HUMAN EXCRETION

GAGAZA N.M
LESSON OUTCOMES
At the end of the topic learners should know;
• Urinary system-
the structure and
functional unit of the kidney
• Structure of the nephron and functions of each part
Glomerular filtration
Tubular re-absorption
Tubular secretion
• Homeostatic regulations of salt and water content of the blood
• Kidney diseases and treatment
INTRODUCTION
• An accumulation of waste is dangerous to the cells, tissues, organs, systems
and the body as a whole. The human body is designed to effectively remove
waste.
• The removal of waste from the body is referred to as excretion
• Excretion takes place in various organs.
• There will be a detailed focus on the human urinary system and the structure
and functioning of the human kidneys.
• The kidneys are organs that filter the blood, regulate water and salt levels
and play an important role in the control of blood pH levels.
• Kidney functioning can be weakened by diseases, lifestyle choices and
accidental injuries.
• Renal or kidney failure can be effectively treated with dialysis or kidney
transplants which are successfully carried out in many hospitals in South
Africa.
Excretory organ
• In human digestion, carbohydrates, proteins, fats and
vitamins are broken down into their simplest form and
enter the blood stream to be utilized where they are
needed.
• Excretory waste products include CO2, H2O, bile
pigments, urea and mineral salts.
WASTE PRODUCT ORIGIN EXCRETED PRODUCT
LUNGS
Carbon dioxide and water vapour Cellular respiration Carbon dioxide and water vapour
exhaled
SKIN
Mineral salts, urea and water Extracted from the blood Sweat

LIVER
Urea deamination of excess amino
acids
Bile pigment deamination of excess amino Faeces
acids

