URINARY SYSTEM

ATA R 11 H U M A N B I O L O G Y
SYLLABUS POINTS
 The excretory system regulates the chemical composition of body fluids
by removing metabolic wastes and regulating water, salts, and nutrients
(regulatory processes not required)

• the nephrons in the kidney facilitate three basic processes filtration,

reabsorption and secretion during urine formation to maintain the composition of
body fluids (hormone control is not required)

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
• State the names of major structures in the urinary system
• Identify the functions of the urinary system and describe how
specific structures and their components achieve this function
• Describe the process of urine production
STRUCTURE OF THE URINARY SYSTEM
AND THE KIDNEY
FUNCTION OF THE URINARY SYSTEM
Function of the urinary system
1. To rid the body of wastes, especially
nitrogenous wastes such as urea
2. To regulate the balance of fluid, salt and
pH

• It achieves these outcomes by filtering the

blood as it passes through the kidneys
STRUCTURE OF THE URINARY SYSTEM
The major structural components of the urinary
system are:
• Kidneys x2
• Urinary bladder x1
• Ureters x2
• Urethra x1
 BLOOD SUPPLY TO
THE KIDNEY
• Oxygenated blood in
– Abdominal aorta feeds blood to the left and right
renal artery

• Deoxygenated blood out

– The left and right renal vein feed blood to the
inferior vena cava

• Receives ~ quarter of the blood from the left side of

the heart.
• Approx. 1.2 L of blood pass through the two kidneys
every minute.
 THE EXTERIOR OF THE KIDNEY
The Renal Artery
The Renal Capsule
• Transports blood into the
• The outer covering of
kidney
the kidney

The Renal Vein The Ureter

• Tube that urine is
• Transports blood leaving
transported in that connects
the kidney
the kidney and the bladder
RENAL CAPSULE
Structure:
• The renal capsule is a thin membrane that covers the outer
surface of each kidney
• Made of tough fibers, chiefly collagen and elastin (fibrous
proteins)
• The renal capsule is covered in a layer of perirenal fat
known as the adipose capsule of the kidney
– This is assists in protecting the kidney from injury
Function:
• The function of the renal capsule is to support and protect
the kidney tissue from injury
INSIDE THE KIDNEY
Layers of the Kidney:
• The kidney is enclosed by the renal capsule
(previous slide)
• Under this is the outer renal cortex
– Between the renal capsule & medulla
• renal medulla
– Contains 8-12 renal pyramids
• Renal pyramids are separated by renal
columns where blood vessels lie
• Then the renal pelvis sits on the concave side
of the kidney
– Where urine collects and is funneled into the
ureter (connective tube for urine between the
kidney and bladder)
• The renal hilum lies on the concave surface of
the kidney
– where the vessels enter and leave.
Each kidney has

- 8 to 12 pyramids
which are made up of
collecting ducts

- calyces which collect

urine from the
collecting duct
Image: http://lynlaukimdak.wikispaces.com/12.+Urology
STRUCTURE OF THE NEPHRON
& PRODUCTION OF URINE
 NEPHRON (STRUCTURE)
• The nephron is a structure Distal convoluted
tubule
within the renal pyramid
• The functional unit of the
kidneys is the nephron Glomerulus
Renal
with 3 main functions: Glomerular
corpuscle
Capsule
1. Filtration
2. Reabsorption Proximal
3. Secretion convoluted tubule

Collecting duct

Loop of Henle

• Each kidney contains

approximately one million
nephrons
BLOOD SUPPLY TO THE NEPHRON
• The renal artery supplies blood to the

afferent arteriole to the glomerulus

• There the blood is filtered

• The efferent arteriole leaves the

glomerulus

• The afferent arteriole has a wider diameter

than the efferent arteriole

• This increases resistance to the flow

of blood and produces a higher

pressure in the glomerulus

PRODUCTION OF URINE
• The production of urine by the
nephrons of the kidney involves three
major processes

