Question

Define glomerular filtration rate.

Answer 1

Hint:Kidneys are a pair of bean shaped organs that are located on either side of the spine. The major function of the kidney is to remove toxic wastes from the blood and pass it into the urine. This function is carried out by the nephrons which is the functional unit of the kidney.

Complete answer
The nephron comprises a network of blood vessels called the glomerulus at the beginning of it. The glomerulus is surrounded by a cup shaped sac called the Bowman’s capsule which further leads to the proximal tubule, the loop of Henle, the distal tubule and finally the collecting duct. The glomerulus functions to filter the blood that enters into it. Blood enters the glomerulus through the afferent arteriole which has low resistance and a larger diameter than the efferent arteriole through which blood leaves the glomerulus. This difference in diameter and resistance results in the development of hydrostatic pressure which in turn leads to filtering of the blood.

The filtered blood leaves the glomerulus through the efferent arteriole leaving behind the filtered components that make up the glomerular filtrate which enters into the Bowman’s capsule. The glomerular filtrate comprises of blood, large amounts of water, urea, vitamins, amino acids, glucose, etc. the glomerular filtration rate is the amount of blood that is filtered by the glomerulus and is also a way of knowing how well the kidney of the individual is functioning.

Note:Proper functioning of the glomerulus is very important for the removal of toxic substances from the blood, any damage to it leads to various diseases such as glomerulonephritis, diabetic kidney condition, etc.