HISTOLOGY SECTION 1; URINARY SYSTEM

SCOPE
1. Components of the urinary system
2. Functions of the kidneys
3. Parts of a sectioned kidney
4. Types and parts of the nephron
5. Structural organization and adaptations of the different parts of
the nephron to function
6. Components and function of the juxtaglomerular apparatus (JGA)
7. Structure of the ureter, bladder and urethra

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COMPONENTS

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FUNCTIONS OF THE KIDNEY

1. Excretion of metabolic waste products and foreign chemicals

2. Regulation of water (body fluid) and electrolyte
3. Regulation of blood pressure
4. Acid-base balance
5. Gluconeogenesis
6. Metabolism/secretion of hormones
7. Endocrine functions;
1. Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System (RAAS)
2. Erythropoietin
3. Vitamin D
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 KIDNEY
• Has stroma and parenchyma
• Stroma;
1. Renal capsule; Outer fibrous capsule, dense connective tissue. Bilayered (outer
fibrous, inner cellular)
2. Interstitial stroma;
• Loose CT, highly vascularized
• Located between the nephron components and around blood vessels & renal pelvis
• Contains adipose around the renal pelvis
• Parenchyma- Include epithelia lining the nephrons and collecting ducts; and
their associated vascular elements. Divided into the outer cortex and the
inner medulla
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 RENAL PARENCHYMA
1. Renal cortex; The area containing renal corpuscles, Bowman’s capsule,
Glomerulus, Also contains some sections of the other segments of the
nephron. Extends into the medulla as renal columns
2. Renal medulla; The region lacking renal corpuscles. Contains most of the
length of the loops of Henle and collecting ducts. Has renal columns and
pyramids. Medullary rays penetrate the cortex from the base of each pyramid
3. Renal pelvis; Connects the nephrons to the ureter draining each kidney. A set
of major calyces drain into the renal pelvis, and a set of minor calyces drain
into each major calyx. The collecting ducts in a lobe empty into the minor
calyx on a renal papilla.

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RENAL MICROCIRCULATION

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 THE NEPHRON
• The functional structural unit of the kidney
• Types of nephrons; (Both participate in urine formation)
1. Juxtamedullary nephrons
– Have very long Henle's loops
– Establish hypertonic environment in the medulla; hypertonic urine
2. Cortical nephrons

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BASIC RENAL PROCESSES

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 STRUCTURAL ORGANIZATION OF THE NEPHRON
• Renal/ Malphigian corpuscles; Has a vascular and a urinary pole:
1. Glomerulus
2. Bowman's capsule
• Renal tubules;
1. Proximal convoluted tubule; Lined by simple cuboidal/low columnar epithelium. Have
numerous long apical microvilli, basal invaginations, and junctional complexes
2. Distal convoluted tubule; Lined by simple cuboidal epithelium with basal in-foldings (shorter
cells than PCT). Lack microvilli
3. Loop of Henle
4. Collecting duct and collecting tubules- Lined by simple epithelia which gradually change
from cuboidal (initial collecting tubules) columnar (collecting ducts). Have extensive lateral
junction

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 RENAL CORPUSCLE

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• Glomerulus;
 Tuft of
fenestrated
(Type II)
capillaries
 Located
between an
afferent
arteriole and an
efferent
arteriole
 The arterioles
at the vascular
pole of the
renal corpuscle

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 BOWMAN’S CAPSULE
• Double-walled epithelial capsule; walls separated by a slit-like Bowman's
(urinary) space
• The outer or parietal layer is a simple squamous epithelium; forms a
sphere around the glomerulus
• Attachment between parietal layer and the PCT is the urinary pole –
squamo-columnar junction
• The inner or visceral layer is tightly associated with the individual
capillaries of the glomerulus
• The podocyte cells of the visceral layer have long interdigitating processes
which wrap around the glomerular capillaries
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• GLOMERULAR
FILTRATION
BARRIER
Components;
1. Glomerular
capillaries and
their
endothelium
2. Podocytes and
their
endothelium
3. Their fused
basal laminas

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• JUXTAGLOMERULAR APPARATUS;
Located in the region where the DCT
and the adjacent afferent are
positioned next to each other
• Consists of;
1. Macula densa cells of the DCT; Monitor
osmotic concentration in the tubule
contents.
2. Juxtaglomerular cells of the afferent
arteriole- Secrete renin in response to
stimuli from macula densa and changes
in stretch.
3. Lacis cells located between
juxtaglomerular cells and macula densa
cells- transmit signals between macula
densa and juxtaglomerular cells.

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• MESANGIAL CELLS-
Located between
glomerular capillaries
and between the
glomerulus and JGA
• Phagocytic – clean the
basement membrane
(filtration barrier)
• List 7 functions of
mesangial cells
• Describe the
ultrastructural
features of cells lining
the DCT

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• PERITUBULAR CAPILLARIES-
Capillary network around PCT &
DCT. Supplied by the efferent
arteriole. Allow absorption (back
into the blood) of the solutes and
water
• VASA RECTA- Sets of parallel
arterioles and venules that supply
and drain the capillary plexus
around the loops of Henle and
collecting ducts in the medulla.

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 URETERS
• Mucosa – transitional
epithelium
• Muscularis externa –
two or three layers of
smooth muscle
Inner longitudinal
Middle circular
Outer longitudinal;
present only in distal
1/3
• Adventitia/serosa –
fibroelastic connective
tissue with b. vessels
and nerves.
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 URINARY BLADDER
• Mucosa – transitional
epithelium underlain by a
thick lamina propria
• Muscularis externa –
three layers of smooth
muscle detrusor.
• Adventitia/serosa – loose
to moderately dense CT
• What are the
microscopic features of
smooth musce detrusor?

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 URETHRA
• 3 parts in male urethra;
prostatic, membranous and
penile/spongy with varying
epithelium
• Mucosa
Varying epithelium:
transitional; pseudostratified
columnar; stratified
squamous respectively
Lamina propria contains
erectile tissue in males
• Muscularis externa in
females
• Adventitia – loose CT in
females

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