Urinary System

Renal Circulation

Glomerular Functions
 The Kidneys
Perfect examples of homeostatic organs

Every day they filter gallons of fluid from the blood stream

They then process the filtrate allowing wastes and excess ions to leave
the body

Role of the lungs and skin in excretion...

 Functions of the Kidneys
Excretion
• The removal of organic waste products from body
fluids
Elimination
• The discharge of waste products into the environment

Homeostatic regulation of blood plasma

• Regulating blood volume and pressure
(Reninangiotensin I  angiotensin II)
• Regulating plasma ion concentrations
• Stabilizing blood pH (elimination of SO4 and PO4)
• Conserving nutrients and synthesis of glucose from aa
and other precursors
 Functions of the Kidneys
Regulatory functions
• Renin in regulation of blood pressure
• Secrection of Erythropoietin in hypoxia
stimulation of red blood cell production
• Conversion of Vit D to its active form “1,25-
dihydroxyvitamin D” (calcitriol=deposition of
Ca+2 in bone and reabsorption of Ca+2 by the
gastrointestinal tract.)
 Kidneys
Organs that excrete urine

Urinary Tract
Organs that eliminate urine:
• ureters (paired tubes)
• urinary bladder (muscular sac)
• urethra (exit tube)

Urination or Micturition
• Process of eliminating urine
• Contraction of muscular urinary bladder forces
urine through urethra, and out of body
 The kidneys
Left kidney extends slightly more
superiorly than right

• Are located on either side of the vertebral

column, between vertebrae T12 and L3

Kidneys and adrenal glands lie between

the muscles of the dorsal body wall
and the parietal peritoneum
Location and Structure

Adrenal glands as separate organs

 Hilus
• Entry for renal artery and renal nerves
• Exit for renal veins and ureter
 Typical Adult Kidney

Is about 12 cm long, 6 cm wide, and 3 cm thick

Weighs about 150 g

Is protected and stabilized by 3 concentric layers of
connective tissue:

1. Renal capsule

2. Adipose capsule

3. Renal fascia

Loss of surrounding fat and “ptosis”

Twisting of the ureters and hypernephrosis

Renal Cortex and Medulla
The Urinary System
The Blood Supply to the Kidneys
 The Blood Supply to the Kidneys
Two capillary beds : glomerular (60
mm Hg) and peritubular capillaries
(13 mm Hg) arranged in series.

Separated by efferent arterioles

which help regulate the hydrostatic
pressure in both sets of capillaries.

(C). A flowchart of renal circulation. (D). Blood flow to the nephron

Blood Supply to the Kidney
Kidneys receive 20–25% of total
cardiac output

1200 ml of blood flows through

kidneys each minute

Volumes of body
fluid compartments
determined by
radioactively
labeled compounds
and the dilution
principle
 Blood Flow in Resting Human
Resting Resting Cardiac
Organ Weight Blood Flow Blood Flow Output
kg ml/min ml/min/100g %
Brain 1.4 750 55 14

Heart 0.3 250 80 5

Kidneys 0.3 1,200 400 22

Liver 1.5 1,300 85 23

Muscles 35.0 1,000 3 18

Skin 2.0 200 10 4

Bone, 27.0 800 3 14

etc.

RBF ~ 600 m/mi = 36L/h = 864L/day

Glomerular
and
Peritubular
Capillary
Beds
Functional unit of the kidney: the nephron
Total of about 2.5 million
in the 2 kidneys.

