Glomerular Filtration Barrier Assembly: An insight | Society of Life Sciences (SoLS)

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ISSN : 2328-9791

Glomerular Filtration Barrier Assembly: An insight

Ehtesham Arif and Deepak Nihalani

University of Pennsylvania

Renal Electrolytes and Hypertension Division, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104

ehtesham@mail.med.upenn.edu

A glomerulus is the network of capillaries that resides in the Bowmanâ€™s capsule that functions as a filtration unit of kidney. The glomerular function ensures that essential plasma proteins are retained in blood and the filtrate is passed on as urine. The glomerular filtration assembly is composed of three main cellular barriers that are critical for the ultrafiltration process, the fenestrated endothelium, glomerular basement membrane and highly specialized podocytes. The podocytes along with their specialized junctions â€œslit diaphragmâ€ form the basic backbone of this filtration assembly. The presence of high amounts of protein in urine a condition commonly referred as proteinuria indicates a defective glomerular filtration barrier. Various glomerular disorders................The present review is an effort to summarize..............