munuaiskeräsestä
Munuaiskeräsestä, also known as the renal corpuscle or Malpighian body, is the initial site of blood filtration in the nephron, the functional unit of the kidney. It is a microscopic structure composed of two main parts: the glomerulus and Bowman's capsule. The glomerulus is a tuft of capillaries where blood enters under high pressure. This pressure forces water, salts, glucose, urea, and other small molecules out of the bloodstream and into Bowman's capsule. Bowman's capsule, also known as the glomerular capsule, is a double-walled cup-shaped structure that surrounds the glomerulus and collects the filtered fluid, called glomerular filtrate. The inner layer of Bowman's capsule, the visceral layer, is made up of specialized cells called podocytes, which have foot processes that interdigitate, creating filtration slits. The outer layer, the parietal layer, is made of simple squamous epithelium. Between these layers is the capsular space, where the filtrate accumulates before passing into the renal tubule. The process of filtration at the munuaiskeräsestä is crucial for removing waste products from the blood and regulating blood pressure. The remaining blood, containing larger molecules like proteins and blood cells, continues through the efferent arteriole.