EXCRETORY PRODUCTS AND

THEIR ELIMINATION
MIND MAP
By : Dr. ANAND MANI

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E XC R E TO RY W A S T E
Metabolism Excess ingestion

Results in accumulation of
• Nitrogenous wastes- NH3 urea, uric acid
• Other contents- CO2, H2O, ions(Na+, K+, Cl- PO4-3, SO4-2)
Removed
Partially/Completely

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 N I T RO G E N O U S W A S T E S
• Nature of nitrogenous waste formed and their excretion vary
among animals depending on he habitat/availability of water.
Major Nature & Toxicity Typical
Nitrogenous Examples and water
Waste required
• Ammonia Ammonotelic Maximum ’ Diffusion
’ Aquatic insects through gills
’ Many bony fishes surface of
’ Aquatic body surface as
amphibians ammonium ions
• Urea Ureotelic Lesser ’Kidneys filter
’ Marine fishes urea from
’ Many terrestrial amphibians blood
’ Mammals
• Uric acid Uricotelic Least ’ Pellet/Paste
’ Land snails
’ Insects
’ Reptiles
’ Birds inCounse
• Ammonia converts into urea in liver.
• Elimination of urea, uric acid is meant for conservation of water
i.e., a type of terrestrial adaptation.
• Kidneys do not play a significant role in removal of ammonia.
• Some amount of urea may be retained in the kidney matrix of
some animals to maintain desired osmolarity.

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 E XC R E TO RY S T RU C T U R E S
• Most invertebrates – Simple tubular forms
• Vertebrates- Complex tubular organs called kidneys
Structures Examples
• Protonephridia/ flame cells ’ Platyhelminthes (Planaria)
’ Rotifers
’ Some annelids
’ Cephalochordates (Amphioxus)
• Nephridia ’ Annelids (Earthworms)
• Malpighian tubules ’ Insects (Cockroaches)
• Antennal/Green glands ’ Crustaceans (Prawn)
• Protonephridia are primarily concerned with
osmoregulation
• Function of excretory structures:
• Eliminate nitrogenous wastes.
• Maintain ionic and acid-base balance of body
fluids, i.e., osmoregulation.
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H U M A N E XC R E TO RY S YS T E M

Inferior vena Renal vein

cava
Kidney

Renal
Artery
Dorsal
Aorta
Ureter
Urinary
bladder

Urethra
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H U M A N E XC R E TO RY S YS T E M
Structures Involved
q Kidneys
• 1 pair, bean shaped, reddish brown.
• Length 10-12 cm, Width 5-7 cm. Thickness 2-3 cm.
• Weight 120-170 g
• Between T12 – T3 vertebra, close to dorsal inner wall of abdominal cavity.

q Ureter
• 1 pair

q Urinary Bladder
• Have stretch receptors
• Store urine till voluntary signals from CNS carries out its release.

q Urethra
• Guarded by sphincters
• Mean for release of urine

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MICTURITION:
• Process of release of urine CNS (voluntary signals)
• Mechanism –Micturition reflex Send motor message
Urinary bladder
Urinary bladder (Store urine) \ q Smooth muscles contract
Activates
sign
als q Urethral sphincters relax.
Stretch receptors Releases
Urine

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 KIDNEY
Capsule- outer tough converting
Columns of Bertini
/Renal columns Cortex (Outer)
Zones
• Part of cortex which Medulla (Inner)
extents between Hilum
medullary pyramids
• Notch towards concave surface
Ureter, blood vessels and nerves
•
enter
Renal pelvis
• Funnel shaped space with
Fig: Section of kidney projections called calyces
Medullary pyramids are conical messes that project into calyces.

