urinary system
• The urinary system is composed of the kidneys, ureters, urinary bladder, and urethra. Its
main function is the production, storage, and expulsion of urine.
• Kidney
• Kidneys have several functions:
• Excretion - elimination of water-soluble metabolic wastes and foreign substances as urine
• Regulation - maintain an appropriate fluid volume and concentrations of various
electrolytes in the body fluids, maintain normal blood pressure, and maintain the pH of
blood
• Endocrine - secretion of hormones
– Renin - regulation of blood pressure
– Erythropoietin - stimulates production of red blood cells
– Vitamin D - regulation of calcium levels
– The nephron is the functional unit of the kidney. Each nephron includes a filter (renal
corpuscle), and a single, long tubule (renal tubule) through which the filtrate passes
before emerging as urine.
– Each nephron is supported by a thin layer of connective tissue
• Urine is unchanged after it leaves the kidney.
• Kidneys filter blood and produce urine.
• Unlike the human kidney which is multilobed (10 to 12 lobes) separated by renal columns
(cortical tissue that extends alongside the margin of pyramids in the medulla).
Kidney (Nephron)
The nephron is the structural and
functional unit of the kidney.
Cortex - darker outer region.
Renal Corpuscles – spherical
structures that form ultrafiltrate
from blood.
Bowman's Capsule - encloses the
glomerulus.
oParietal Layer - simple squamous
epithelium that lines the outer wall
of the capsule.
oVisceral Layer - podocytes cover
the glomerular capillaries. These
cells have large ovoid nuclei.
oBowman's Space - the space
between the parietal and visceral
layers that receives the ultrafiltrate.
Kidney (Nephron)
Glomerulus - blood flowing
through a capillary network (or
tuft) undergoes filtration to produce
the ultrafiltrate.
o Glomerular Capillaries - supplied
by an afferent arteriole and drained
by an efferent arteriole.
o Podocytes - cover the surface of the
glomerular capillaries and form
narrow (~25 nm) filtration slits.
These cells have large ovoid nuclei.
o Mesangial Cells - large cells with
irregularly shaped nuclei that have
phagocytic and contractile
function.
Vascular Pole - where the afferent
and efferent arterioles enter and
exit the glomerulus.
Urinary Pole - where the
ultrafiltrate exits Bowman's space
Kidney (Nephron)
Proximal Convoluted Tubule -
begins from the urinary pole of a
renal corpuscle.
Simple cuboidal to columnar
epithelium with an irregular, often
stellate shaped lumen.
Eosinophilic - stain a darker pink
than the distal tubules and ducts.
7x the number of profiles as distal
tubules
Distal Convoluted Tubule - empty
into a collecting tubule.
• Seen in cross-section in the cortex
because of their tortuous or
convoluted course.
• Similar in morphology to distal
straight tubule.
• Neutral staining - lightly stained
compared to eosinophilic, proximal
convoluted and straight tubules.
• Profiles less frequent than proximal
convoluted tubules (7:1)
Kidney (Nephron)
Thin Descending and Ascending
Limbs (of Henle's Loop) -
continuation of proximal straight
tubule within the medulla that makes
a hairpin turn and returns to the
cortex.
• Seen in cross-section in the medulla.
• Simple squamous epithelium.
Proximal Straight Tubule (Thick
Descending Limb of Henle's Loop)
- descends from the cortex into the
medulla.
• Seen as longitudinal sections in
medullary rays and cross-section in
the medulla.
• Similar in morphology to proximal
convoluted tubule.
Kidney (Nephron)
Distal Straight Tubule (Thick
Ascending Limb of Henle's Loop) -
continuation of the thin ascending
limb that ascends from the medulla
to the cortex.
• Seen as longitudinal sections within
medullary rays and in cross-
section in the medulla.
• Simple cuboidal epithelium with an
uniform lumen and indistinct
boundaries between cells.
• Neutral staining - lightly stained
compared to eosinophilic, proximal
convoluted and straight tubules.
Macula Densa - tightly packed cells
where the distal straight tubule
contacts the afferent arteriole of the
vascular pole of the renal corpuscle.
Kidney (Nephron)
Collecting Ducts - drain urine from
the nephrons.
• Collecting Ducts - convey urine
from nephrons to collecting ducts
within medullary rays.
• Collecting ducts drain into a minor
calyx at the apex of a renal pyramid.
• Simple cuboidal to columnar
epithelium with well-defined
boundaries between cells.
• Duct cells are lightly stained.
Kidney
Cortical Labyrinths - regions
between renal corpuscles and medullary
rays that contain proximal and distal
convoluted tubules.
Medullary Rays - projections
of tubules between the cortex and
medulla that contains straight
tubules and collecting ducts.
Medulla - lighter inner region.
Pyramids - equal to the number
of lobes and form conical
structures whose base faces the
cortex and their apex form
the renal papilla.
Urine passes through the minor
calyx which is cup-shaped
structure that is an extension of
the renal pelvis.
Kidney
Renal Pelvis - funnel-shaped
origin of the ureter.
Arcuate Arteries - branches of
interlobular arteries that form an
arcade over the pyramids at the
junction of the cortex and
medulla.
Hilum - concave surface with a
deep fissure in which vessels
enter and exit the kidney.
Kidney
Capsule
Cortex
Medulla
Pelvis
Hilus
Glomerulus
Capillaries
Basement membrane
Bowman’s capsule
Urinary pole
Vascular pole
Macula densa
PCT
DCT
Loop of Henle
Collecting tubules
Vasa rectae (in the
virtual slide of cat
kidney)
R Papillary PST & DST
R Pelvis
CT Hilum Of Kid
Medulla- Henle Loop
Medulla - Henle Loob Thin Descending
Thick Segment
& Ascending Limb
Interlobular Vessels Arcuate Artery
Bladder
Bladder is an expandable vessel for the
storage of urine.
It is lined with an epithelium that is
impermeable to water and ions.
Like the ureters, the bladder is
composed of four concentric layers.
Transitional
Epithelium (Urothelium) - consists of
three to five cell layers.
o Umbrella Cells - the upper layer
of cells that change shape
depending on the distention of the
bladder.
Lamina Propria - thick layer of dense
irregular connective tissue rich in
collagen and elastic fibers.
Bladder
Muscularis Externa - irregular
arranged smooth muscle that forms
an inner longitudinal, middle
circular and outer longitudinal layers.
Outer Layer of Connective Tissue -
most of the bladder is covered
externally by adventitia with parts of
its superior surface covered by serosa
of the peritoneum.
Adventitia - loose connective tissue
with blood vessels, nerves and adipose
cells.
Serosa - composed of a surface layer
of mesothelium supported by loose
irregular connective tissue.
Urinary Bladder
Epithelium
(Compare Stretched Versus Relaxed)
Smooth Muscle (Plexiform Arrangement)
Ct & Blood Vessels
