malpighian corpuscle
A student examines a diagram of a malpighian corpuscle in a biology textbook.
Noun: - A renal structure: The Malpighian corpuscle is the initial, spherical filtering component of a nephron in the kidney. It consists of a glomerulus (a knot of capillaries) enclosed within Bowman's capsule.
The term is used in anatomical, physiological, and medical contexts to describe a specific microscopic structure within the kidney responsible for blood filtration. - The Malpighian corpuscle is where the process of ultrafiltration begins in the kidney. - Under the microscope, the pathologist identified damage to the Malpighian corpuscles.
- "Malpighian corpuscle of the spleen": A related but distinct term sometimes used in older texts to refer to a lymphatic nodule in the spleen (a white pulp nodule). In modern usage, the term is overwhelmingly associated with renal anatomy.
- The histology text noted the historical use of "Malpighian corpuscle" for structures in both the kidney and spleen.
- Renal corpuscle: A direct synonym for Malpighian corpuscle.
- Malpighian body: An alternate name for the same structure.
- Glomerulus: The specific network of capillaries inside the Malpighian corpuscle.
- Bowman's capsule: The cup-shaped sac that surrounds the glomerulus, forming the outer part of the corpuscle.
- Renal corpuscle
- Malpighian body
This term has a highly specialized meaning in biology and medicine. It is named after Marcello Malpighi, a 17th-century Italian physician and biologist. It refers almost exclusively to the structure in the kidney and should not be confused with other anatomical structures that may bear Malpighi's name (e.g., Malpighian tubules in insects).
A student examines a diagram of a malpighian corpuscle in a biology textbook.
- the capsule that contains Bowman's capsule and a glomerulus at the expanded end of a nephron