The Urinary

System
 The Urinary System
 Paired kidneys

 A ureter for each kidney

 Urinary bladder

 Urethra

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 Main Functions of Urinary System
 Kidneys filter blood to keep it pure
 Toxins
 Drugs
 Metabolic wastes
 Harmones
 Excess water
 Excess ions
 Dispose of nitrogenous wastes from blood
 Urea
 Uric acid
 Creatinine
 Regulate the balance of water and electrolytes, acids
and bases
 Regulate the blood pressure.
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 Kidneys are retroperitoneal organs (see next slide)
 Superior lumbar region of posterior abdominal wall
 Lateral surface is convex
 Medial surface is concave
 Hilus* is cleft: vessels, ureters and nerves enter and leave
 Adrenal glands* lie superior to each kidney
(the yellow blob in pic)

*
*

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 Note layers of
adipose (fat),
capsule, fascia

Transverse sections
show retroperitoneal
position of kidneys

Note also:
liver, aorta
muscles on CT

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 Kidney has two regions
 Cortex: outer
 Columns of cortex divide medulla into “pyramids”
 Medulla: inner
 Darker, cone-shaped medullary or renal pyramids
 Parallel bundles of urine-collecting tubules

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 The human kidney has lobes
 Pyramid and cortical tissue surrounding it
 5-11 per kidney
 Renal pelvis (=basin)
 Expanded, funnel shaped, superior part of ureter
 Renal Pelvis divides into branches to form two or three major calices.
 Each of these divides again, minor calices: collect urine from papillae of
pyramids

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 The Arteries
Aorta gives off right and left renal arteries
Renal arteries divides into 5 segmental arteries as enters hilus
of kidney
Segmentals branch into
lobar arteries
Lobars divide into
interlobars
Interlobars into arcuate in
junction of medulla and
cortex
Arcuates send interlobular
arteries into cortex
Cortical radiate arteries
give rise to glomerular
arterioles 11
 Vasculature of the kidney

 The glomerular capillary bed is unusual in

having afferent arterioles and efferent arterioles
(going both to it and away from it), instead of a
vein going away as most

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 Uriniferous tubule is the main structural and
functional unit

More than a million of these

tubules act together to form the
urine

Three main mechanisms

a. Glomerular filtration
b. Tubular reabsorption
c. Tubular secretion

Two major parts of Uriniferous

tubule
1. A urine-forming nephron
2. A collecting duct which
concentrates urine by removing
water from it

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 Outline
 Uriniferous tubule (anatomical unit for forming
urine)
 Nephron
 Renal corpuscle (in cortex)
– Glomerulus (tuft of capillaries)
– Glomerular (Bowman’s) capsule
 Tubular section
– Proximal convoluted tubule
– Loop of Henle
» Thick and thin
» Ascending and descending
– Distal convoluted tubule
 Collecting duct 14
Understand at least this much:
Filtration
a. Fluid is squeezed out of
the glomerular capillary
bed
Resorption
b. Most nutrients, water
and essential ions are
returned to the blood of
the peritubular
capillaries
Secretion
c. Moves additional
undesirable molecules
into tubule from blood of
peritubular capillaries
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 Uriniferous tubule (anatomical unit for forming urine)
Nephron
Renal corpuscle (in cortex)
Glomerulus (tuft of

Nephron
capillaries)
Glomerular (Bowman’s)
capsule
Tubular section
 Renal corpuscle Proximal convoluted tubule
Loop of Henle
 Tubular section Collecting duct
Distal convoluted tubule

 Renal corpuscle: only in

cortex
 Tuft of capillaries called
glomerulus
 Surrounded by cup-shaped,
hollow glomerular
(Bowman’s) capsule
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(refer to this
pic as we go)

-------------------Visceral
layer of
capsule has
podocytes
 Unusual branching
epithelial cells
 Foot processes with
slit processes
between them
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Scanning EM of podocytes clinging to
capillaries (left) and filtration membrane
diagram (right) The capillary pores (fenestrations)
restrict the passage of the largest
elements such as blood cells
The basement membrane and slit
diaphragm hold back all but the smallest
proteins while letting through small
molecules such as water, ions, glucose,
amino acids, and urea

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 Uriniferous tubule (anatomical unit for forming urine)
Nephron

Nephron Renal corpuscle (in cortex)

Glomerulus (tuft of capillaries)
Glomerular (Bowman’s) capsule
Tubular section
Proximal convoluted tubule
Loop of Henle

 Renal corpuscle Collecting duct

Distal convoluted tubule

 Tubular section
(processes the filtrate)

 Proximal convoluted
tubule
 Loop of Henle
 Distal convoluted
tubule

(ends by joining
collecting duct) 19
 Uriniferous tubule (anatomical unit for forming urine)

Proximal convoluted
Nephron
Renal corpuscle (in cortex)
Glomerulus (tuft of capillaries)
Glomerular (Bowman’s) capsu
tubule Tubular section
Proximal convoluted tubule
Loop of Henle

 Confined to renal
Distal convoluted tubule
Collecting duct

cortex
 Cuboidal
epithelial cells
with long
microvilli. *
 Reabsorption of
water, ions and
solutes

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 Uriniferous tubule (anatomical unit for forming urine)
Nephron
Renal corpuscle (in cortex)

Loop of Henle Glomerulus (tuft of capillaries)

Glomerular (Bowman’s) capsule
Tubular section
Proximal convoluted tubule
Loop of Henle
Distal convoluted tubule
 Descending limb Collecting duct

 Thin segment

 Thick ascending
limb

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 Uriniferous tubule (anatomical unit for forming urine)
Nephron
Renal corpuscle (in cortex)

