MLS 202: HUMAN HISTOLOGY (LECTURE)

LECTURE 14: URINARY SYSTEM

TRANSCRIBED BY: APON, JAY JR., G.
~ Fighting, future RMT!

FUNCTIONS
o homeostasis
 acid base balance
 water & electrolyte
o excretion of metabolic waste products and
excess water -> urine
o production of hormones & other biologically
active substances (e.g. renin, erythropoietin,
thrombopoietin, kinins, calicitrol [1,25 -
dihydroxycholecalciferol, Vit D]
KIDNEY
• bean-shaped, reddish-brown
• posterior abdominal wall
• T12 - L3
• 10-12cm long, 5-6cm wide, & 2.5-3cm thick
• convex - lateral
• concave - medial; vertical fissure - hilus
• fibrous capsule - lines the sinus and continuous with
the walls of the calyces

 Cortex
 Pars convoluta (cortical labyrinth)
 region in the cortex between the medullary
rays
 all renal corpuscles, parts of the renal tubules
(PCT, DCT)
 blood vessels, minimal connective tissues,
arched segments of the collecting tubules
 Renal pyramids
 distal segments of the collecting tubules
o regions:  papillary ducts
 cortex - outer, reddish, granular  segments of the loop of Henle
 medulla - inner, striated  blood vessels & connective tissues
 cortico-medullary junction - arcuate arteries & veins  renal columns of Bertin
o Medulla  segments of the loop of Henle
 blood vessels, nerves, and connective tissues
 10-15 renal pyramids (longitudinal
 terminal segments of the papillary ducts
striations, conical)
 renal papilla
 renal columns of Bertin
 minor calyx
o CMJ
 major calyx
 medullary rays of Ferrein
 renal pelvis
 pars radiata, 400-500 rays, proximal
 ureter
segment of collecting tubules; distal
segment is in the pyramids; loop of Henle

JAY G. APON JR. | BSMLS 2B 1

 Lymphatics - follow pattern of distribution of the
arteries

URINIFEROUS TUBULES
• nephron & intrarenal ducts (collecting tubules &
papillary ducts
• a distinction between the urine producing nephrons
& the urine conducting tubes to the main excretory
duct
• no longer holds true as evidences show that these
tubes do noy conduct urine alone but they play a
role in the production of urine

NEPHRONS
• basic functional unit of the kidney
LOBES & LOBULES
• 1 - 1.5M
Lobe - renal pyramid
• 2 parts: renal corpuscle (filters blood) and renal
- cortical tissue overlying the pyramid’s base &
tubule (modify filtrate)
surrounding its sides
- composed several conical renal lobules
RENAL CORPUSCLE (Malpighian Corpuscle)
Lobule - papillary duct
• spherical
- collecting tubules
• proximal end of the nephron
- nephrons (renal corpuscles & renal tubules
• 200 um dia
- blood vessels & connective tissues
• 2 components:
 glomerulus
BLOOD VESSELS, LYMPHATICS & NERVES
 Bowman’s (glomerular) capsule
Right & Left renal arteries - abdominal aorta
• 2 poles:
- 1.2 L/min for filtering
 vascular - afferent & efferent arterioles
Interlobar arteries - pass through the renal columns of
 urinary - renal tubule begins
Bertin
 cortex, granular
Arcuate arteries
Interlobular arteries - straight vessels, outer boundaries
of the renal lobule
- renal capsule
- afferent arterioles (enter the lobules)
- glomerular capillaries
- efferent arterioles (single)
• short portal vessels
• peritubular capillary network
• supply distal & proximal tubules & segments of
LoH