Each nephron consists of

2 functional components:

• The tubular component

(contains what will
eventually become urine)
• The vascular component
(blood supply)

The mechanisms by
which kidneys perform
their functions depends
upon the relationship
between these two
components.
20
 Cortical (85%) and
Juxtamedullary Nephrons
 Juxtamedullary Nephrons

15% of nephrons

Have long loops

of Henle that
extend deep
into medulla
Nephron
 Glomerulus
Consists of 50
intertwining
capillaries

Blood delivered via

afferent arteriole

Blood leaves in
efferent arteriole
 The Renal Corpuscle
Each renal corpuscle:
• is 150–250 µm in diameter
• includes Glomerulus and Bowman’s capsule
 Glomerular
Filtration Rate
 Filtration
Occurs in
glomerulus

Blood pressure:
• forces water and
dissolved solutes out
of glomerular
capillaries into
capsular space
• produces protein-free
solution (filtrate)
similar to blood
plasma
Renal Tubule Segments

Located in
cortex:
• proximal convoluted
tubule (PCT)
• distal convoluted
tubule (DCT)

Separated by
loop of Henle:
• U-shaped tube
• extends partially
into medulla
Collecting Ducts

Receive fluid from

many nephrons

Each collecting
duct:
• begins in cortex
• descends into medulla
 Urine Formation

a) Filtration
• Donnan Effect  higher
concentration of proteins,
thus higher concentration of
cations is slightly greater
(2%) in the plasma than in
the interstitial fluid.
b) Reabsorption

c) Secretion
 Urine Formation

a) Filtration
• Donnan Effect  higher
concentration of proteins,
thus higher concentration of
cations is slightly greater
(2%) in the plasma than in
the interstitial fluid.
b) Reabsorption

c) Secretion
 Urine Formation

a) Toxins, waste products

b) Electrolytes

c) Nutrients, aa and glucose

d) Organic acids and bases

 Moles and Osmoles
1 osmole (osm) = 1 mole of solute particles = 6.02 x 10E23

1 mol/Lt glucose = 1 osm/Lt

1 mole Sodium sulphate = 3 osmoles

Osmolality = 1 mole/kg

Osmolarity = 1 mole/Lt

The higher the osmotic pressure of a solution, the lower the water
concentration anad the higher the solute concentration of the solution.
 Osmotic Pressure
Osmotic pressure  π = CRT

C = concentration of solutes in osmoles/Lt

R = ideal gas constant

T = absolute temperature in Kelvin

For a 1 mOsm/Lt solution, π = 19.3 mm Hg.

Example :
• For 0.9% NaCl, 0.9 gr/0.1 Lt,
9 gr 𝟏 𝒎𝒐𝒍 𝟑𝟎𝟖 𝒎𝑶𝒔𝒎 𝟏𝟗.𝟑 𝒎𝒎 𝑯𝒈 𝑳𝒕
• x x 2 osm = x = 5944 mmHg
𝑳𝒕 𝟓𝟖.𝟓 𝒈𝒓 𝑳𝒕 𝒎𝑶𝒔𝒎
 Capillary Filtration

Kf is the capillary filtration coefficient (the product of the permeability

and surface area of the capillaries),
Pc is the capillary hydrostatic pressure,

Pif is the interstitial fluid hydrostatic pressure,

pc is the capillary plasma colloid osmotic pressure,

pif is the interstitial fluid colloid osmotic pressure.

any of the following changes can increase the capillary filtration rate:
• Increased capillary filtration coefficient.
• Increased capillary hydrostatic pressure.
• Decreased plasma colloid osmotic pressure
 Filtration
Blood pressure:
• forces water and small solutes across membrane into capsular
space
Larger solutes, such as plasma proteins, are excluded

Filtration at Renal Corpuscle

Is passive

Solutes enter capsular space:

• metabolic wastes and excess ions
• glucose, free fatty acids, amino acids, and vitamins
 Reabsorption

Useful materials
are recaptured
before filtrate
leaves kidneys

Most reabsorption
occurs in proximal
convoluted tubule
 Reabsorption
Needed substances (such as glucose and aa) are usually
entirely removed from the filtrate

Nitrogenous waste products (uric acid, urea and

creatinin are poorly absorbed

These substances have few membrane carriers

In addition, creatinin is actively secreted in urine

Most reabsorption occurs in the PCT. But sometimes

DCT and the collecting duct are also active.
 Origins of nitrogenous products

Urea
• Due to breakdown of aa

Creatinine
• Due to breakdown of creatinine kinase

Uric acid
• Formed due to recycling of nucleic acids
 The Distal Convoluted Tubule (DCT)

