Munuaiskeräsessä

Munuaiskeräsessä, also known as the renal corpuscle or Malpighian body, is the initial filtering structure of the nephron in the kidney. It is the site where blood plasma is filtered to produce glomerular filtrate. The renal corpuscle consists of two main components: the glomerulus and Bowman's capsule. The glomerulus is a tuft of capillaries, and Bowman's capsule is a double-walled cup-shaped structure that surrounds the glomerulus. Blood enters the glomerulus through the afferent arteriole and exits through the efferent arteriole.

The filtration process, called ultrafiltration or glomerular filtration, occurs across the filtration membrane. This membrane is composed of the capillary endothelium of the glomerulus, the basement membrane, and the podocytes, which are specialized epithelial cells forming the visceral layer of Bowman's capsule. The filtration barrier allows small molecules such as water, ions, glucose, and urea to pass from the blood into Bowman's capsule, while larger molecules like proteins and blood cells are retained in the blood. The pressure gradient across the filtration membrane drives this process. The resulting filtrate then enters the renal tubule for further processing. The munuaiskeräsessä plays a crucial role in regulating blood pressure and maintaining fluid and electrolyte balance in the body.