URINE

Urine: a waste by product consists of water, salt and urea that formed from excess of water
and metabolic waste during the process of renal system filtration.
Renal system filtration: regulate osmolarity of plasma, regulate blood volume and waste
removal via urine.

THE FORMATION OF URINE

The functional units of urine formation is the Nephrons
3 principle functions excretory system: filtration, reabsorption and secretion
To be more specific, the key steps that are involved are :-
1. The filtration of blood at the Glomerulus
- The filtration occurs when the blood pressure forces fluid to enter the Bowman’s
Capsule
- the blood will enter the afferent arteriole and flows into the glomerulus,
- where the filtration of the blood components such as water, nitrogenous waste
move
- the non-filterable components such as cells, and proteins will exit from the
glomerulus via efferent arteriole.
- Glomerular filtration filters most of the solute- due to the high blood pressure

2. The reabsorption of salt and water

- The reabsorption process starts at the proximal tubule, which absorbs most of the
solutes.
- For example, Na+ is actively transported out of the filtrate
- This will create a concentration gradient that will drives the osmosis of water.
- water is independently reabsorbed into the peritubular capillaries as a result of
the increased concentration of salts and water diffuses in.
- The reabsorption process continues at the loop of Henle consists of descending
limb, the loop and the ascending limb.
- At the distal tubule, the reabsorption is almost complete for most solutes.
- The fluids will become more concentrated as the kidneys helps to concentrate the
urine in the collecting duct that contains high concentration of urea and NaCl
outside the Nephron deep in the kidneys.

3. The secretion process

- It is the reverse direction of the reabsorption process
- The secretory products are the water soluble vitamins, kalium ions, nitrate ions
and pharmaceuticals
- This process requires the transport of proteins and energy between the blood
stream and the lumen of nephron.