If Henle's loop were absent from mammalian nephron, which one of the ...
In our nephron, the hairpin shaped Henle’s loop is the next part of the proximal convoluted tubule which has a descending and an ascending limb.
The main function of the Henle's loop is to absorb water from the tubular lumen, thus making the urine concentrated. If the loop of Henle becomes absent, then the urine becomes more dilute.
The descending limb of loop of Henle is permeable to water but almost impermeable to electrolytes, which is opposite to ascending limb. This concentrates the filtrate as it moves down. The ascending limb is impermeable to water but allows transport of electrolytes actively or passively.
If Henle's loop were absent from mammalian nephron, which one of the ...
Explanation:
Absence of Henle's loop in the mammalian nephron would lead to more dilute urine formation. This can be explained as follows:
1. Function of Henle's loop:
- Henle's loop plays a crucial role in concentrating urine by creating a concentration gradient in the medulla of the kidney.
- It reabsorbs water and ions, such as sodium and chloride, from the filtrate, leading to the formation of concentrated urine.
2. Absence of Henle's loop:
- Without Henle's loop, there would be a lack of reabsorption of water and ions from the filtrate.
- As a result, the filtrate would not be concentrated efficiently, leading to the formation of more dilute urine.
3. Impact on urine formation:
- In the absence of Henle's loop, the urine formed would be more dilute as the concentration gradient required for water reabsorption is not established.
- The dilute urine would contain a higher concentration of waste products and a lower concentration of essential ions and water.
4. Comparison with other options:
- Option 'A' is incorrect as urine formation would still occur, although it would be more dilute.
- Option 'B' is incorrect as the absence of Henle's loop would significantly impact the quality of urine formation.
- Option 'C' is incorrect as the concentration of urine would decrease in the absence of Henle's loop.
Therefore, the correct answer is option 'D', as the absence of Henle's loop would result in the formation of more dilute urine due to the lack of concentration gradient established by the loop.