Experiment (10):

Urinary System
 Structure and Function
The Urinary System Bladder Kidneys
•Also called the excretory
system

•Maintains water balance Urinary System

•Removes waste products
from the blood by excreting
them in the urine Urethra Ureters

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 Kidneys
Kidneys
Kidneys
The kidneys are bean-shaped organs located in the retroperitoneal
portion of the abdominal cavity on either side of the vertebral
column.

Two Primary Functions

•To form urine for excretion
•To retain essential substances the body needs in the process
called reabsorption

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 Urinary Bladder
Urinary bladder Urinary Bladder
Ureter
•Hollow, muscular organ that stores urine
•Sphincter muscles hold the urine in place
•Holds 300 to 400 milliliters of urine before
emptying
•Walls contain epithelial tissue that stretch to
allow the bladder to hold twice its capacity
Prostate
gland

Urethra

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 Structure and
Blood
Flow
•Blood Function
flows through the
Glomeruli glomerulus at a constant rate.

•Each glomerulus is surrounded

by a capsule known as Bowman’s
Urine capsule.
Flow
•Blood then passes into the renal
tubules where some substances
are reabsorbed and the
remaining become urine.

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Each kidney consists of one million functional
units: Nephron

Nephron structure

A) Glomerulus
B) Glomerular Capsule
C) Renal Tubule
 Proximal convoluted tubule
 Loop of Henle
Distal convoluted tubule
D) Collecting Duct
Renal corpuscles
 Spherical structure and varies in size among species.
 Comprises of Glomerulus and Bowman’s capsule.
 The glomerulus is a network of blood capillaries tucked into the bowman
'capsule.
 The glomerular capillaries are lined by an extremely thin layer of
fenestrated endothelium.
 Beneath the endothelium is the Glomerular basement membrane (GBM).
 The GBM is made up of collagen fibers, heparan sulfate and glycoproteins.
 Bowman’s capsule comprises of visceral and parietal layer.
 Parietal layer is lined by simple squamous epithelium.
 Glomeruli

Renal
corpuscles

Distal
convoluted
tubules

Proximal
convoluted
tubules

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Renal corpuscles
 Nucleus

Simple squamous
epithelium
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 Renal
corpuscle Glomerulus

Proximal
convoluted
tubule

Distal
convoluted
tubule

Glomerular
capsule

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Proximal Tubules:
 Lining epithelium is simple cuboidal with brush border.

 The brush border appearance is due to numerous microvilli on the apical

cell membrane of cuboidal cells.

 Nucleus is single, spherical and situated in the middle to basal part of the
cell.

 The cuboidal cells have eosinophilic granular cytoplasm.

 The lumen is small and uneven

A proximal convoluted tubule (PCT) with its large cuboidal cells presenting a brush
border formed by numerous microvilli.
proximal convoluted tubule cells. The apical surfaces of these cuboidal
cells have abundant microvilli constituting a brush border. Note the
distribution of mitochondria and associated basilar in foldings of the
cell membrane
Loop of Henle:
 The Thin limb has simple squamous epithelium that gradually changes to
low cuboidal at the end of the thin segment.

 The Thick ascending limb has simple cuboidal epithelium with stuby
apical microprojections and undualating cell borders.

 No brush border.
Loop of Henle:
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Distal Convoluted Tubule:
 The lining epithelium is tall
cuboidal without any brush border
(microvilli are absent).

 The lumen appears larger in DCT

as compared to PCT
 Collecting duct
Distal convoluted tubules

Proximal convoluted
tubule
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 Collecting ducts:

 The lining epithelium is simple

cuboidal.

 Two collecting ducts consisting of

cuboidal cells resting on a
basement membrane. In this region
of the kidney, because of the action
of the antidiuretic hormone, water
is reabsorbed, controlling the water
balance of the body.
 Juxtaglomerular Apparatus:

 Adjacent to the renal corpuscle, the tunica media of the afferent

arteriole has modified smooth muscle cells. These cells are called
juxtaglomerular (JG) cells and have a cytoplasm full of secretory
granules.

 Secretions of JG cells play a role in the maintenance of blood pressure.

Ureter:
 The lumen of ureter is stellate shaped and the wall comprises of
following layers from inside outwards:

 Tunica mucosa- the lining epithelium is transitional epithelium.

Beneath the epithelium is lamina propria.

 Tunica muscularis- upper 2/3rd of the ureter is made of two layers of

smooth muscle cells.

 Tunica serosa/ adventitia- made of fibrous connective tissue..

Ureter:
Urinary Bladder:

 The histological details of urinary bladder is same as that of the ureter

except that:

 The lamina muscularis is present as small isolated bundles of smooth

muscles.

 The tunica muscularis is thick .

 Rest of the features are same