ANPH 111: Anatomy and Physiology

LECTURE 13: THE URINARY SYSTEM

MRS. SHERLEEN JANE F. PULIDO – COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

FIRST SEMESTER | A.Y. 2022-2023

OUTLINE KIDNEY

I. ORGANS OF THE URINARY SYSTEM LOCATION:

II. FUNCTIONS OF THE URINARY SYSTEM
➔ The kidneys are situated against the dorsal body wall in a
III. KIDNEY
retroperitoneal position (behind the parietal peritoneum)
IV. NEPHRONS
➔ The kidneys are situated at the level of the T12 to L3 vertebrae
V. BLOOD FLOW
➔ The right kidney is slightly lower than the left (because of position
VI. URINE
of the liver)
VII. URETERS
VIII. URINARY BLADDER
IX. URETHRA
X. URINE
XI. PATHOLOGY

ORGANS OF THE URINARY SYSTEM

2 KIDNEY
URETER
(Left and Right)
ORGANS

STRUCTURE OF THE KIDNEY

URINARY BLADDER URETHRA
• An adult kidney is about 12 cm (5 in) long and 6 cm (2.5 in) wide

• Renal hilum
FUNCTIONS OF THE URINARY SYSTEM
➔ A medial indentation where several structures enter or exit
KIDNEYS DISPOSE OF WASTE PRODUCTS IN URINE the kidney (ureters, renal blood vessels, and nerves)

➔ Filters the blood and removes the unwanted substances, and ➔ An adrenal gland sits atop each kidney

eliminate as urine
FIBROUS CAPSULE
WASTE PRODUCTS: encloses each kidney

1. Nitrogenous wastes
2. Toxins THREE
PROTECTIVE
3. Drugs LAYERS OF
KIDNEY
4. Excess ions

KIDNEYS’ REGULATORY FUNCTIONS PERIRENAL FAT CAPSULE

RENAL FASCIA
most superficial layer that
surrounds the kidney and
• Production of Renin to maintain blood pressure cushions against blows
anchors the kidney and adrenal
gland to surrounding structures
• Production of Erythropoietin to stimulate ed blood cell production
• Conversion of Vitamin D to its active form
 GLOMERULAR (BOWMAN’S) CAPSULE

• cup-shaped structure that surrounds the glomerulus

➔ First part of the renal tubule

THREE REGIONS OF THE KIDNEY

1. RENAL CORTEX
• Outer region

2. RENAL MEDULLA
• Deeper region RENAL TUBULE
➔ RENAL (MEDULLARY) PYRAMIDS - triangular
• extends from glomerular capsule and ends when it empties into
regions of tissue in the medulla
the collecting duct
➔ RENAL COLUMNS - extensions of cortex like material
that separate the pyramids SUBDIVISIONS OF RENAL TUBULE

➔ PROXIMAL CONVOLUTED TUBULE (PCT)

3. RENAL PELVIS
• Medial region that is a flat, funnel-shaped tube
➔ NEPHRON LOOP (LOO OF HENLE)
➔ Calyces form cup-shaped “drains” that enclose the
renal pyramids
➔ DISTAL CONVOLUTED TUBULE (DCT)
➔ Calyces collect urine and send it to the renal pelvis, on
to the ureter, and to the urinary bladder for storage

NEPHRONS

• structural and functional units of the kidneys

➔ Each kidney contains over a million nephrons

➔ Each nephron consists of two main structures
1. RENAL CORPUSCLE
2. RENAL TUBULE

RENAL CORPUSCLE

GLOMERULUS
➔ CORTICAL NEPHRONS
• A knot of capillaries made of podocytes ➔ Located entirely in the cortex
➔ Include most nephrons

PODOCYTES
➔ JUXTAMEDULLARY NEPHRONS
• Make up the inner (visceral) layer of the glomerular capsule ➔ Found at the cortex-medulla junction
➔ Nephron loop dips deep into the medulla
➔ Foot processes cling to the glomerulus ➔ Collecting ducts collect urine from both types of nephrons,
➔ Filtration slits create a porous membrane - ideal for filtration through the renal pyramids, to the calyces, and then to the
renal pelvis

MATIAS, JHON MANUEL M.

 • VENOUS BLOOD FLOW, Cortical radiate veins → arcuate
veins → interlobar veins →renal vein
• There are no segmental veins
• Renal vein returns blood to the inferior vena cava

GLOMERULUS

• Fed and drained by arterioles

• Specialized for filtration
• High pressure forces fluid and solutes out of blood and into the
glomerular capsule

➔ AFFERENT ARTERIOLE - arises from a cortical radiate

artery and feeds the glomerulus

➔ EFFERENT ARTERIOLE - receives blood that has passed

through the glomerulus

PERITUBULAR CAPILLARY BEDS

• Arise from the efferent arteriole of the glomerulus

• Low-pressure, porous capillaries URINE FORMATION AND CHARACTERISTICS

• Adapted for absorption instead of filtration

• Cling close to the renal tubule to receive solutes and water from GLOMERULAR FILTRATION

tubule cells ➔ the glomerulus is a filter

• Drain into the interlobar veins
• Filtration is a nonselective passive process
➔ Water and solutes smaller than proteins are forced through
glomerular capillary walls
➔ Proteins and blood cells are normally too large to pass
through the filtration membrane
➔ Once in the capsule, fluid is called filtrate
➔ Filtrate leaves via the renal tubule

• Filtrate will be formed as long as systemic blood pressure is

normal
➔ If arterial blood pressure is too low, filtrate formation stops
because glomerular pressure will be too low to form filtrate

BLOODD SUPPLY

➔ one-quarter of the total blood supply of the body passes through

the kidneys each minute
• Renal artery provides each kidney with arterial blood supply
• RENAL ARTERY DIVIDES INTO segmental arteries →
interlobar arteries → arcuate arteries → cortical radiate
arteries

MATIAS, JHON MANUEL M.