1. Glomerular filtration

2. Selective reabsorption

3. Secretion by the tubules

1. GLOMERULUS
FILTRATION ANATOMY
Blood vessels:
• Afferent arteriole (Supplies blood to the glomerulus)
• Efferent arteriole (Collects unfiltered blood from the glomerulus)
• Glomerulus
– is a network of capillaries
– One cell thick wall
• has a differently permeable membrane.
The renal corpuscle includes:
• The glomerulus
• This means it is selective in what it allows in and out, it will only allow small
material through
• Glomerular capsule

Structures of Nephron:
• Glomerular Capsule
– Collects filtrate from glomerulus
– One cell thick wall
• Proximal convoluted tubule
– Filtrates moves here next from the glomerular capsule to the loop of henle
 GLOMERULUS CAPSULE
1. GLOMERULUS FILTRATION ANATOMY

• Formally called bowman’s capsule. Will accept either.

Function:
• Performs the first step in the filtration of blood to form urine.
• Holds the glomerulus which supplies blood for the kidney to
filter.

Structure:
• Podocytes
– Lining the glomerulus capsule are specialised cells called
podocytes
– These cells have finger-like extensions that wrap around the
capillaries of the glomerulus
– The spaces between the “fingers” are filtration slits
– Play an active role in preventing plasma proteins from
entering the filtrate
1. GLOMERULAR FILTRATION The first step of urine production is glomerular
filtration.

Glomerular filtration
• the process where blood is ‘filtered’ to create a
fluid called filtrate
• Location: renal corpuscle
• Is enhanced by high blood pressure

Process:
1. Blood enters the the glomerulus,
2. high pressure forces water and dissolved
blood components through the glomerular
capsule
– difference in pressure between the capillaries
and tissues
1. GLOMERULAR FILTRATION
FILTRATE
Filtrate is the fluid produced in glomerular filtration
• In healthy people it consists of materials present in
blood except:
– red blood cells and white blood cells
• too large to cross the differently permeable
membrane of the glomerulus. The materials present in the filtrate
include:
– 20% of plasma gets filtered into the glomerulus • Water
• Salts
capsule. • Amino acids
• Complete filtration of plasma can not occur • Fatty acids
• Glucose
– as the blood is continuously being pushed past • Urea
by the blood behind it • Uric acid
• Creatinine
– and the podocyte cell structure lining the • Hormones
glomerulus capsule • Toxins
• Various ions
BLOOD VESSELS IN THE RENAL
– After the blood vessels have
formed the glomerulus they unite
to form the efferent arteriole.
which passes out of the renal
corpuscle.

