additional sodium ions to help retain water in the body. Finally, the kidneys produce the enzyme renin to prevent the body's blood pressure from becoming too low.

The kidneys rely on a certain amount of blood pressure to force blood plasma through the capillaries in the glomerulus. If blood pressure becomes too low, cells of the kidneys release renin into the blood. Renin starts a human anatomy diagram organs kidney process that results in the release of the hormone aldosterone by the adrenal glands.

Aldosterone stimulates the cells of the kidney to increase their reabsorption of sodium and water to maintain blood volume and pressure. The kidneys maintain a small but important endocrine function by producing the hormones calcitriol and erythropoietin. Is BlueChew safe? Is it worth the money? Our medical experts review it based on testing, research, and interviews.

Learn how to get your BlueChew Free Sample. We research and test top nootropics in to find out which ones offer the best brain-boosting potential. As the blood passes through the kidneys, the vessels that carry the blood get smaller and smaller until they deliver blood to the nephrons, which are the functional units of the kidney. Each kidney contains about 1.

Within each nephron, there is a microscopic filtration unit consisting of an exterior capsule—Bowman's capsule—and a network of tiny capillaries called glomerulus. As blood moves through the capillary network, or glomerulus, larger components are filtered out by tiny finger-like structures and the remaining blood passes to Bowman's capsule. From there, the filtered blood collects in Bowman's capsule until it is transferred to a system of tubules.

While in the tubules, liquid and solutes will diffuse through additional layers of filtration. Some liquids and solutes will be reabsorbed and returned to the body via the renal veins to the vena cava, while others will be secreted as waste—urine—through the ureters. The ureters transport urine to the bladder for storage until it is excreted from the body through the urethra.

In some cases, the kidneys do not form correctly during pregnancy, resulting in congenital malformations. The main purpose of the kidneys is to filter blood and maintain fluid and electrolyte balance in the body. Together, your kidneys filter your body's entire blood volume about times per day. Electrolytes and solutes like sodium and potassium are regulated in the kidneys and transported to different parts of the body.

In addition to filtering blood and removing waste, one of the vital functions of the kidney is maintaining the body's fluid volume. Electrolytes like sodium play a role in this process, as well as hormones like antidiuretic hormone ADHaldosterone, and atrial natriuretic hormone. Electrolytes and hormones respond to the body's needs to increase or decrease fluid volume, maintaining blood pressure and the body's overall homeostasis.

A number of diseases and conditions can impact the function of the kidneys. Some are genetic and others develop as a result of other diseases or lifestyle choices. There are a number of blood tests, urine tests, and scans that can help a doctor determine how well your kidneys are functioning. In cases of severe kidney damage and loss of function, the body can no longer maintain its fluid and electrolyte balance.

You can work to prevent risk factors for kidney disease like type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure and to control them if you have these conditions. Kidney failure will require more intensive treatment. Treatments can include medications or, in severe cases, dialysis. Dialysis uses an external process to filter blood in place of your kidneys. Dialysis is usually used until a kidney transplant is possible.

Kidneys can be transplanted from living or deceased donors. Diseased kidneys are sometimes left in place during transplantation, but may be removed in some cases.