Thin ascending limb of loop of Henle
Scheme of renal tubule and its vascular supply. (Labeled at center left.)
Nephron. Diagram is labeled in Polish, but ion flow can still be identified.
Gray's	subject #253 1223

The thin ascending limb of loop of Henle is a sub-portion of the loop of Henle in the nephron of the kidney. As filtrate passes back up it, the concentration of the surrounding medulla decreases. The thin ascending limb is not permeable to water, but it is permeable to ions.

Sodium ions (Na⁺) are passively transported down this concentration gradient, from the thin ascending limb into the medulla.

[edit] Histology

As in the descending limb, the epithelium is simple squamous.

[edit] See also

• Loop of Henle

[edit] External links

• Physiology at MCG 7/7ch07/7ch07p10
• Physiology at MCG 7/7ch08/7ch08p10
• Overview at vet.cornell.edu

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained within it may be outdated.

This article related to the genitourinary system is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v • d • e