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 NEPHRON

• Functional unit of kidney • Nearly 1 million/kidney

• Each nephron has two parts (i) Glomerulus (ii) Renal tubule

Malpighian body/
Renal Corpuscle

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 Types of Nephron
N E P H RO N

Parameters Cortical Juxtamedullary

• Number More Less
• Loop of Henle Too short Very long
• Extension into Very little Deep
medulla
• Vasa react Absent/reduced Present

• Juxtaglomerular apparatus (JGA):

Sensitive region formed by cellular modification in distal
convoluted tubule and afferent arteriole at the location of
their contact.
• Nephrons are dipped in interstitial fluid having specific
osmolarity – Cortex- 300 mOsm/L- Medulla-upto 1200
mOsm/L (Gradient).

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 N E P H RO N
• Glomerulus is a tuft of capillaries formed by afferent
arteriole- a fine branch of renal artery.
• Malpighian corpuscle, PCT, DCT, - Located in cortex
• Loop of Henle- Dips into medulla.
• Many DCTs open into straight tube called collecting duct,
many of which coverage into renal pelvis through medullary
pyramids in the calyces.
• Efferent arteriole- emerging from glomerulus forms
peritubular- capillaries around renal tubule.
• Vasa recta:
• Branch of peritubular capillaries
• Parallel to loop of Henle
• ‘U’ shaped

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 U R I N E F O R M AT I O N
Main Processes Glomerulus Filtration/Ultra filtration
1. Glomerular -1/5 of cardiac output or 1100-1200 ml
filtration blood/mm is filtered by kidneys
180 L filtration
Non-selective
/day process Renal Artery

Tubular Tubular
2. Arterioles
reabsorption secretion
Nearly 99% of filtrate • H+, K+ and ammonia
(i) Endothelium of glomerular blood vessels
get reabsorbed secreted into filtrate
by renal tubules • Maintains ionic and Filtration
By acid base balance (ii) Basement membrane membrane

Active Passive (iii) Epithelium of Bowman’s

capsule Bowman’s capsule have
process process
podocytes arranged in
• Glucose, Na+ • Nitrogenous intricate manner so as to
ammonia acid wastes Glomerular filtrate leave some spaces called slit
(Plasma except proteins) pores/filtration slits
Urine
1.1.5 L/day
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U R I N E F O R M AT I O N
• Filtration is due to pressure in the glomerular
capillaries.
• Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) = Filtration/min
125 ml/min
• Kidney has an ability to regulate GFR.

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 U R I N E F O R M AT I O N
FUNCTIONS OF THE TUBULES

Conditional
PCT:
Reabsorption • Lined by simple cuboidal brush border epithelium
300 • Nearly all essential nutrients, 70-80% electrolytes and water
mOsm/L
are reabsorbed
Secretion
• Major site of reabsorption and selective secretion

Parameter
Permeable
Descending limb
Water
Ascending limb 1200 mOsm/L
Salt
Impermeable Salt Water
Filtrate Concentrated Diluted

Concentrating Diluting (Minimum reabsorption) inCounse

limb limb
 COUNTER CURRENT MECHANISM TO CONCENTRATE FILTRATE

• Flow of filtrate in different limbs of following structure are in

opposite direction (Counter current):
• Loop of Henle (HL) • Vasa recta(VR) • HL and VR
• Proximity of HL and VR and counter current in them increases
osmolarity towards inner medullary interstitium (300 mOsm/L
in cortex to 1200 mOsm/L
• Interstitium gradient is caused by NaCl and urea .
• NaCl transported by ascending limb of HL exchanged with
descending limb of vasa recta and is returned to medullary
interstitium by ascending limb of VR.
• Urea which enters in the part of ascending limb of HL is
transported back to interstitium by collecting tubule.
• This mechanism maintain interstitial concentration gradient
that helps in easy passage of water from collecting tubule
thereby concentrating filtrate (urine).

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COUNTER CURRENT MECHANISM TO CONCENTRATE FILTRATE

VR HL

300 mOsm/L Cortex

600 mOsm/L H2 O
H2 O NaCl
H2 O
Urea
900 mOsm/L NaCl
Urea Medulla
H2 O
1200 mOsm/L

• HL (Loop of Henle) primarily helps to maintain osmolarity

gradient in kidney interstitium.
• Mammals have ability to produce concentrated urine.

