One function of the kidneys is to "cleanse" the blood or filter it. Where does this process occur?
1 Answer
Cleansing or filtering of the blood takes place in the nephron, the basic functional unit of the kidney.
Explanation:
The kidney is made up of around a million nephrons which are the basic functional units of the kidney where filtration of blood takes place.
The nephron is comprised of a glomerulus (a capillary network with an afferent arteriole at one end and an efferent arteriole at the other end), which is surrounded by a Bowman's capsule (or Glomerular capsule).
The Bowman's capsule is double walled so as to form a capsular space within the walls that leads to a tube called the renal tubule which conducts the filtrate towards the ureter.
The interface between the capillaries of the glomerulus and the wall of the Bowman's capsule is a filtration membrane through which water and solutes pass from the blood into the capsular space.
