This MedLibrary.org supplementary page on Afferent arterioles is provided directly from the open source Wikipedia as a service to our readers. Please see the note below on authorship of this content, as well as the Wikipedia usage guidelines. To search for other content from our encyclopedia supplement, please use the form below:
Related Sponsors
| Artery: Afferent arterioles | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Scheme of renal tubule and its vascular supply. (Label "Afferent vessel" is visible in upper left.) | |
 |
|
| Distribution of bloodvessels in cortex of kidney. | |
| Latin | arteriola glomerularis afferens |
| Gray's | subject #253 1221 |
| Source | interlobular artery |
| Branches | glomerular capillaries |
| Dorlands / Elsevier |
a_62/12156661 |
The afferent arterioles are a group of blood vessels that supply the nephrons in many excretory systems. They play an important role in the regulation of blood pressure.
The afferent arterioles branch from the renal artery which supplies blood to the kidneys.
The afferent arterioles later diverge into the capillaries of the glomerulus.
When renal blood flow is reduced (indicating hypotension), the macula densa releases prostaglandins, which cause the juxtaglomerular cells lining the afferent arterioles to release renin, activating the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, to increase blood pressure.
See also
External links
- Physiology at MCG 7/7ch03/7ch03p10 - "Renal Vasculature: Efferent Arterioles & Peritubular Capillaries"
- Organology at UC Davis Urinary/mammal/vasc0/vasc2 - "Mammal, renal vasculature (EM, Low)"
 |
This cardiovascular system article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 2 August 2008, at 20:11.
Wikipedia Authorship and Review
Wikipedia content provided here is not reviewed directly by MedLibrary.org. Wikipedia content is authored by an open community of volunteers and is not produced by or in any way affiliated with MedLibrary.org.
Wikipedia Usage Guidelines
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article on "Afferent arterioles".
The URL for this specific entry is:
All Wikipedia text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details). Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.