Question

Define glomerular filtration.

Answer 1

Filtration takes place in the glomerulus , which is the vascular commencement of the nephron. About one-fourth of the blood flow from cardiac output circulates through the kidney, the greatest rate of blood flow for any organ.

Complete answer:
Glomerular filtration is the first step which is involved in the urine formation and constitutes the basic physiologic function of the kidneys. And the process describes blood filtration in the kidney in which fluid ions, glucose, and waste products are removed from the glomerular capillaries.

Many of these materials were reabsorbed by the body as the fluid travels through the different parts of the nephron. But those that are not reabsorbed depart the body in the form of urine.

Blood plasma enters the afferent arteriole and flows into the glomerulus which is a cluster of entangled capillaries. The Bowman’s capsule which is also called the glomerular capsule surrounds the glomerulus and it is composed of visceral and parietal layers.

The visceral layer lies just underneath the thickened glomerular basement membrane and it is made of podocytes that form small slits in which the fluid passes into the nephron.
These then run off through the glomerulus through the efferent arteriole which becomes capillaries inevitable for kidney.

The process by which glomerular filtration occurs is known as renal ultrafiltration. The force of pressure exerted from the pressure of the blood vessel is the powerful force that pushes filtrate out of the capillaries and into the slits in the nephron.

Osmotic pressure which is the pulling force exerted by the albumins works next to the greater force of hydrostatic pressure. And the difference between the two determines the effective pressure of the glomerulus that determine the force by which molecules are filtered. These factors will affect the glomerular filtration rate along with a few other factors.

Note: The formation of urine starts with the process of filtration. Fluid and small solutes are required under pressure to flow from the glomerulus into the capsular space of the glomerular capsule.The Bowman’s capsule is the filtration unit of the glomerulus .The blood components which have to be filtered include water, nitrogenous waste, and nutrients that will be transferred into the glomerulus to form the glomerular filtrate.