Kidneys play an essential role in life, an essential role in the body to eliminate harmful substances from blood, including endogenous metabolic waste products, exogenously administered xenobiotics, and environmental toxins. They remove dangerous toxins out of the body and regulate blood pressure.
In the kidney, the tubular basement membrane is comparable to that found under other epithelia in the body, while that of the glomerulus is more complex and unusual. In the glomerulus, the basement membrane is synthesized from proteins secreted by both podocytes and the closely apposed endothelium, resulting in a double-thick layer of matrix proteins that is an essential part of the glomerular blood filter.
In the kidney, the tubular basement membrane is comparable to that found under other epithelia in the body, while that of the glomerulus is more complex and unusual. In the glomerulus, the basement membrane is synthesized from proteins secreted by both podocytes and the closely apposed endothelium, resulting in a double-thick layer of matrix proteins that is an essential part of the glomerular blood filter.
