Thick ascending limb of loop of Henle

Jump to navigation Jump to search

Template:Infobox Anatomy

WikiDoc Resources for Thick ascending limb of loop of Henle

Articles

Most recent articles on Thick ascending limb of loop of Henle

Most cited articles on Thick ascending limb of loop of Henle

Review articles on Thick ascending limb of loop of Henle

Articles on Thick ascending limb of loop of Henle in N Eng J Med, Lancet, BMJ

Media

Powerpoint slides on Thick ascending limb of loop of Henle

Images of Thick ascending limb of loop of Henle

Photos of Thick ascending limb of loop of Henle

Podcasts & MP3s on Thick ascending limb of loop of Henle

Videos on Thick ascending limb of loop of Henle

Evidence Based Medicine

Cochrane Collaboration on Thick ascending limb of loop of Henle

Bandolier on Thick ascending limb of loop of Henle

TRIP on Thick ascending limb of loop of Henle

Clinical Trials

Ongoing Trials on Thick ascending limb of loop of Henle at Clinical Trials.gov

Trial results on Thick ascending limb of loop of Henle

Clinical Trials on Thick ascending limb of loop of Henle at Google

Guidelines / Policies / Govt

US National Guidelines Clearinghouse on Thick ascending limb of loop of Henle

NICE Guidance on Thick ascending limb of loop of Henle

NHS PRODIGY Guidance

FDA on Thick ascending limb of loop of Henle

CDC on Thick ascending limb of loop of Henle

Books

Books on Thick ascending limb of loop of Henle

News

Thick ascending limb of loop of Henle in the news

Be alerted to news on Thick ascending limb of loop of Henle

News trends on Thick ascending limb of loop of Henle

Commentary

Blogs on Thick ascending limb of loop of Henle

Definitions

Definitions of Thick ascending limb of loop of Henle

Patient Resources / Community

Patient resources on Thick ascending limb of loop of Henle

Discussion groups on Thick ascending limb of loop of Henle

Patient Handouts on Thick ascending limb of loop of Henle

Directions to Hospitals Treating Thick ascending limb of loop of Henle

Risk calculators and risk factors for Thick ascending limb of loop of Henle

Healthcare Provider Resources

Symptoms of Thick ascending limb of loop of Henle

Causes & Risk Factors for Thick ascending limb of loop of Henle

Diagnostic studies for Thick ascending limb of loop of Henle

Treatment of Thick ascending limb of loop of Henle

Continuing Medical Education (CME)

CME Programs on Thick ascending limb of loop of Henle

International

Thick ascending limb of loop of Henle en Espanol

Thick ascending limb of loop of Henle en Francais

Business

Thick ascending limb of loop of Henle in the Marketplace

Patents on Thick ascending limb of loop of Henle

Experimental / Informatics

List of terms related to Thick ascending limb of loop of Henle

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]


Overview

The thick ascending limb of loop of Henle (or distal straight tubule) is a segment of the nephron in the kidney. It can be divided into two parts: that in the renal medulla, and that in the renal cortex.

Medullary thick ascending limb

The medullary thick ascending limb remains impermeable to water. Sodium, potassium (K+) and chloride (Cl-) ions are reabsorbed by active transport. K+ is passively transported along its concentration gradient through a K+ leak channel in the apical aspect of the cells, back into the lumen of the ascending limb. This K+ "leak" generates a positive electrochemical potential difference in the lumen. The electrical gradient drives more reabsorption of Na+, as well as other cations such as magnesium (Mg2+) and importantly calcium Ca2+.

Loop diuretics block the K+/Na+/2Cl- co-transporter.

Urea which remains in the loop creates a solute potential that prevents water completely osmosing out into the interstitial space. This means that while almost all the ions are reabsorbed, there will still be some water in the urine, and hence, the concentration of the filtrate in the loop is decreased here. (If only ions were present, and a certain amount of ions were reabsorbed, one would expect the same amount of the water to be reabsorbed too, and hence the concentration would remain the same, but this is not true.)

This is also the part of the tubule that generates Tamm-Horsfall protein. The function of this protein is not well understood, but is responsible for creating urinary casts.

Cortical thick ascending limb

The difference between the medullary and cortical thick ascending limbs is mainly anatomical. Functionally, they are very similar.

The cortical thick ascending limb drains urine into the distal convoluted tubule.

Diagram of nephrons

External links

Template:Gray's

Template:Kidney


Template:WikiDoc Sources