Renal corpuscle

Definition

The renal corpuscle is the initial blood-filtering component of a nephron in the kidney, consisting of a glomerulus and Bowman's capsule. It functions to filter blood, beginning the process of urine formation.

Related terms

Glomerulus: A network of capillaries encased in the Bowman's capsule within the renal corpuscle, responsible for filtering blood.

Bowman's Capsule:

A cup-like sac at the beginning of the tubular component of a nephron that performs the first step in filtering blood to form urine.

Nephron:

The functional unit of the kidney involved in waste removal from the blood and urine production