1.

anatomy of the urinary system

Lateral to vertebral
column high on body
wall, under floating ribs
Size of bar of soap
Bean shaped
Hilus – indentation
1. remove nitrogenous waste (urea) and
metabolic waste products by excreting
them in urine
2. control blood volume (through osmosis) by
excreting or absorbing blood ions (Na+,
Ca2+, etc.)
3. control blood pH by excreting H+ or
absorbing HCO3-
 kidney – paired organ of urinary excretion,
filters blood to produce urine
 renal artery – artery which supplies blood to
the kidney
 renal vein – vein which drains blood from the
kidney
 ureter – muscular tube which carries urine
from the kidney to the urinary bladder
 urinary bladder – muscular sac which stores
urine until it can be expelled from the body
 urethra – tube which carries urine from the
bladder to an external opening
Right Kidney
Renal Artery

Renal Vein
Ureter

Urinary Bladder

Urethra ( ah!!!!)
 nephron – functional unit of the kidney (over one
million per organ), filters blood to produce urine
 renal cortex – outer layer of the kidney, containing
most of the structure of the nephrons
 renal medulla – inner layer of the kidney, organised
into a series of conical masses called pyramids
 renal pelvis – urine collects here as it is
produced, before flowing down into the
ureter
Cross Section of a kidney

Renal Cortex
Renal Medulla
Pyramids
Renal Pelvis
Renal Artery
Renal Pelvis

Renal Vein

Ureter
1. anatomy and function of the
nephron
 first part of nephron filters blood, producing
a fluid without any of the larger blood
elements (proteins, cells)
 this fluid, called filtrate, is chemically
identical to blood plasma at first
 the rest of the nephron is a series of tubes
which either move nutrients out or wastes
into the filtrate to produce urine at the end
1. afferent arteriole
 branch of the renal artery
 supplies blood to the glomerulus

2. glomerulus
 knot of capillaries inside Bowman’s capsule
 some of the blood inside turns into filtrate as it
leaks out of the capillary walls
glomerulus of a
mouse
3. Bowman’s capsule
 bulbous end of the nephron
 collects filtrate from the glomerulus

4. efferent arteriole
 arteriole leading out of glomerulus
 supplies blood to the peritubular capillary
network
5. peritubular capillary network
 capillary bed surrounding tubules and loop
of nephron
 drains into the renal venule
 blood collects nutrients reabsorbed from
the filtrate by the nephron
6. proximal convoluted tubule
 first part of nephron after Bowman’s
capsule
 reabsorbs nutrients and ions from filtrate
 microvilli increase surface area and
mitochondria present to power active
transport
7. loop of Henle
 descending loop of the nephron
 actively transports salts out of the filtrate
8. distal convoluted tubule
 last part of the nephron before collecting
duct
 excretes substances from blood in PCN into
the filtrate
9. collecting duct
 collects urine from several nephrons and
carries it down into the renal pelvis
 reabsorbs water from urine
 loop of Henle and collecting ducts descend
down into the renal medulla
 some urea leaks from the bottom of the
loop, increasing the solute concentration of
the medulla
 this means that osmosis within the medulla
causes water to leave the filtrate, creating
urine that is hypertonic to blood
 Cortex

Loop of Henle

Medulla

Collecting Duct
1. urine production in the nephron
 amine groups of amino acids become
ammonia when they are broken down
 ammonia is converted into urea by the liver
and excreted by the kidneys
 urine is also used to get rid of water-soluble
drugs, hormones, vitamins, etc. as needed
1. pressure filtration
 non-selective, passive transport
 blood pressure forces water and smaller
solutes out of the glomerulus capillaries
 blood cells and proteins remain in blood
 filtrate collected by Bowman’s capsule and
heads to the PCT
2. selective reabsorption
 selective, active transport
 PCT reabsorbs substances from the filtrate
which are taken up by blood in the PCN:
 most water (~65%)
 all nutrients (glucose, amino acids, etc.)
 some ions
3. reabsorption of water
 water is reabsorbed from the filtrate in the loop
of Henle, DCT, and collecting duct
 three step process:
1. Na+ is actively transported out of filtrate into blood
2. Cl- follows due to electrical attraction
3. blood is now hypertonic to filtrate and water leaves
filtrate due to osmosis
4. tubular excretion
 selective, active transport
 substances are transported from the blood
in the PCN into the filtrate in the DCT:
 H+ to control pH
 water to control blood volume
 Na+ to control blood volume
 any excess substances (vitamins, drugs,
hormones, etc.)
Blood in the renal Blood in the renal
artery: vein:
 high O and low CO  low O and high CO
2 2 2 2
 more nitrogenous  less nitrogenous
wastes (urea, uric wastes
acid)  Slightly less glucose
 more glucose  less salts
 more salts: Na+, K+,  less hormones,
Cl- antibiotics, vitamins
 more hormones, (if in excess)
antibiotics, vitamins
1. kidney control of blood pH and
blood volume
 kidneys have a slower but more powerful
effect on blood pH than blood buffers and
respiration
 if blood is acidic, H+ is excreted and HCO3- is
reabsorbed at DCT
 if blood is basic, H+ excretion and HCO3-
reabsorption stops
 two hormones control water levels:
1. antidiuretic hormone (ADH) – created by the
hypothalamus, released from posterior pituitary
gland
2. aldosterone – secreted by the adrenal cortex,
the outer layer of the adrenal gland
 both hormones are controlled by negative
feedback
1. hypothalamus secretes ADH, which is
stored in the posterior pituitary
2. hypothalamus detects high blood solutes
and triggers the release of ADH from PP
3. ADH increases the permeability of the
collecting duct to water, causing more
water to leave the urine
4. blood volume increases and less ADH is
released
1. kidneys detect high blood solutes
2. kidneys release hormone which causes
adrenal cortex to release aldosterone
3. aldosterone causes the DCT to reabsorb
more Na+ from the filtrate, and water
follows by osmosis
4. blood volume increases and kidneys release
less hormone
 caffeine is a diuretic: it increases the
amount of water in urine by inhibiting the
reabsorption of Na+ by the distal convoluted
tubule
 alcohol interferes with the secretion of ADH
and so also promotes water loss, creating
dehydration (which we call a hangover)