Urinary System

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PowerPoint designed by fellow student J.H.

A few extras were added by me.
 Urinary (Renal) System
• Remove cellular waste from blood and transport the wastes to outside the
body
• Included organs: 2 kidneys, 2 ureters,1 urinary bladder (transitional
epithelium) and 1 urethra

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 Kidneys
• Located on either side of vertebral column, high on posterior wall of
abdominal cavity
• Right is slightly lower than left
• Retroperitoneal - behind the parietal peritoneum
- held by adipose (Renal Fat) and connective tissue (Renal Fascia)

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 Structures of Kidneys
• Renal sinus - hollow with renal papillae
• Renal pelvis - ureter expands to create this
– Contains major calyx and minor calyx ( one pyramid drains to minor)

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 Layers of Kidney
• Medulla
- inner layer
- contains pyramids, papillae and pores
• Cortex
- outer layer (next to capsule)
- contains columns (between pyramids)

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 Functions of Kidneys
• Remove metabolic wastes from the blood
- Proteins, Formed Elements
• Regulate RBC by Erythropoetin
• Regulate BP by secreting Renin from Juxtaglomerular cells
• Regulate blood volume, composition, calcium ion absorption, and pH

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 Blood supply of Kidney
• Renal artery - branches to
- interlobar
- arciform
- interlobular arteries
- afferent arterioles
• Efferent arterioles - turn into
- peritublar capillaries
- vasa recta
• Venous system - blood returns through a series of vessels that correspond
to the arterial pathways to inferior vena cava

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 Nephrons
• Nephrons are the functional units of the kidneys
• One million per kidney (approximately)
• Types:
– Cortical- most numerous, corpuscles near the surface of the kidney
– Juxtamedullary- corpuscles near the medulla and the loops dip down
deeper

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 Renal corpuscle
• Contains :
– Glomerulus- ball of blood capillaries
– Glomerular (Bowman’s) capsule - 2 layers simple squamous
epithelium
• Visceral layer – sticks to glomerulus
- contains cells called podocytes (slit pores)
• Parietal layer

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 Renal Tubules
• Proximal convoluted tubule (simple cuboidal epithelium)
• Nephron loop (Loop of Henle)
- Descending Limb
- Ascending Limb
• Distal convoluted tubule
• Collecting duct - empties into the minor calyces of the renal pelvis
- DCT and CD are impermeable to water without ADH
- DCT and CD are impermeable to Na+ without aldosterone
• Juxtaglomerular Apparatus - Located at pt of contact b/n DCT and the
afferent and efferent arterioles
Cells Present:
- Macula Densa
- Juxtaglomerular cells
- Renin secretion – tells hypothalamus to release ADH

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 Blood supply of a nephron
• Afferent arteriole - brings blood to glomerulus
• Glomerulus - under high pressure (filtration here)
• Efferent arteriole - gives rise to peritubular capillary system
- Surrounds renal tubule (low pressure)
• Peritubular capillary
• Vasa recta - capillary loops down into medulla
• Veins - receive blood from vasa recta

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 Urine Formation
• Urine = Glomerular filtrate - renal absorption + renal secretion
• Glomerular filtration - substances filtered out of blood in glomerular capillaries into
the capusle called FILTRATE-125mL of glomerular fluid/min- most is reabsorbed
• Filtrate- similar to interstitial fluid
• Glomerular capillaries are more permeable than others
• Filtration pressure: hydrostatic pressure pushes out of blood, osmotic in blood and
hyrdo of capsule pushes back into blood
• Filtration rate: due to hydrostatic pressure in glomerular capillaries and varies with
rate of blood flow through glomerulus
– Varies with diameter of arterioles* decrease in afferent decreases gfr; a decrease
in efferent increases gfr
– Osmotic pressure goes up in glomerulus rate goes down
– Hydrostatic pressure in glomerular capsule goes up gfr goes down
• Regulation of gfr- mostly constant- increase in sympathetic nerve activity decreases
gfr
• Autoregulation: ability of an organ or tissue to maintain constant blood flow
• BP up GFR down
• Fluid volume up GFR up
• BP down and NaCl down JG appartus secretes renin