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REGULATION OF KIDNEY FUNCTION/ GLOMERULAR FILTRATION RATE

Low blood volume/ Body Increases in

fluid volume/ Ionic blood volume
concentration
Switch off
Activate
Osmoreceptors
Osmoreceptors of
hypothalamus to release Suppress
ADH/Vasopressin from
neurohypophysis ADH/Vasopressin

Work

• Constrict blood vessels

• Increase reabsorption of water
from DCT (Prevent diuresis)

Result

• Blood volume increases

• Blood pressure increases
• GFR increases

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REGULATION OF KIDNEY FUNCTION GLOMERULAR FILTRATION RATE
JGA Heart
Low GFR/ Increase blood
Glomerular blood flow to atria of
flow/ Glomerular heart
blood pressure

Activate
Release of ANF
JG cells to
(Atrial natriuretic factor)
Release renin
Work
Angiotensinogen Angiotensin I
Vasodilation

Result
Angiotensin II
• Blood pressure
Work
decrease
• Constrict blood vessel • GFR decrease
• Activate adrenal cortex to release
aldosterone, that causes
reabsorption of Na+ and water ANF‘ mechanism acts as a check on
Result Renin-Angiotensin mechanism.
• Blood pressure increase
• GFR increase inCounse
(Renin-Angiotensin mechanism)
CHARACTERISTICS AND COMPOSITION OF URINE
• Colour – Light yellow
• pH = 6
• Order – Characteristic
• Human kidneys can produce urine
nearly 4 times concentrated than
initial filtrate.
• Urea – 25-30 gm/day
• Various conditions can affect
characteristics of urine.

Abnormal Condition Indicate

Constituents
of urine
Glucose Glucosuria Diabetes mellitus
Ketone bodies Ketonuria Diabetes mellitus

Analysis of urine helps in clinical diagnosis of many

metabolic disorders as well as malfunctioning of the
kidneys.
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D I S O R D E R S O F E XC R E TO RY S YS T E M
Disorders Symptoms or Treatment
Renal calculi Stone or insoluble mass of crystalised salts (e.g. oxalates)
Glomerulonephritis Inflammation of glomeruli of kidney
Renal/kidney failure Malfunctioning of kidneys leads to accumulation of urea in
blood (Uremia). Highly harmful, may lead to kidney failure.

Treatment
(i) Haemodialysis: Process to remove urea from blood
Method is a boon for thousands of uremic patients all over
Composition of the world. Mix with Pumped
dialysing fluid is Blood drained from artery Heparin
Through
same as plasma (Anticoagulant)
except the Dialysing unit
nitrogenous Filtration based on
wastes Artificial kidney
Mix with Clear concentration gradient
Anti Porous cellophane
coagulant blood tubes surrounded
Nitrogenous wastes
freely move out by dialysing fluid
Pumped back to
Body through
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(ii) Kidney transplantation

Ultimate method in correction of acute renal failure

• Functional kidney is taken from donor
• To minimize rejection, close relatives are preferred
as donor
• Modern clinical problems have increased success
rate of such complicated technique

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RO L E O F OT H E R O RG A N S I N E XC R E T I O N
Accessory structure Remove Basic work
Lungs CO2 • Remove large amount of CO2
water approximately 200 mL/min
• Remove significant quantity of water

Liver Bilirubin, vitamins • Most of these substance pass out

(Largest gland) biliverdin, drugs along with digestive wastes
cholesterol,
degraded steroid
hormones
Skin
• Sweat glands Sweat contains • Primary function of sweat is to facilitate
cooling effect on body surface
• NaCl
• Urea
• Lactic acid

• Sebaceous glands Sebum contains • Sebum provides a protective oily

• Sterols covering for the sing
• Hydrocarbons
• Waxes
Salivary glands • Small amount of nitrogenous wastes are
eliminated through saliva

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 Excretory Wastes
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 Human Excretory system
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 Function of tubules
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4 Mechanism of concentration
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5 Regulation of Kidney Function
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6 Micturition
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 Disorders of the Excretory
7 System
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THANK YOU

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