The Glomerulus
The
glomerulus is the main filter of the nephron
and is located within the Bowman's capsule. The glomerulus resembles a twisted
mass of tiny tubes through which the blood passes. The glomerulus is semipermeable,
allowing water and soluble wastes to pass through and be excreted out of the
Bowman's capsule as urine. The filtered blood passes out of the glomerulus into
the efferent arteriole to be returned through the medullary plexus to the intralobular
vein.
Bowman's Capsule
The Bowman's capsule contains the primary filtering device of the nephron, the
glomerulus. Blood is transported into the Bowman's capsule from the afferent
arteriole (branching off of the interlobular artery). Within the capsule, the
blood is filtered through the glomerulus and then passes out via the efferent
arteriole. Meanwhile, the filtered water and aqueous wastes are passed out of
the Bowman's capsule into the proximal convoluted tubule.