Superficial cortical veins - capsule & outer cortex

Stellate veins - surface of the kidneys
Deep cortical veins - the rest of the cortex
Interlobular veins - stellate & deep cortical GLOMERULUS
- runs alongside the arteries • ball-like structure
Arcuate veins -interlobar veins - renal vein - inferior • glomerular capillaries
vena cava  20 -50 highly convoluted & anastomosing
Medullary veins - ascending vasa recta loops
- drains into the interlobular vein before  fenestrated without diaphragm
it joins the arcuate vein or directly into the arcuate vein  rest on a thick basal lamina
• mesangial matrix (mesangium)
JAY G. APON JR. | BSMLS 2B 2
• glomerular mesangial cells
• glomerular mesangial cells
 stellate cells similar to pericytes
 vascular pole
 contractile
 phagocytosis
 cytoplasmic process
 help maintain the glomerular filtration
barrier
 production of mesangial matrix
BOWMAN’S CAPSULE
 parietal
 visceral (podocyte)
 Bowman’s space, capsular/subcapsular space,
urinary space
 podocytes - stellate
- major
- minor - foot processes or pedicels - wrap
around capillary walls, rest on basement membranes
along with endothelial cells
 filtration slits - space between interdigitating
pedicels, covered with slit membrane/diaphragm
GLOMERULAR FILTRATION BARRIER
• separates blood in glomerular capillaries from the
Bowman’s space
• 3 components
 fenestrated endothelium (60-100um dia)
 basal lamina (330nm thick)
 slit membrane (6nm thick) of the filtration
slits (25nm wide)
GFB
RENAL TUBULE
• modifies the glomerular filtrate
• water and solutes are reabsorbed
• some other solutes are secreted
• segments:
 proximal convoluted tubule
 loop of Henle
 distal convoluted tubule
 simple epithelium
PROXIMAL CONVOLUTED TUBULE
• direct continuation of the Bowman’s capsule
• longest segment, tortuous
• confined within the cortex (majority)
• simple cuboidal epithelium
• centrally located nuclei
• acidophilic cytoplasm (mitochondria)
• microvilli (fuzziness)
• lateral borders indistinct due to interdigitation
• basal striations - infoldings of the plasmalemma,
increase surface area (absorption)
• 70 -80% water and sodium ions reabsorption from
the filtrate
• glucose, amino acids, chloride ions
LOOP OF HENLE
• section of the renal tubule between the proximal
convoluted tubule & distal convoluted tubule
• start in the cortex as continuation of the PCT, dips
into the medulla where it makes a hairpin turn back
to the cortex
• segments
 thick descending limb of the Loop of Henle
(descending straight tubule, proximal
straight tubule)
 thin limb of the Loop of Henle
 thick ascending limp of the Loop of Henle
Thick Descending Limb of the Loop of Henle
(Descending Straight Tubule, Proximal Straight Tubule)
• initial straight segment
• partly in the cortex and partly in the medulla
• histologic structure & function similar to PCT
• part of the PCT that have straightened out
JAY G. APON JR. | BSMLS 2B 3
 • hairpin loop is formed by the initial portion of the
thick ascending limb
JUXTAMEDULLARY
• 1/7 of the nephrons in the kidney
• near the cortico-medullary junction
• hairpin loop is formed by the long thin limb which
has both ascending & descending segments

Thin Limb of the Loop of Henle

• continuation of the descending limb
• confined within the medulla
• narrow diameter than the descending limb
• simple squamous epithelium
• concentrate the glomerular filtrate further
JUXTAGLOMERULAR COMPLEX
• 3 groups of atypical cells
 JG cells - located in the tunica media of the
afferent arteriole
 macula densa - DCT
 extraglomerular mesangial cells - between
the afferent arteriole & macula densa

Thick Ascending Limb of the Loop of Henle

• continuation of the thin limb
• starts from the medulla then heads up to the cortex
to get in contact with the vascular pole of the renal
corpuscle of its parent nephron
• histologically & functionally, identical with the distal
convoluted tubule

JG Cells
 polyhedral cells that replace the smooth
muscle cells in the tunica media of the afferent
DISTAL CONVOLUTED TUBULE
arteriole just before entering the renal
• last segment of the renal tubule
corpuscle
• when the thick ascending limb of the LoH gets into
 other changes to the afferent arteriole:
contact with the vascular pole of the renal
disappearance of the internal elastic lamina &
corpuscle of its parent nephron - end of LoH
thinned out tunica adventitia
• entirely within the cortex (e.g. renal corpuscles &
 spherical nucleus, myofilaments & numerous
PCT)
secretory granules in the cytoplasm
• shorter, less convoluted, bigger lumen than PCT
 secrete renin and possible thrombopoietin
• simple cuboidal epithelium
 renin (angiotensinogenase) - regulation of MAP
• shorter cells, indistinct borders, less eosinophilic,
(RAS)
absence of microvilli
• reabsorb a little amount of water, and Na + ions;
Macula densa
secretes K+ and H+ into the filtrate
 atypical epithelial cells on the wall of the DCT
that abuts the afferent arteriole
CLASSIFICATION OF NEPHRONS
 crowded, narrower, & rest on a very thin basal
CORTICAL
lamina
• majority of nephrons
 intensely stained nuclei
• renal corpuscles at outer portion of the cortex
 sensitive to the Na+ concentration & water
• LoH barely make it to the medulla
volume in the DCT

JAY G. APON JR. | BSMLS 2B 4

  generate molecular signals promoting renin
secretion by the JG cells
Extraglomerular mesangial cells (Pole-cushion cells,
Lacis cells, Goormaghtigh cells, Polkissen)
 form a conical mass between the macula densa
& the afferent arteriole
 flat, light staining cells
 probably involved in signal transmission between
the macula densa & the glomerular mesangial
cells
• lamina propria
• ureter - longitudinal folds; stellate appearance
on cs
• bladder (empty) - irregular longitudinal folds in
mucosa
• increasing number of layers from 2-3 (calyces)
to 3-5 (ureters) to 8 layers (urinary bladder)

