Kidney Nephron Filtration

Kidney Nephron Filtration 3D visualises how a single nephron filters blood plasma and regulates body water balance. Students can drag the red afferent blood pressure valve to alter the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) inside Bowman's capsule, or drag the cyan ADH (vasopressin) hormone handle next to the collecting duct. As golden filtrate droplets stream through the proximal convoluted tubule, dive into the salty renal medulla along the descending and ascending limbs of the Loop of Henle, and descend the collecting duct, aquaporin-2 channels open in response to ADH to reclaim water and concentrate the final urine.

• Drag the red Afferent BP Valve up and down to change glomerular blood pressure and watch the GFR readout and filtrate flow speed respond.
• Raise the ADH hormone slider to 100% and watch the cyan aquaporin channels along the collecting duct expand to reabsorb water and produce concentrated hypertonic urine.
• Drop ADH to 0% and increase Body hydration to simulate water diuresis, producing large volumes of dilute urine.
• Click the Glomerulus, Proximal Tubule, Loop of Henle, or Collecting Duct to inspect what happens to water, glucose, salts, and urea in each segment.

1. 1Identify the glomerulus, Bowman's capsule, proximal tubule, Loop of Henle, distal tubule, and collecting duct of a kidney nephron.
2. 2Explain how hydrostatic blood pressure drives ultrafiltration in the renal corpuscle.
3. 3Describe how the Loop of Henle builds a hyperosmotic medullary gradient from 300 to 1,200 mOsm/L via countercurrent multiplication.
4. 4Explain the negative-feedback role of antidiuretic hormone (ADH) and aquaporin channels in osmoregulation.

Questions teachers ask