Tubuloglomerular feedback in a dynamic nephron

Abstract A dynamic model for a short‐looped mammalian nephron is developed to study tubuloglomerular feedback (TGF). Evolution equations for salt and urea concentrations and for fluid flux in the nephron are derived and coupled to a resistance network that serves as a schematic model of the glomerulus and associated structures. The evolution equations, which are semi‐linear hyperbolic partial differential equations, are solved by the method of flux‐corrected transport. The implementation and testing of this method is described and numerical results are presented. This investigation suggests that: (i) the concentrating nephron exhibits high gain, i.e., a small increase in single nephron glomerular filtration rate produces a large increase in the salt concentration of tubular fluid in the cortical thick ascending limb at the macula densa; (ii) the nephron, as a concentrating system, acts as a low‐pass filter, i.e., high frequency pressure oscillations (1 Hz) of a prescribed amplitude at the proximal tubule produce relatively low amplitude oscillations in tubular concentrations, while low frequency oscillations (1/30 Hz) produce relatively high amplitude oscillations in tubular concentrations; and (iii) as a consequence of long time delay in TGF, some perturbations in afferent arteriolar blood pressure induce sustained periodic oscillations similar to those observed in recent experiments.