INTRARENAL DUCTS

Collecting Tubule LAMINA PROPRIA

 continuation of the DCT
 starts in the cortex as a short segment that
curves (arched collecting tubule) then
straightens (straight collecting tubule) to the
medulla
 proximal segments - main components of the
medullary rays (40um)
 upon reaching the medulla, these tubules merge
several times to form a much larger tube (100 -
200um) - papillary duct
 simple cuboidal epithelium with distinct lateral
borders, faintly eosinophilic cytoplasm with
minimal organelles; secrete K+
 intercalated cells - a 2nd type of cell of the
cortical segments of the collecting tubule; darker
staining; acid-base balance
Papillary Ducts
 collecting tubule & papillary duct - main
occupants of the renal pyramids
 portions of LoH, vasa recta, nerves, & minimal
amount of connective tissues
 a pyramid has about 25 papillary ducts whose
ends form the renal papilla or apex of the
pyramids which fits into a minor calyx
 area cribrosa - a region in the renal papilla
containing the openings of the papillary ducts
 tall columnar epithelium
• thin - calyces & pelvis
• thick - ureter & urinary bladder
• LCT, elastic fibers
• no glands except at the area near the internal
urethral sphincter
• no distinct submucosa
• CTs of LP blends with CTs that enclose the
muscle fibers in the muscle layer
MUSCLE LAYER
• mostly poorly-defined 2 layers of smooth
muscles
• ILOC
• thin - calyces & pelvis
• thick - ureter
• lower portion of ureter - 3rd layer - longitudinal
external to the middle circular layer
• well-developed in the urinary bladder - 3 layers
LCL
• internal urethral sphincter - a definite circular
collar seen at the junction of the bladder and
the urethra; oblique & longitudinal in females
which many authors believe is not a true
internal urethral sphincter

FLOW OF GLOMERULAR FILTRATE

Afferent arteriole* -> Glomerular capillaries -> GFB ->

ADVENTITIA/SEROSA
Bowman’s space - PCT -> Thick descending limb of LoH
• for the most part adventitia except the upper
**> thin limb of LoH-> Thick ascending limb of the LoH->
portion of the urinary bladder
DCT-> Collecting tubule-> Papillary duct-> Minor calyx->
• blood vessels, lymphatic vessels, & nerves
Majory calyx -> Renal pelvis-> Ureter ->Urinary bladder-
>Ureter
URETHRA
• terminal portion of the urinary system
- the rest of the blood flow out of the renal corpuscle via
• exclusively urinary in females
the efferent arteriole
• urinary & reproductive for males
- short-looped nephron - Thick descending limb of LoH -
>Thick ascending limb of LoH (initial segment forms the
MALES
hairpin loop) -> DCT
• 20cm long
• 3 segments:
URINARY PASSAGES & URINARY BLADDER
 prostatic - 3-4cm long
MUCOSA
• epithelium = transitional

JAY G. APON JR. | BSMLS 2B 5

  membranous - about 1cm long; sphincter
urethrae muscle (ext. urethral sphincter)
 spongy (penile, cavernous) - 15cm long,
traverses the penis; terminates at the
external urethral meatus/orifice

Prostatic urethra
• transitional epithelium
• poorly developed LP, many elastic fibers and
veins
• few glands of Littre - small, branched mucous
secreting tubulo-alveolar glands which empty
into the lumen of the urethra
• muscle layer - smooth muscles circularly
arranged
• external: prostatic tissues
• receives the ducts of the prostate gland and
ejaculatory duct (vas deferens & seminal
vesicle)
Membranous urethra
• stratified or pseudostratified columnar
epithelium
• surrounded by skeletal muscle fibers belonging
to the sphincter urethrae muscle
Penile urethra
• same type of epithelium as the membranous
urethra
• except in certain areas and terminally with
stratified non-keratinized squamous epithelium
• numerous urethral glands of Littre - drains into
mucosal recesses known as lacunae of Morgagni
• external: erectile tissues (corpus spongiosus)
FEMALES URETHRA
• shorter (4cm); predisposes females to urinary
tract infections which are usually ascending
infections
• attached to the anterior wall of the vagina
throughout its length
• opens in front of the vaginal opening on the
vestibule
• transitional; stratified non-keratinizing
squamous epithelium near the urethral orifice
• lamina propria - loose CTs, numerous elastic
elements, mucous secreting glands that open
into the lumen; venous plexus along the
external part of the LP
• muscle layer - internal coat of longitudinal &
obliquely arranged smooth muscle cells; outer
coat of circularly arranged skeletal muscle fibers
which makes up part of the sphincter urethrae
muscle

JAY G. APON JR. | BSMLS 2B 6