nephron

Microscopic structural and functional unit of the kidney

Also known as nephrons

Instance of: class of anatomical entity
Subclass of: organ part
, region of uriniferous tubule
1
Sources
1.Stated in Foundational Model of AnatomyRetrieved 2019-08-01
View statement on Wikidata ↗
, particular anatomical entity
Part of: kidney

Overview

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · Read full article · Text CC BY-SA 4.0

The nephron is the minute or microscopic structural and functional unit of the kidney. It is composed of a renal corpuscle and a renal tubule. The renal corpuscle consists of a tuft of capillaries called a glomerulus and a cup-shaped structure called Bowman's capsule. The renal tubule extends from the capsule. The capsule and tubule are connected and are composed of epithelial cells with a lumen. A healthy adult has 1 to 1.5 million nephrons in each kidney. Blood is filtered as it passes through three layers: the endothelial cells of the capillary wall, its basement membrane, and between the podocyte foot processes of the lining of the capsule. The tubule has adjacent peritubular capillaries that run between the descending and ascending portions of the tubule. As the fluid from the capsule flows down into the tubule, it is processed by the epithelial cells lining the tubule: water is reabsorbed and substances are exchanged ; first with the interstitial fluid outside the tubules, and then into the plasma in the adjacent peritubular capillaries through the endothelial cells lining that capillary. This process regulates the volume of body fluid as well as levels of many body substances. At the end of the tubule, the remaining fluid—urine—exits: it is composed of water, metabolic waste, and toxins.

Overview

All data

35 statements · 26% with external sources · numbers in brackets are citations

Arterial supply: afferent arteriole
Anatomical location: renal cortex
renal medulla
Members / parts: renal corpuscle
kidney tubule
Development of anatomical structure: nephron development

Data quality

statements

26%

externally sourced

Source last edited September 27, 2026. AIDB refreshes this page daily.

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AIDB. (2026). nephron (Q58184). Retrieved from https://aidb.si/e/nephron-Q58184