Kidney

The **kidney** is a paired organ in vertebrates responsible for filtering blood, removing waste products, balancing electrolytes and fluids, regulating acid-base status, and producing hormones such as erythropoietin and renin. Each human kidney contains about 1–1.5 million nephrons—the microscopic structural and functional units that perform filtration via the glomerulus and subsequent reabsorption/secretion along the renal tubule[3][4][6]. The kidneys are essential for maintaining homeostasis but are not themselves molecular targets; rather, they contain many molecular targets such as transporters, enzymes (e.g., renin), ion channels, receptors (e.g., mineralocorticoid receptor), etc.[4][7]. As an anatomical structure or organ system rather than a single molecule or receptor target classically used in drug discovery or pharmacology screens[3][4], "Kidney" is not considered a therapeutic target per se. **Note:** The entry "Kidney" refers to an entire organ composed of many cell types and molecular components. It is not itself a specific therapeutic target like an enzyme or receptor; therefore this entry is considered incorrect for use as a canonical drug target name[3][4].

Other names

Renal organRenes (Latin)Kidneys (plural)