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 Maintaining of Na
• Vasoconstriction
• Aldosterone secretion - increases Na absorption and H20 in dct and cd
• ADH secretion increases water absorption in DCT and CD
• Thirst center in hypothalamus stimulated
• All causing BP to go up
– ANP from stretching of right atrium of heart causes GFR to go up and
increases Na and H20 excretion by the kidneys = lowering BP

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 Tubular Reabsorption
• Substances are selectively reabsorbed from filtrate and go to peritubular
capillaries kept in the body (Na actively reabsorbed)
• Peritubular Capillaries- permeable contents under low pressure
- PCT - Most reabsorption occurs here due to microvilli
a) Glucose - secondary active transport as Na is reabsorbed
b) amino acids - secondary active transport as Na is reabsorbed
c) water - osmosis
d) proteins - pinocytosis (cell drinking)
e) Na actively reabsorbed and water and – charged ions follow
All substances reabsorbed by active and secondary active transport have
thresholds that will spill over to urine when reached.

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 Tubular Reabsorption 2
• Nephron loop - regulates urine concentration and volume this depends on
movement of Na.
- Na ions are concentrated in medulla by counterconcurrent
mechanism
- Cl- is pumped out by ascending limb Na follows
- NaCl in medulla draws water out of descending limb
- NaCl reenters loop in descending limb pumped out by ascending
limb
- NaCl concentration in medulla is maintained by vasa recta
- NaCl moving in/out of loop keeps us from losing too much H20 in
our urine
• Filter out 180 liters of urine but only urinate 2 liters per day

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 Tubular Reabsorption 3
• DCT and Collecting Duct
– impermeable to water unless ADH is present
– Impermeable to Na unless aldosterone is present
• Urea – Non polar by product of amino acid metabolism. It crosses by simple
diffusion. 50% is excreted in urine. The most abundant solute in urine.
• Uric Acid - from the metabolism of nucleic acids, it’s reabsorbed by active
transport.

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 Tubular Secretion
• Substances pumped into filtrate
– H+ - secreted so pH is often acidic, secreted by active transport in
proximal and distal tubules. This is the only way to get H+ out of body.
– K+ - secreted passively in distal tubule and CD due to electrical
attraction of – charges in the lumen of the tubule.

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 Urine
• 95% water
• Urea – main solute, forms from amino acid breakdown
• Uric Acid – forms from nucleic breakdown
• Creatinine - from creatine phosphate (energy molecule in skeletal muscles)
• Other stuff varies due to diet:
– Food coloring
– Oil
– Ketones from lipid metabolism
– Ions
– Amino Acids

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 Ureters
• Ureters - tubular organ extending from each kidney to bladder
– Wall has mucous, muscular, and fibrous layers
• Muscular layer allows for peristalsis forcing urine to bladder
– Enters into bladder through the back of the trigone in the bladder ( this
area is not transitional/ not stretchy)

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 Urinary bladder
• Distensible organ stores urine and forces it into urethra
• Openings of urethra and ureters are located in the three angles of the trigone
• Mucosa layer - transitional epithelial tissue
• Muscular layer - forms detrusor muscle which forms internal urethral
sphincter
• Micturition - process of urinating
– Contraction of detrusor muscle and relaxation of external urethral sphincter
• Reflex:
– Stretch receptors stimulated by distension of bladder wall
– Reflex center in sacral portion of spinal cord send parasympathetic impulses to
detrusor muscle to relax and urinate
– Increased pressure in bladder opens internal urethral sphincter
– 2nd reflex opens external sphincter unless voluntarily controlled
– Nerve centers in brain stem and cerebral cortex also control urination

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 Urethra and dialysis
• Urethra - carries urine to outside
– Smaller in females empties between labia minora
– 3 parts in males: prostatic, membranous, penile. Conveys products of
reproductive organs and empties at tip of penis.
• Dialysis
– CAPD - Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis. Solution put into
abdomen and after several hours it contains substances normally
excreted in urine. Fluid is removed and replaced
– Hemodialysis - blood flows through machine. Waste products leave the
blood and enter the machine through diffusion

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 Diseases
• Polycystic
• Glomerulonephritis
• Glucosuria – glucose in the urine
• Nephrotic Syndrome
• Cancer
• Stones

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 Thanks!
A big thank you to my fellow
Anatomy and Physiology
students who provided pictures,
support, and study help.

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