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Kidney Structure

Kidney Structure

The kidneys are two large bean-shaped organs located in the upper abdomen. They filter the blood several times a day to remove toxins and rebalance water and electrolytes of the circulatory system via the renal veins. The kidneys receive blood directly from the heart via the renal arteries. These arteries enter the kidney at the hilum, the concave surface of the bean, where they branch and divide into smaller vessels and capillaries.

Structure and Function of Leukocytes

Structure and Function of Leukocytes

An adult in good health typically has between 4,500 and 11,000 leukocytes, or white blood cells, per microliter of blood, which constitutes about 1% of the total blood volume. Unlike red blood cells, white blood cells contain a nucleus and other cellular organelles but do not have hemoglobin. Most white blood cells reside in connective tissues, particularly in lymphatic organs such as the lymph nodes, with only a small fraction present in circulating blood.
White blood cells protect the body...

Nephrons

Nephrons

The kidneys are intricate organs with millions of working units known as nephrons. Each nephron features two major structures: the renal corpuscle, which facilitates blood plasma filtration, and the renal tubule, which handles the glomerular filtrate. Blood supply is directly linked to the nephrons. The renal corpuscle consists of the glomerulus, a capillary network, and the Bowman's capsule, a double-walled epithelial structure that encases the glomerulus. The filtering of blood plasma...

Renal Corpuscle

Renal Corpuscle

The glomerulus and Bowman's capsule are two essential components of the nephron, which is the functional unit of the kidney. These microscopic structures play a critical role in the process of blood filtration to produce urine.
Glomerulus: Structure and Function
The glomerulus is a tiny, intricate network of capillaries located at the beginning of the nephron. It's enveloped by the Bowman's capsule and receives its blood supply from an afferent arteriole, which divides into numerous...

Internal Anatomy of the Kidney

Internal Anatomy of the Kidney

The kidneys are essential organs in the human body, performing a myriad of tasks that maintain homeostasis and overall health.
Anatomical Position and Dimensions
The kidneys are retroperitoneal organs positioned against the posterior abdominal wall on either side of the spine, roughly between the twelfth thoracic and third lumbar vertebrae. Each kidney is typically 10-12 cm long, 5-6 cm wide, and 3-4 cm thick, weighing about 150 grams.
Renal Cortex
The outermost region of the kidney is the...

Filtration and Urine Formation

Filtration and Urine Formation

The function of the kidneys is to filter, reabsorb, secrete, and excrete. Every day the kidneys filter nearly 180 liters of blood, initially removing water and solutes but ultimately returning nearly all filtrates into circulation with the help of osmoregulatory hormones. This process removes wastes and toxins but is also crucial to maintain water and electrolyte levels. Most of these functions are performed by the tiny but numerous nephrons contained within the kidneys.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 7, 2025

Reliable and High Efficiency Extraction of Kidney Immune Cells

Reliable and High Efficiency Extraction of Kidney Immune Cells

Published on: August 19, 2016

Immune cell composition in normal human kidneys.

Jun-Gyu Park¹, Myeongsu Na¹, Min-Gang Kim¹

¹Department of Biomedical Sciences, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 103 Daehakro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 03080, South Korea.

Scientific Reports

|September 25, 2020

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Human kidneys have a predominance of T cells, unlike mouse kidneys which are rich in macrophages. This study profiles immune cell subsets in human kidneys, crucial for translating mouse research to human kidney disease.

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Last Updated: Dec 7, 2025

Reliable and High Efficiency Extraction of Kidney Immune Cells

Reliable and High Efficiency Extraction of Kidney Immune Cells

Published on: August 19, 2016

A Novel Clinical Grade Isolation Method for Human Kidney Perivascular Stromal Cells

A Novel Clinical Grade Isolation Method for Human Kidney Perivascular Stromal Cells

Published on: August 7, 2017

Isolation of Double Negative αβ T Cells from the Kidney

Isolation of Double Negative αβ T Cells from the Kidney

Published on: May 16, 2014

Area of Science:

Immunology
Nephrology
Cell Biology

Background:

Mouse models are crucial for understanding kidney disease immunology.
Immune cell profiling in human kidneys is less understood compared to mice.

Purpose of the Study:

To profile immune cell subsets in normal human kidneys.
To compare human kidney immune cell composition with that of mouse kidneys.

Main Methods:

Multicolor flow cytometry analysis of immune cells from human kidney samples.
Immunohistochemistry on healthy human kidney sections.
Comparison with immune cell subsets from C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice.

Main Results:

Human kidneys showed a predominance of CD3+ T cells (47%±12%), with CD4+ and CD8+ T cells comprising 44% and 56% of total T cells, respectively.
A significant proportion of human T cells exhibited effector memory (47%±15%) or kidney-resident (48%±19%) phenotypes.
In contrast, mouse kidneys were predominantly composed of kidney-resident macrophages (up to 50%), with T cells constituting less than 20%.

Conclusions:

Human kidneys are characterized by a high proportion of T cells, whereas mouse kidneys are dominated by macrophages.
These findings are vital for accurately translating immunological research from mouse models to human kidney diseases.