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Renal Corpuscles

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Renal Corpuscle

The renal corpuscle contains a few structures that make these bull’s eye looking 2-D structures in histology. These renal corpuscles are found only in the cortex of the kidney.

Glomerulus

The juicy center of a renal corpuscle is a blood capillary given the name glomerulus. The glomerulus is a fenestrated capillary with moderately sized intercellular clefts. The glomerulus is covered with another layer that sticks to the glomerulus like a fishnet sticking. This is also a filtration layer. It consists of cells called podocytes. These cells are too small for us to see in normal histology with a maximum magnification of 400.

Podocytes

Podocytes represent the visceral layer of a serous membrane. This is similar to the serous membrane seen in the pleura of the lungs. We also find it in the pericardium of the heart. The layer of podocytes connects to a parietal layer of simple squamous cells, trapping a space between them.

The Capsular Space

This space, called the renal capsule or the capsular space creates this C-shaped lumen around the glomerulus.

Histological view of glomeruli, stained pink. Three roughly circular glomeruli are centrally positioned, exhibiting internal cellular detail and defined Bowman's capsules in negative space. Surrounding tubular structures are also pink. The composition has a shallow depth of field, emphasizing cellular detail.
Figure 1:Glomerulus microscopic view, pink-stained kidney tissue and glomeruli.
Histological micrograph of a kidney glomerulus, stained with eosin. The glomerulus is centered, a well-defined circular shape with granular texture from capillaries and cells. Renal tubules surround it, forming pink to red stained rings and interconnected shapes. The image is lit to highlight cellular structures.
Figure 2: Kidney glomerulus, stained. Microscopic view of filtration structure.
High-magnification light micrograph of a glomerulus. The glomerulus appears as a central, tightly packed cluster of cells and capillaries, stained in eosinophilic pink. The nuclei are stained darker, in basophilic purple. The periphery shows the Bowman's capsule, and the surrounding tissue shows renal tubules, also in varying shades of pink, with cell nuclei. The overall composition is dense, emphasizing the cellular structure.
Figure 3:Kidney glomerulus under microscope. Cells and blood vessels are visible in pink hues.
Histological slide of a kidney's renal corpuscle, with a centered glomerulus surrounded by Bowman's capsule. The staining reveals cell nuclei as dark purple dots amidst pink cytoplasm, against a nearly white interstitial background. The composition is tightly framed to emphasize the cell structures
Figure 4:Kidney renal corpuscle microscopic image showing cells stained pink and purple.

Figures 1 Kidney, monkey, Slide 209
Figure 2: Kidney, monkey, Slide 209
Figure 3 Kidney cortex, human, Slide 203
Figure 4: Kidney cortex, human Slide 210
All by University of Michigan Histology, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0.

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