Medullary Collecting Duct

Medullary Collecting Duct

Although the medullary collecting ducts reabsorb less than 10 per cent of the filtered water and sodium, they are the final site for processing the urine and, there-fore, play an extremely important role in determining the final urine output of water and solutes.

The epithelial cells of the collecting ducts are nearly cuboidal in shape with smooth surfaces and relatively few mitochondria (Figure 27–13). Special characteris-tics of this tubular segment are as follows:

1.     The permeability of the medullary collecting duct to water is controlled by the level of ADH. With high levels of ADH, water is avidly reabsorbed into the medullary interstitium, thereby reducing the urine volume and concentrating most of the solutes in the urine.

2.     Unlike the cortical collecting tubule, the medullary collecting duct is permeable to urea. Therefore, some of the tubular urea is reabsorbed into the medullary interstitium, helping to raise the osmolality in this region of the kidneys and contributing to the kidneys’ overall ability to form a concentrated urine.

3.     The medullary collecting duct is capable of secreting hydrogen ions against a large concentration gradient, as also occurs in the cortical collecting tubule. Thus, the medullary collecting duct also plays a key role in regulating acid-base balance.