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Glomerular filtrate

Hey guys,

I absoultely hate the kidneys lol -.-, but why are some (very little actually) proteins filtered out of the blood and become part of the glomerular filtrate? How would they have even been able to pass through the basement membrane as they are very large. Compared to the 80.0 g dm3 concentration of proteins in the blood plasma, 0.005 g dm3 are in the glomerular filtrate. Suggest am explanation for this ??
For you detestation of kidneys, does your mother not cook steak and kidney pie :smile:? (be nice to her, so you get a chance to try ir!!)

Hi, in a patient with NO renal abnormality, there should be zero amount of protein in the urine. In nephrotic syndrome (where the podocytes in the proximal tubule are abnormal), proteinuria does occur, and is sometimes detected as albuminuria (with an old-fashioned test strip called Albustix, which is dip into a sample of urine and changes colour if protein is present).

Even microalbuminuria, a v tiny amount of protein in the urine, should raise suspicion of renal disease, and any kidney problems should be excluded in this situation, partly by a full medical history and examination, and partly by checking that blood urea and creatinine are not elevated.

Hope this helps.

M (Science tutor)
Original post by rm_27
Hey guys,

I absoultely hate the kidneys lol -.-, but why are some (very little actually) proteins filtered out of the blood and become part of the glomerular filtrate? How would they have even been able to pass through the basement membrane as they are very large. Compared to the 80.0 g dm3 concentration of proteins in the blood plasma, 0.005 g dm3 are in the glomerular filtrate. Suggest am explanation for this ??


You're right to say that in a healthy kidney, very little protein is filtered into the tubular fluid. However, the tubes are lined with cuboid epithelia, which obviously contain proteins...

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