What a nephron looks like close up

This is what a nephron looks like – basically, it’s a bendy tube (called a tubule) surrounded by tiny blood vessels. Substances are transferred between the blood vessels and the tube, to remove waste and adjust the balance of water and salts in the bloodstream.

Detailed annotated diagram of the filtration structure of the nephron

NOTE

What goes into the tubule is called the “filtrate” because it has been filtered out of the blood.

Here is a simple overview of the transfer of substances in the nephron:

A simplified diagram of a nephron showing the main features and filtration flow