Distal convoluted tubule Glomerulus (tuft of capillaries

Glomerular (Bowman’s) caps
Tubular section
Proximal convoluted tubule
Loop of Henle
Distal convoluted tubule
 Confined to the Collecting duct

renal cortex
 Simple cuboidal
epithelium
 Selective
secretion and
reabsorption of
ions

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Classes of
nephrons

 Cortical nephrons
 85% of all
nephrons
 Almost entirely
within cortex
 Juxtamedullary
nephrons
 Renal corpuscles
near cortex-
medulla junction
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Uriniferous tubule (anatomical unit for forming urine)
Nephron
Renal corpuscle (in cortex)
Glomerulus (tuft of capillaries)
Glomerular (Bowman’s) capsule
Tubular section
Proximal convoluted tubule
Loop of Henle
Distal convoluted tubule
Collecting duct

Collecting Ducts Collecting Duct

 Each receives
urine from
several
nephrons
 Run straight
through cortex
into the deep
medulla 24
 Uriniferous tubules
1. Nephron
2. Collecting ducts

Collecting Ducts

 At papilla of
pyramid* ducts join
* to form larger
papillary ducts
 Empty into minor
calices
 Role: conserve
body fluids 25
The collecting ducts
 The most important role is to conserve body
fluids
 When the body must conserve water, the
posterior pituitary gland secretes ADH
(antidiuretic hormone)
 ADH increases the permeability of the collecting
tubules and distal tubules to water so more is
reabsorbed
 This decreases the total volume of urine
 Alcohol inhibits the release of ADH, so less
water is reabsorbed producing copious amounts
of dilute urine (can cause dehydration)
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 Vessels
 Afferent and efferent arterioles associated with glomerular capillaries
 Allows high pressure for forcing filtrate out of blood
 About 20% of renal plasma flow is filtered each minute (125 ml/min): this is the
glomerular filtration rate (GFR), an important clinical measure of renal function  
 This is about one liter every 8 minutes (only 1% ends up as urine)
 Peritubular capillaries arise from efferent arterioles
 Absorb solutes and water from tubule cells

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(vessels, continued)
The Vasa recta
____vasa recta
The Vasa recta is a
portion of the
peritubular capillary
system which enters the
medulla where the
solute concentration in
the interstitium is high.
It acts with the loop of
Henle to concentrate
the urine by a complex
mechanism of counter
current exchange using
urea. If the vasa recta
did not exist, the high
concentration of solutes
in the medullary
interstitium would be
washed out.
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Histology

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 Juxtaglomerular apparatus
 Regulation of blood pressure
 Granule (jg cells) – modified muscle cells secreting renin in response to
falling blood pressure in afferent arteriole
 Macula densa – chemoreceptors which secrete renin if solute concentration
falls

Renin-
angiotensin
mechanism:
Sequence of
reactions resulting
in aldosterone
secretion from
adrenal cortex:
increases sodium
resorption from
distal convoluted
tubules: water
follows, blood
volume increases
and blood pressure
increases
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For studying

Parts of the kidney:

1. Renal pyramid
2. Efferent vessel
3. Renal artery
4. Renal vein
5. Renal hilum
6. Renal pelvis
7. Ureter
8. Minor calyx
9. Renal capsule
10. Inferior renal capsule
11. Superior renal capsule
12. Afferent vessel
13. Nephron
14. Minor calyx
15. Major calyx
16. Renal papilla
17. Renal column
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The Ureters
 Slender tubes about
25 cm (10 “) long
leaving each renal
pelvis
 One for each kidney
carrying urine to the
bladder
 Enter posterolateral
corners of bladder
 This oblique entry
helps prevent backflow
of urine

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Three basic layers Ureters play an active
 Transitional epithelium role in transporting urine
of mucosa stretches (it’s not just by gravity)
when ureters fill
 Muscularis
 Inner longitudinal, outer
circular layers
 Inferior 3rd with extra
longitudinal layer)
 Stimulated to contract
when urine in ureter:
peristaltic waves to
propel urine to bladder
 Adventitia (external)
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 Urinary Bladder  Collapsible
muscular sac
 Stores and expels
urine
 Lies on pelvic floor
posterior to pubic
symphysis
 Males: anterior to
rectum
 Females: just
anterior to the
vagina and uterus
See also brief atlas
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 If full: bladder is spherical and extends into
abdominal cavity (holds about 500 ml)
 If empty: bladder lies entirely within pelvis with
shape like upside-down pyramid
 Urine is excreted from the bladder via the urethra
 Trigone is inside area between ureters and
urethra: prone to infection (see slide 38)

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Bladder wall has three layers (same as ureters)
 Mucosa with distensible transitional epithelium and
lamnia propria (can stretch)
 Thick muscularis called the detrusor muscle
 3 layers of highly intermingled smooth muscle
 Squeezes urine out
 Fibrous adventitia

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 The Urethra
 Smooth muscle with inner mucosa
 Changes from transitional through stages to stratified squamous near end
 Drains urine out of the bladder and body
 Male: about 20 cm (8”) long
 Female: 3-4 cm (1.5”) long
 Short length is why females have more urinary tract infections than males -
ascending bacteria from stool contamination

urethra

Urethra____
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 Urethral sphincters
 Internal: involuntary sphincter of smooth muscle
 External: skeletal muscle inhibits urination voluntarily
until proper time (levator anni muscle also helps
voluntary constriction)

Males: urethra has

three regions (see
right) _________trigone

1. Prostatic urethra__________

2. Membranous urethra____

3. Spongy or penile urethra_____ female

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With all the labels

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 Micturition
AKA:
 Voiding
 Urinating
 Emptying the bladder

(See book for diagram

explanation p 701)

KNOW:
Micturition center of brain:
pons
(but heavily influenced by
higher centers)
Parasympathetic: to void
Sympathetic: inhibits
micturition
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