X.

The Urinary System

Introduction

Your urinary system works with the other systems of your body to help maintain
homeostasis. Besides filtering and eliminating wastes from your body, the urinary system also
maintains the acid base balance and the water salt balance of your blood.

Objectives

At the end of this lesson, you should be able

to: 1. Identify the parts of the urinary system
2. Describe the functions of each part.
2. Name the processes involved in urine formation
3. Explain the significance of maintaining fluid and electrolyte balances

Try This!
Crossword puzzle.
U Down:
R 1. reservoir for urine
I 3. tubes that carry urine from
N kidneys to urinary bladder
R E N A L T U B U L E S 6. inner tissue of the kidney
R 10. carries filtered blood from the
U
kidneys back to the heart
R E N A L P YR A M I DS
E B Across:
T R E N A LC O R T E X 2. tubes that begin after the Bowman
E A E capsule and end at collecting
R D N E P H R O N ducts
S D A 4. contain strings of nephrons and
E G L OM E L U L A R tubules
R Y M 5. outer part of the kidney
R E N A L A R T E
7. functional unit of the kidney
E E 8. capillaries that absorb protein
N K I D N E Y S from blood traveling through the
U R E T H RA U renal corpuscle
L L 9. brings oxygenated blood from the
V L heart to the kidney for filtration
E A 11. filters blood to produce urine
12. carries both sperm and urine out
I
of the body
N

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 X. The Urinary System

Did you find the words in the crossword puzzle? Congratulations!

Think Ahead!

The crossword puzzle activity helps you get acquainted with the parts and functions of the
urinary system, and the functional unit which is the nephron that filters blood to produce urine.

Urine is a waste product that is produced by the nephrons of your kidneys and is made up of water
and dissolved waste products. Urine formation is a result of three processes: glomerular filtration,
tubular reabsorption, and tubular secretion. Below is the schematic diagram of the three processes.

Figure 91. Schematic diagram of urine formation

Your urine is an aqueous solution of greater than 95% water. Other normal constituents
include urea, chloride, sodium, potassium, creatinine and other dissolved ions, and inorganic and
organic compounds. Urea is a non-toxic molecule made of toxic ammonia and carbon dioxide.
Abnormal constituents that can be found in your urine are protein (proteinuria) glucose
(glycosuria), acetone (ketonuria), pus (pyuria), blood (hematuria), and all may indicate health or
kidney problems which you must not ignore.

To understand further about the function of nephron and urine formation, you may read any
textbook on human anatomy and physiology or view the processes at
https://youtu.be/vNvZaGcLzEo.

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 X. The Urinary System

Read and Ponder!

Organs of the Urinary System

Your kidneys are a pair of bean-shaped organs found along the posterior wall of your
abdominal cavity. Your left kidney is located slightly higher than your right kidney because the
right side of your liver is much larger than your left side. They filter metabolic wastes, excess ions,
and chemicals from your blood to form urine.

Your ureters are a pair of tubes that carry urine from your kidneys to your urinary bladder.
Gravity and peristalsis of smooth muscle tissue in the walls of the ureters move your urine toward
your urinary bladder.

Your urinary bladder is a sac-like hollow organ used for the storage of urine. It is located
along your body’s midline at the inferior end of your pelvis. The walls of your bladder allow it to
stretch to hold anywhere from 600 to 800 ml. of urine.

Your urethra is the tube through which urine passes from your bladder to the exterior of
your body. The female urethra is around 2 inches long and around 8 to 10 inches long in males.
The urethra is also an organ of the male reproductive system as it carries sperm out of the body
through the penis.

Functions of the Urinary System

Maintenance of homeostasis. Your kidneys maintain the homeostasis of several important

internal conditions by controlling the excretion of substances (potassium, sodium, calcium,
magnesium, phosphate, chloride ions, and hydrogen ions) out of your body.

Filtration. Inside each kidney are around a million tiny structures called nephrons. The
nephron is the functional unit of your kidney that filters blood to produce urine.

Storage and Excretion of Wastes. After urine has been produced by your kidneys, it is
transported through your ureters to your urinary bladder in the form of urine. Urination is the
process of releasing urine from the urinary bladder through the urethra and out of your body.

Maintaining fluid and electrolyte balances. Your kidneys maintain water and electrolyte
balance by absorbing more or less water and reclaiming ions in response to your hormonal signals.
The antidiuretic hormone (ADH) increases water reabsorption and conserves body water. Also, the
hormone aldosterone increases reabsorption of sodium and water and decreases potassium

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 X. The Urinary System

reabsorption. The most important trigger for aldosterone release is the renin-angiotensin
mechanism. This mechanism is extremely important for regulating your blood pressure.

Maintaining acid-base balance of blood. Your buffer systems functioning in your blood
plasma include plasma proteins, phosphate, and bicarbonate and carbonic acid buffers. Your renal
system controls the levels of bicarbonate in your blood. It helps control acid-base balance by
excreting hydrogen ions and generating bicarbonate that helps maintain your blood plasma pH
within a normal range.

For more information about the urinary system, you may read any textbook on human
anatomy and physiology or go to https://www.visiblebody.com/learn/urinary.

See if you can do this!

1. What are the functions of the urinary system?

The purpose of the urinary system is to eliminate waste from the body, regulate blood
volume and blood pressure, control levels of electrolytes and metabolites, and regulate blood ph.
2. Match the following parts of the urinary system to their function:

Column A Column B

__C__1. Ureter a. Where urine is produced.

__A__2. Kidney b. Urine is stored here.
___D_3. Urethra c. Brings urine from the kidneys to the bladder.
__B__4. Urinary bladder d. Urine is eliminated from the body through this tube.

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 X. The Urinary System

3. Label the diagram

a. f.
g.
b. h.
c. i. Word bank:
Inferior vena cava, aorta, adrenal
gland, right kidney, left kidney, iliac vein,
iliac artery, urinary bladder, urethra, renal
vein, renal artery
j.
d.
k.

e.

l.

a. Inferior vena cava

b. right kidney
c. renal vein
d. iliac vein
e. urinary bladder
f. aorta
g. adrenal gland
h. left kidney
i. renal artery
j. ureter
k. iliac artery
l. urethra

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 X. The Urinary System

Figure 92. The urinary system

renal capsule
minor calyx renal cortex

major calyx
renal pyramid
renal arteries
Word bank:
& veins
Renal medulla, renal cortex, ureter,
renal arteries & veins, renal capsule, minor
ureter calyx, major calyx, renal pyramid

Renal medulla

Figure 93. The kidney

Congratulations for a job well done!!

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