Biochemistry of the kidneys - what it is, and what processes it is going to

Biochemistry of the kidney is a combination of processes that are divided into three main groups - the processes of urine formation, the excretion of certain materials and their chemical compounds, the regulation of the production of substances necessary for the normalization of acid-base and water-salt balance in the body.

In connection with the above processes, the kidneys realize the following functions:

1. Removing unnecessary materials from the body - excretory function;
2. Maintaining a certain ratio of substances in the body - homeostatic;
3. Participation in the metabolic process and their synthesis is metabolic.

The listed functions are closely related to each other and a violation of one of them can cause violation of the conduct and all the others.

Excretory function

This function is related to the production of urine and the excretion of it from the human body. At the moment when the blood passes through the kidneys, urine is formed from unnecessary plasma components. They are able to regulate the composition of urine in accordance with the state of health of the body and with the needs of the body.

Together with urine, the kidneys excrete the following substances from the body:

• Nitrogen metabolism - urea, uric acid, creatinine.
• Excessive - water, hormones, organic acids.
• Alien components - nicotine, medicinal substances.

The main biochemical processes that ensure the excretory function of the kidneys include ultrafiltration processes. Blood through the vessels penetrates into the renal glomeruli, in which it overcomes three layers of filters - this is how the primary urine is formed.

This is important! The volume of primary urine is quite large and it still contains the substances necessary for the human body. The primary urine then undergoes additional treatment in the proximal tubules. Reabsorption is carried out there - this is the progress of substances in the blood, that is, their return from the primary urine.

Homeostatic function. Its implementation

Thanks to the realization of the homeostatic function, the kidneys are able to maintain the correct water-salt and acid-base ratio.

The basis of regulation of the water-salt ratio is the volume of incoming liquid and salts, the volume of urine output. Due to the excess of potassium and sodium, osmotic pressure can increase, which is why osmotic receptors are irritated and the person feels a strong thirst. Thus, the volume of the withdrawn fluid decreases, and the urine concentration increases.

With an excess of fluid, the blood volume increases, the content of salts in it decreases, and the osmotic pressure falls. Kidneys at the same time begin to activate their work to remove excess water and normalize the balance.

Maintaining the correct acid-base balance depends on the operation of the buffer systems of the blood and kidneys. Violation of the balance causes a violation of their function, and the process of regulation of this indicator includes two parts:

• First, this change in urine. When the acidity of the blood increases, the acidity of urine increases. Increasing the concentration of alkalis causes the formation of urine alkaline.
• When the acid-base ratio in urine changes, the kidneys begin to produce substances that neutralize excess water, which causes imbalance.

Metabolic function of

Kidneys are responsible for the regulation of phosphorus-calcium metabolism in the body, therefore, their malfunction affects the functions of the musculoskeletal system. Such metabolism can be regulated by the formation of active vitamin D3.This vitamin is initially formed in the skin, then hydroxylated in the liver and only then - in the kidneys.

They also produce a glycoprotein hormone that affects stem cells in the bone marrow and activates the formation of red blood cells. The speed of the described process correlates with the volume of oxygen penetrating into the kidneys. The less oxygen, the stronger the production of glycoprotein in order to produce a lot of red blood cells to provide the human body with oxygen.

This is important! The production of renin depends on the blood supply to the kidneys. With lowering the pressure, the body receives less blood and more forms of renin. So, the pressure starts to rise.

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