Descending limb of loop of Henle
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Descending limb of loop of Henle | |
|---|---|
| Scheme of renal tubule and its vascular supply. (Labeled at center left.) | |
| Nephron. Diagram is labeled in Polish, but ion flow can still be identified. | |
| Gray's | subject #253 1223 |
| Dorlands/Elsevier | l_10/12493919 |
The descending limb of loop of Henle has low permeability to ions and urea, while being highly permeable to water.
The medullary interstitium is highly concentrated (because of the activity of the ascending limb), leading to a strong osmotic gradient from the descending limb to the medulla.
Water is readily reabsorbed from the descending limb by osmosis, increasing the concentration of the urine.
Osmolality can reach up to 1200 mOsmol/kg by the end of the descending limb.
[edit] External links
This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated. Please edit the article if this is the case, and feel free to remove this notice when it is no longer relevant.
 | This anatomy article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
