Acute tubular necrosis is a medical condition involving the death of renal tubular epithelial cells that form the nephrons in the kidneys. This often occurs during renal ischemia, where the blood supply to the kidneys is severely restricted, reducing the delivery of oxygen.
Explain why reducing the transport of oxygen to renal tubular epithelial cells will make them unable to actively reabsorb nutrients (such as glucose) from the filtrate and may eventually cause cell death.
The nephrons in the kidney cortex are surrounded by a dense network of peritubular capillaries. Explain two ways the structure of a capillary is adapted to help maximize the exchange of oxygen and nutrients with these renal cells.
55 exam-style questions on Edexcel IGCSE Biology Transport. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.