– Breaks into a second capillary

network: peritubular capillaries,
which surrounds the kidney tubule
so materials can be reabsorbed
into the blood.
2. REABSORPTION ANATOMY The renal tubule is a long and convoluted
structure that emerges from the glomerulus
and can be divided into three parts based on
function.
1. proximal convoluted tubule (PCT) –
– due to its proximity to the glomerulus;
– it stays in the renal cortex.
– Maximum reabsorption
– Lined with simple cuboidal epithelium
2. The second part is called the loop of
Henle, because it forms a loop (with
descending and ascending limbs) that
goes through the renal medulla.
3. The third part of the renal tubule is called
the distal convoluted tubule (DCT) and
this part is also restricted to the renal
cortex.
2. REABSORPTION ANATOMY
PROXIMAL CONVOLUTED TUBULE
• Named due to its proximity to the glomerulus
• it stays in the renal cortex.
• Maximum reabsorption
• Lined with simple cuboidal epithelium
– Microvilli line the proximal tubule and create a brush
border, which greatly increases the surface area for
reabsorption
• PCT is the region of renal tubule where reabsorption of
essential substances like glucose, proteins, amino acids, a
major portion of electrolytes and water takes place.
2. REABSORPTION ANATOMY
LOOP OF HENLE
• Henle’s loop has a descending and an
ascending limb that have different
permeability.
– The descending limb is permeable to water
but impermeable to an electrolyte,
– the ascending limb is permeable to
electrolytes but impermeable to water.
• Since the electrolytes get reabsorbed at the
ascending loop of Henle, the filtrate gets
diluted as it moves towards the ascending
limb. But reabsorption is limited in this
segment.
2. REABSORPTION ANATOMY
DISTAL CONVOLUTED TUBULES (DCT)
• the last part of the nephron,
• connects and empties its contents into collecting
ducts that line the medullary pyramids.
• The collecting ducts collects contents from
multiple nephrons and fuse together as they enter
the papillae of the renal medulla.
• Similar to PCT, DCT also secretes ions such as
hydrogen, potassium, and NH3 into the filtrate
while reabsorbing the HCO3–from the filtrate.
• Conditional reabsorption of sodium ions and
water takes place in DCT. Thus, it maintains the
pH and sodium-potassium level in the blood cells.
2. REABSORPTION PROCESS Many components of plasma that are filtered from the glomerular are useful
to the body and it would not be efficient to excrete them. Therefore
reabsorption is required
• Selective reabsorption (some substances and not others) is required
– Materials are reabsorbed into the peritubular capillaries
– Peritubular capillaries wrap around the convoluted tubules and loop of henle Reabsorption of much of the water
– This process is carried out by the cells that line the renal tube is regulated depending on the
bodies need for water.
• Materials reabsorbed include:
• This called facultative
– water, glucose and amino acids. reabsorption
– Ions such as sodium, potassium, calcium, chloride and bicarbonate • This is an active process
as it requires carrier
– Some wastes such as urea are partially reabsorbed
proteins to assist
• For reabsorption a large surface area is required movement through the
– This is achieved by the: cell membrane
• length of the loop of henle
– Large length of each loop
– Convolutions (bends) of the loop
• large number of nephrons in the kidneys
TRANSPORT TYPES IN URINE PRODUCTION
There are both active and passive
transport through the renal tube.
 3. TUBULAR SECRETION
• Tubular secretion adds substances from the blood to the filtrate
• Can be both active and passive transport depending on substrate moved
• Functions:
– Maintains blood pH
• Body needs to be in a pH range from 7.4-7.5
• Food usually contains many acid-producing foods tend to lower pH
– Therefore the kidneys must remove the excess hydrogen and ammonium ions.

– Maintains urine pH
• Urine is slightly acidic (normally pH 6)

Excretion = Filtration – reabsorption + secretion

FORMATION OF URINE AND THE
STRUCTURE OF THE KIDNEY
The formation of urine is maximized by the structure of the kidney, particularly the nephron, as follows
• The glomerular capsule surrounds the glomerulus to collect the fluid filtered out of the blood capillaries
– There are only two cells for the filtrate to pass through from the blood, one cell from the capillary wall and the other
from the capsule wall
• A large volume of blood passes through each kidney. The continual flow maintains the concentration gradient
• The efferent arteriole leading out of the glomerulus has a smaller diameter than the afferent arteriole leading in.
This raises blood pressure so that the fluid is filtered out of the blood.
• Each tubule has a large surface area for reabsorption and secretion due to each tubule having two sets of
convolutions and a long loop
• Each kidney has over a million nephrons, so the total surface area available for reabsorption and secretion is
extremely large
SUMMARY OF KIDNEY FUNCTION
URINE’S JOURNEY PAST
THE KIDNEYS
• The kidney tubules join into a
collecting duct that opens into the
renal pelvis.
• The renal pelvis
– Funnels urine into the ureter
• Ureter
– A tube that carries urine from the kidney to
the bladder
• Bladder
– Function is storage of urine
• Urethra
– A tube that carries urine from the bladder to
the outside world
TEXTBOOK

• Read the composition of urine section of your human

perspective textbook & take notes
• Complete questions 7.3
• The kidney tubule is lined with epithelial cells
MICROSCOPIC SECTION THROUGH A
KIDNEY