the renal artery travels to the _ before it enters the _ a) afferent arteriole, glomerulus b) efferent arteriole, interstitium c) peritubular capillaries, interstitium
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is a) afferent arteriole, glomerulus.
Explanation:
The renal artery is the main blood vessel that supplies blood to the kidneys. Once it enters the kidneys, it branches into smaller arteries and arterioles. The renal artery initially divides into the segmental arteries, which then branch into interlobar arteries. These further divide into arcuate and cortical arteries, and from there, smaller afferent arterioles arise.
The afferent arteriole is the blood vessel that carries blood into the glomerulus, which is a network of capillaries within the nephron, the functional unit of the kidney. The glomerulus is where the process of filtration begins. Here, blood pressure forces fluid and small solutes, such as salts and waste products, through the semi-permeable membrane of the glomerular capillaries into the Bowman’s capsule. Larger molecules, such as proteins and blood cells, are too large to pass through and remain in the bloodstream.
The afferent arteriole plays a critical role in regulating the filtration rate. If the blood flow through the afferent arteriole is increased, it raises the glomerular filtration rate (GFR), which accelerates filtration. Conversely, if the blood flow decreases, the GFR slows down. After the blood passes through the glomerulus, it then flows into the efferent arteriole, which carries the remaining blood away from the glomerulus.
The blood vessels involved in kidney filtration are tightly regulated to ensure efficient waste removal while maintaining necessary fluid and electrolyte balance. Understanding this sequence is important for recognizing how the kidney filters blood and how disruptions in this process could lead to kidney dysfunction or disease.