The nephron is the microscopic working unit of the kidney, and each kidney contains about one million of them. It has a filter (the renal corpuscle) followed by a long, coiled tubule that adjusts the filtrate by reabsorbing what the body needs and secreting what it does not. Nephrons cannot regenerate, so their number slowly falls with age and disease.
| Location | Renal corpuscles and convoluted tubules lie in the cortex, while the loops extend into the medulla |
|---|---|
| Parts |
|
| Nerve Supply | Renal plexus (sympathetic) |
| Blood Supply | Afferent arteriole; Efferent arteriole; Peritubular capillaries; Vasa recta |
| Venous drainage |
|
Filters blood and then fine-tunes the filtrate by reabsorption and secretion to produce urine and keep body fluids balanced.
Kidney function tests largely reflect how many nephrons are working. Remaining nephrons enlarge and work harder when others are lost, which can mask early disease but eventually wears them out. Different drugs act on specific nephron segments, such as loop diuretics on the loop of Henle and thiazides on the distal tubule.
Damage to tubular cells from low blood flow or toxins such as some antibiotics and contrast dye, causing a sudden fall in kidney function.
Progressive loss of nephrons over months to years, most often from diabetes and high blood pressure.
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