Renal Corpuscle 2

In this image toluidine blue was used to stain the glomerulus. Toluidine blue stains nucleic acids and polysaccharides blue or purple and is effective for labeling the basement membrane in the glomerulus. Begin by identifying the visceral layer and parietal layers of Bowman’s capsule. These two layers are formed from one continuous sheet of cells that differ in structure and function. The parietal layer comprises Bowman's capsule and the cells are squamous, whereas the visceral layer is composed of the podocytes that have a more cuboidal shape and play a role in filtration of blood. Note how the podocytes lie between the capillaries and Bowman's space. Mesangial cells are responsible for synthesizing the basement membrane-like material that supports the structure of the glomerulus. They can be easily identified by their prominent nuclei within the glomerulus.