 TUBULAR REABSORPTION

• the peritubular capillaries reabsorb useful substances from the

renal tubule

CELLS, SUCH AS:

➔ Water
➔ Glucose
➔ Amino Acids
➔ Ions

• Some reabsorption is passive; most is active (ATP)

• Most reabsorption occurs in the proximal convoluted tubule

TUBULAR SECRETION

• reabsorption in reverse
URINE vs FILTRATE
• Some materials move from the blood of the peritubular capillaries
into the renal tubules to be eliminated in filtrate • Filtrate contains everything that blood plasma does (except
➔ Hydrogen and potassium ions proteins)
➔ Creatinine • Urine is what remains after the filtrate has lost most of its water,
nutrients, and necessary ions through reabsorption
• materials left in the renal tubule move toward the ureter • Urine contains nitrogenous wastes and substances that are not
➔ Nitrogenous wastes needed
➔ Nitrogenous waste products are poorly reabsorbed
➔ Tend to remain in the filtrate and are excreted from the body
URINE CHARACTERISTICS
in the urine
SOLUTES NORMALLY SOLUTES NOT NORMALLY
• UREA - end product of protein breakdown FOUND IN URINE FOUND IN URINE
• URIC ACID - results from nucleic acid metabolism Sodium and Potassium ions Glucose
• CREATININE - associated with creatine metabolism in muscles Urea, uric acid, creatinine Blood proteins
Ammonia Red blood cell
Bicarbonate ions Hemoglobin
WBCs (pus)
Bile

URETERS

• slender tubes 25–30 cm (10–12 inches) attaching the kidney to

the urinary bladder
➔ continuous with the renal pelvis
➔ enter the posterior aspect of the urinary bladder
➔ run behind the peritoneum
• Peristalsis aids gravity in urine transport

• IN 24 HOURS, ABOUT 1.0 TO 1.8 LITERS OF URINE ARE

PRODUCED

MATIAS, JHON MANUEL M.

 URINARY BLADDER

➔ smooth, collapsible, muscular sac situated posterior to the pubic

symphysis

• Stores urine temporarily

• TRIGONE - triangular region of the urinary bladder base based on
three openings
➔ Two openings from the ureters (ureteral orifices)
➔ One opening to the urethra (internal urethral orifice)
• In males, the prostate surrounds the neck of the urinary bladder

RELEASE OF URINE
WALL OF THE URINARY BLADDER • Controlled by two sphincters
• Three layers of smooth muscle collectively called the detrusor
INTERNAL URETHRAL EXTERNAL URETHRAL
muscle
SPHINCTER SPHINCTER
• Mucosa made of transitional epithelium
Involuntary and made of smooth Voluntary and made of skeletal
• Walls are thick and folded in an empty urinary bladder
muscle muscle
• Urinary bladder can expand significantly without increasing
internal pressure

CAPACITY OF THE URINARY BLADDER

• A moderately full bladder is about 5 inches long and holds about

500 ml of urine
• Capable of holding twice that amount of urine

URETHRA MICTURITION

LENGTH: • voiding, or emptying of the urinary bladder

• two sphincters control the release of urine, the internal urethral
➔ IN FEMALES: 3 TO 4 CM (1.5 INCHES LONG) sphincter and external urethral sphincter
➔ IN MALES: 20 CM (8 INCHES LONG) ➔ Bladder collects urine to 200 ml
➔ Stretch receptors transmit impulses to the sacral region of
LOCATION:
the spinal cord
➔ FEMALES - anterior to the vaginal opening ➔ Impulses travel back to the bladder via the pelvic splanchnic
➔ MALES - travels through the prostate and penis nerves to cause bladder contractions
➔ When contractions become stronger, urine is forced past the
Prostatic urethra
involuntary internal sphincter into the upper urethra
Membranous urethra

Spongy urethra

MATIAS, JHON MANUEL M.

• the external sphincter is voluntarily controlled, so micturition can CAUSES: obesity, dehydration, too much salt or sugar intake
usually be delayed
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS: severe pain when urinating, nausea,
• fluid, electrolyte, and acid-base balance
vomiting, blood in urine
BLOOD COMPOSITION DEPENDS ON THREE FACTORS:
PREVENTION: hydration, lees sugar and salt intake, less meat, avoid
1. Diet too much vitamin C
2. Cellular metabolism
3. Urine output
URINARY TRACT INFECTION

• Infection of a part of urinary system or the presence of large

number of microbes in urine
• More common in females because of shorter urethra

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS: painful or burning urination, urgent and

frequent urination, low back pain

PATHOLOGY

KIDNEY FAILURE

• Kidney can’t filter blood and remove toxic substances from the body
properly

CAUSES: diabetes, high blood pressure, physical injury, inherited

disease, genetic disease

PREVENTION: dialysis, kidney transplant

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS: frequent urination, not often urination

tiredness, dry and itchy skin, muscle cramps, fluid build up in eye bags,
swelling or edema

RENAL CALCULI

or KIDNEY STONES, UROLITHIASIS, NEPHROLITHIASIS

• Crystal of salts present in urine occasionally precipitate and

solidify into soluble stone called renal calculi
• Crystals contain calcium oxalate, uric acid, or calcium phosphate
• Small stones don’t cause so much problem, but larger ones can’t
pass to ureters and may need medical procedure

MATIAS, JHON MANUEL M.