Development of glomerular circulation and function

Abstract

From the Malpighian corpuscle description and Bowman’s sketch to defining its ultrastructure and molecular function, the ways we look at the kidney glomerulus have evolved tremendously. The first systematic exploration of the body with a microscope led to the identification of “Malpighian corpuscles” as “glands” within the kidney [1]. Two centuries later, a more sophisticated microscope enabled Sir William Bowman to identify glomerular capillary tufts in animal and human kidneys and demonstrate a relationship between the capillary tuft and the renal tubule [2]. Since then, the understanding of the human glomerulus as a specialized structure uniquely adapted for renal filtration at the proximal part of the nephron has considerably advanced.