The renal cortex is the outer portion of the
kidney between the
renal capsule and the
renal medulla
The renal medulla is the innermost part of the kidney. The renal medulla is split up into a number of sections, known as the renal pyramids. Blood enters into the kidney via the renal artery, which then splits up to form the segmental arteries wh ...
. In the adult, it forms a continuous smooth outer zone with a number of projections (
cortical columns
Cortex or cortical may refer to:
Biology
* Cortex (anatomy), the outermost layer of an organ
** Cerebral cortex, the outer layer of the vertebrate cerebrum, part of which is the ''forebrain''
*** Motor cortex, the regions of the cerebral cortex i ...
) that extend down between the
pyramids. It contains the
renal corpuscles and the
renal tubules except for parts of the
loop of Henle which descend into the
renal medulla
The renal medulla is the innermost part of the kidney. The renal medulla is split up into a number of sections, known as the renal pyramids. Blood enters into the kidney via the renal artery, which then splits up to form the segmental arteries wh ...
. It also contains blood vessels and
cortical collecting ducts.
The renal cortex is the part of the
kidney where
ultrafiltration occurs.
Erythropoietin
Erythropoietin (; EPO), also known as erythropoetin, haematopoietin, or haemopoietin, is a glycoprotein cytokine secreted mainly by the kidneys in response to cellular hypoxia; it stimulates red blood cell production (erythropoiesis) in the bo ...
is produced in the renal cortex.
Additional images
File:Njuren.gif, Kidney
File:Kidney-Cortex.JPG, Microscopic cross section of the renal cortex
File:Kidney_cd10_ihc.jpg, CD10 immunohistochemical staining of normal kidney. CD10 stains the proximal convoluted tubules and glomeruli.
File:Slide1iii.JPG, Renal cortex
File:Slide24iii.JPG, Renal cortex
References
Kidney anatomy
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