Question #e13a0
1 Answer
Juxtamedullary nephrons have renal corpuscles lying close to the medulla ( of the kidneys ), and their loop of Henle are longer and at much deeper positions as compared to the cortical nephrons.
Explanation:
It is these nephrons that are responsible for the development of the osmotic gradients in the medulla. This concentrates urine. The hair pin bends in the long loop of Henle penetrates deep into the inner zone of medulla.
The greater gradient in the deep medulla makes this type of nephron do more work to than the shallow cortical nephrons.
The kidneys control plasma volume by controlling how much water a person excretes. Plasma volume has a direct effect on the total blood volume and in turn effects blood pressure. One of the critical functions of the kidneys is to keep the solute load of body fluids constant by regulating urine concentration and volume.
A special elongated U - shaped network of blood vessels runs alongside each loop of Henle. A counter current mechanism involves interaction between filterate flow through the loops of Henle of juxtamedullary nephrons and the flow of blood through the network of blood vessels.
These blood vessels, help to remove sodium out into the medulla of the kidney. This in turn draws water out of the loop of Henle leading to more concentrated urine.