The third segment of

the renal tubule

Has a smaller
diameter than PCT

Epithelial cells lack

microvilli
 Secretion

Active secretion of ions, acids, drugs, and

toxins

Substances like H+ and K+ ions and creatinin

are sectered into the filtrate and thus
eliminated in urine

This is an additional mechanism for

controlling blood pH
Summary: Filtration, Reabsorptin and Secretion
 Characteristics of Urine

Normal color: clear-pale to deep yellow

Normal yellow color is due to urochrome (a

breakdown product of hemoglobin)

Urine is sterile and has a slightly aromatic odor

Its pH is usually acidic (around 6), but changes in the

metabolism or certain foods can make it more acidic
or basic.

e.g. More protein products more acidic or vegeterian

diet is alkaline diet
 Specific Gravity (Density)

Urine = water + solutes

Thus it is heavier than water (i.e. specific gravity)

It ranges from 1.001 – 1.035

Inadequate fluid intake, fever or pyelonepritis cause

high gravity

In cases of using diuretics, excessive fluid intake or

chronic renal disease, kidney cannot concentrate urine.
Abnormal Urinary Constituents
 Renal Failure and Hemodialysis

Renal failure (infections, crash, toxicants, chronic

hypertension or glomerulonephritis)

Symptoms: uremia, diarrhea, vomiting, labored

breathing, convulsions, coma ...

Signs become obvious only after 75% of the renal

function has been lost

Uremia occurs after 90% of the nephrons have been

damaged

Hemodialysis (3 times/week)

In case of non-reversible damage; kidney transplant

 The ureters
Pair of muscular tubes

Each is about 25-30 cm long and 6 mm in diameter

Extend from renal pelvis to the bladder

Peristaltic contractions force urine toward the urinary

bladder
Organs for the collection and storage of urine
 The urinary bladder
Hollow, muscular organ
• Reservoir for the storage of urine
• Contraction of detrusor muscle voids bladder
Internal features include
• Trigone- Acts as a funnel that channels urine into
the urethra when the urinary bladder contracts
• Neck of Urinary Bladder- Region surrounded by
the urethral opening that contains the muscular
internal urethral sphincter (the sphincter vesicae)
• Ruggae
 The urinary bladder
The prostate gland surrounds the neck of the
bladder where it empties into the urethra

As urine accumulates, the bladder expands

A moderately full bladder is about 12.5 cm long

and holds about 500 ml of urine

But is capable of holding more than twice that

amount
Organs for the collection and storage of urine
Organs for the collection and storage of urine
 The urethra
It is a thin-walled tube that carries urine by
peristalsis from the bladder to the exterior of the
body
• Passes through urogenital diaphragm (external urinary sphincter)
• A second sphincter is made by skeletal muscle as the urethra
passes through the pelvic floor

Differs in length and function in males and females

In males, it is part of both the urinary and

reproductive systems.
 Micturition reflex and urination
Urination coordinated by micturition reflex

• Micturition = urination

Ordinarily, it continues to collect urine until about 200 ml accumulated

Initiated by stretch receptors in wall of bladder

Impulses transmitted to sacral region of the spinal cord and then back to the
bladder via the pelvic splanchinic nerves

Urination requires coupling micturition reflex with relaxation of external

urethral sphincter

When one chooses not to void, the reflex contractions of the bladder will stop
within a minute or so and urine will continue to accumulate in the bladder.
The Micturition Reflex

Components of the
reflex arc that
stimulates smooth
muscle contractions in
the urinary bladder.

Micturition occurs after

voluntary relaxation of
the external urethral
sphincter.
 Incontinence and Urinary retention
Incontinence: being unable to voluntarily control the external
sphincter

Normal in children under 2 years of age

May happen in older children

Emotional problems, pressure, or nervous system problems (spinal

cord injury or stroke)

Urinary retention: A condition that the bladder is unable to

expel its contained urine.

In elderly men, hypertrophy of the prostate gland. Its

enlargement narrows the urethra and make it difficult to void.