Glomerulus (magnified)
Glomerulus
UrinaryOrgansWhole body
- What it is
- Tuft of looping capillaries fed by the wider afferent arteriole and drained by the narrower efferent arteriole, which keeps the pressure inside high.
- Function
- Filters plasma through fenestrated endothelium, a basement membrane and podocyte filtration slits; together the kidneys make about 180 L of filtrate a day (GFR ~125 mL/min).
- Size
- About 0.2 mm across.
- Clinical note
- Damage to the filter (diabetic nephropathy, glomerulonephritis) lets protein and blood leak into the urine.