COLON
bile pigments, excess mineral from the breakdown of Faeces
salts haemoglobin in the liver
KIDNEY
Urea deamination of excess amino
acids in the liver
Mineral salts excess taken in with food Urine
Water excess water consumed and
THE URINARY SYSTEM
• The two kidneys,
• two ureters,
• bladder and
• urethra form the urinary
system.
• The renal blood supply,
including an extensive
network of blood capillaries,
ensures that a steady flow of
blood reaches and leaves
the kidneys.
Main functions of the kidney
• Osmoregulation – regulation of levels of water in body
fluids
• Excretion – removal of nitrogenous waste e.g. urea
• Regulation of pH of body fluids
• Regulation of salt concentration of body fluids
Structure of the kidney
• The kidneys are bean shaped structures that are found half-way down the
back just under the ribcage.
• The kidneys are protected by adipose (fat) tissue and each kidney is
covered by a renal capsule which protects the kidney and its internal
structures from infections
• Blood carrying waste products but rich in oxygen, is taken to the kidneys by
the renal artery which branches off the aorta.
• The blood is filtered by the kidney
• Deoxygenated blood with the waste products removed, leaves the kidney
through the renal vein.
• Ureter, transports urine formed in the kidney to the bladder
• Bladder, stores urine
• Urethra, carries urine to exterior – in males, urine & semen
INTERNAL STRUCTURE OF A KIDNEY
INTERNAL STRUCTURE OF KIDNEYS
• Surrounded by the
connective tissue
membrane, the renal
capsule, for protection
• Directly under the capsule
is a reddish brown region
known as the cortex
• The inner region of the
kidney, the medulla is
lighter in colour and
contain tubes which are
arranged in groups
INTERNAL STUCTURE OF KIDNEYS
• Each group of tubes form the
pyramid, with the broad
base facing the cortex.
• The apex of each pyramid is
known as the renal papilla.
• The tubes in each renal
papilla open into a common
renal calyx
• The renal calyces open into a
widened region of the ureter,
known as the renal pelvis
NEPHRONS
The microscopic structural and
functional unit of the kidney
• Each kidney is made up of about one million small
structures known as nephrons.
• The nephrons are structural and functional units of the
kidney
• Nephrons are microscopic coiled structures made up of
tubes, arterioles, capillaries and ducts.
• Their main function is to filter the blood, regulate the
waste, water and other important substances the body
needs.
The nephron
Label the following parts of the
nephron
Structure and function of the
nephron
content Nephron structure
• The nephron is made up
of two main parts;
The Malpighian body and
The renal tubule
Malpighian body
MALPIGHIAN BODY
• Occurs in the end of the nephron and is
situated in the cortex of the kidney
• Consist of the Bowman’s capsule and a
network of blood capillaries the
glomerulus
• Blood capillaries of the glomerulus are
lined with a single endothelial cells.
• Afferent arteriole transports blood to the
glomerulus and
• Efferent arteriole transport blood away
from the glomerulus
• The Bowman’s capsule inner layer is
made of podocytes with small openings
known as filtration slits
 The renal tubule
• It is a long convoluted tubule located partially
in the cortex and partially in the medulla.
• Consist of the proximal convoluted
tubule, the loop of Henle and the distal
convoluted tubule
• It is lined with a single cuboidal epithelium
• Loop of Henle consist of the descending and
ascending limb
• Distal convoluted tubule opens to the
collecting duct together with other distal
tubules of other nephrons
• Collecting ducts form the pyramid that opens
to the renal calyx of the pelvis
Kidney functions performed by the
nephron
• The formation of urine involves the following:
glomerular filtration or ultrafiltration
tubular re-absorption
tubular secretion
excretion
FUNCTIONIN
G OF THE
NEPHRON
FUNCTIONIN
G OF THE
NEPHRON
 Glomerular filtration
• Glomerular filtration occurs in the Malpighian bodies in the cortex of the kidney.
• Because the diameter of the afferent arteriole is wider that the diameter of the
efferent arteriole, the blood in the glomerulus is under high pressure.
• The thin endothelium with pores lining the blood capillaries of the glomerulus,
together with podocytes with filtration slits of the Bowman’s capsule allow filtration
of the useful substances and waste products.
• The blood cells and plasma proteins are too large to filter and they remain behind
in the capillaries.
• Filtration is promoted by
The high blood pressure in the glomerulus
A large filtration surface
The permeability of the glomerular membrane
Tubular re-absorption
• Useful substances, which passed through the
glomerular membrane during filtration, must ow be
reabsorbed and returned to the bloodstream.
• This process prevents useful substances forming part of
the urine and being excreted.
• The filtrate leaves the Bowman’s capsule and enters the
proximal convoluted tubule.
Reabsorption of useful substances
• As the filtrate moves through the proximal convoluted
tubule, all the glucose, amino acids and water soluble
vitamins are actively reabsorbed into the peritubular
capillary vessels.
• Mineral salts are actively reabsorbed, but only
selectively, as they are needed by the body.
• Approximately 66% of water is passively reabsorbed
by osmosis into the peritubular capilarries.
Reabsorption of water through the
loop of Henle and the distal
convoluted tubule
• The filtrate enters the loop of Henle.
• The function of the loop of Henle is to ensure that the tissue in
the medulla of the kidney always has high sodium concentration
and therefore remains hypertonic. (high in salt and low in water)
• The descending loop of Henle is permeable to water and water
is passively reabsorbed by osmosis.
• Sodium ions are actively pumped out of the ascending loop of
Henle into the tissue fluid of the medulla.
• The process needs energy and is known as sodium pump.
• No water will follow because the ascending loop of Henle is
impermeable to water.
Distal convoluted tubule
reabsorption
• As the filtrate moves through the distal convoluted
tubule, further reabsorption of useful substances occurs.
• Active reabsorption of sodium ions also occurs here, as
well as passive reabsorption of water by osmosis.
• The water is conserved, returned to the blood stream
and not excreted in the urine.
• From the distal convoluted tubule, the filtrate moves to
the collecting duct.
Why is tubular re-absorption
efficient?
• Active transport needs energy.
• Cuboidal epithelial cells lining the tubules have many
mitochondria (site for cellular respiration).
• Microvilli on these same cells increase surface area for
maximum re-absorption.
• The movement of water is by the passive process of
osmosis.
• The fluid in the renal tubule is now called tubular
filtrate.
Tubular excretion
• Tubular secretion involves the active removal of
unnecessary substances from the blood in the
peritubular capillaries into the tubular filtrate in the
distal convoluted tubule.
• The substances removed include:
• Creatinine, ammonia, potassium ions (K+ ), hydrogen
ions (H+ ), sodium ions (Na+ ), bicarbonate ions, drugs
e.g. penicillin
Urine formation
• The filtrate flows into the collecting ducts and is now
called urine
• Several collecting ducts combine and form the ducts of
Bellini, which form renal pyramids that open to the
calyces of the renal pelvis.
• Urine flows through the urethra to the bladder where it
is stored temporarily.
• Urine is transported from bladder to the exterior by
urethra.
REGULATION OF WATER BALANCE OF THE BLOOD
REGULATION OF WATER BALANCE
OF THE BLOOD
• WHEN WATER LEVELS IN THE BLOOD DECREASES BELOW NORMAL
 On a warm day, when a person is very active, sweats a lot or takes in
very little fluid, the water level of the blood decreases.
 Osmoreceptors in the hypothalamus of the brain are stimulated
 Hypothalamus stimulate pituitary gland to secrete more ADH into the
blood.
 More ADH in the blood is transported to kidneys.
 ADH increases permeability of the distal convoluted tubule and the
collecting ducts, making the walls more permeable.
 More water is reabsorbed from the tubules into the surrounding blood
vessels.
 Less water is lost to produce a low volume of concentrated urine.
 The water content of the blood increases and returns to normal.
continuation…
• WHEN WATER LEVELS IN THE BLOOD DECREASES BELOW NORMAL
 On a cold day, when a person is inactive, sweats very little or takes in a lot
of fluids, the water level of the blood increases.
 Osmoreceptors in the hypothalamus of the brain are stimulated
 Hypothalamus sends impulses to the pituitary gland to secrete _____ ADH
into the blood.
 _____ ADH in the blood transported to _______.
 ADH ______ permeability of the distal convoluted tubule and the _______,
making the walls less ______.
 ______ water is reabsorbed from the tubules into the surrounding blood
vessels.
 ____ water is lost to produce a high volume of concentrated urine.
 The water content of the blood ______ and returns to normal.
Regulation of salt content
NEGATIVE FEEDBACK OF THE SALT
CONCENTRATION OF THE BLOOD
• WHEN SALT LEVELS IN THE BLOOD DECREASE BELOW NORMAL
The receptors in the in the afferent and efferent arterioles of the
kidney detects the low salt level
Adrenal gland is stimulated.
More aldosterone is secreted into the blood
Aldosterone is secreted into the blood
Aldosterone stimulates the reabsorption of more sodium ions from
the renal tubules into the surrounding blood capillaries.
Fewer sodium ions are excreted in the urine.
The concentration of sodium ions in the blood increases and
returns to normal.
continuation…
• WHEN SALT LEVELS IN THE BLOOD INCREASE ABOVE NORMAL
The receptors in the in the afferent and efferent arterioles of
the kidney detects the ____ salt level
______ gland is stimulated.
Less ______ is secreted into the blood
_______ stimulates the reabsorption of more sodium ions from
the renal tubules into the surrounding blood capillaries.
Fewer _______ are excreted in the urine.
The concentration of sodium ions in the blood and returns to
normal.
enkosi