Learning objectives
• To introduce the excretory system
• To list and explain the organs and functions of the
excretory system
The Excretory System
• The system is the Excretory
• Write down two different functions and
organs of the excretory system
• You have one minute
The Human Excretory System
• The excretory system
removes toxins and
wastes from the body.
• It regulates fluid and
salts in the body and
maintains the pH of the
blood.
• It include the lungs, skin,
and kidneys.
The excretory system eliminates non-solid
wastes from the body
• Non-solid wastes are skin
eliminated through lungs, lungs
skin, and kidneys.
• Lungs exhale carbon
dioxide and water vapor. kidneys
• Sweat glands in skin ureters
release excess water and urethra
urinary bladder
salts.
EXCRETION
Excretion is:
• removal of metabolic wastes
• removal of excess heat
Main Excretory organs involved are:
• kidneys
• liver
• lungs
• skin
A Note About Metabolism
• Metabolism
• This is the series of activities that cells do in order to keep the
organism alive.
• Cellular activities usually involve chemical reactions that
produce products necessary for life and bi-products (wastes)
that are often toxic to cells.
• Example: Cellular Respiration produces ATP energy for the
cells but it also produces Carbon Dioxide, which is very
harmful to the cells.
Cellular Waste
• Wastes that are removed
include carbon dioxide,
water, salt, urea and uric
acid.
• All excreted wastes travel at
some time in the blood.
Major Metabolic wastes:
• carbon dioxide, water
– CO2 and H2O from cellular respiration
• certain nitrogen compounds
– Breakdown of amino acids from proteins produces nitrogen
compounds
• Urea
• Ammonia
• Uric acid
• Mineral salts from metabolism
– Sodium chloride (NaCl)
– Potassium sulfate K2SO4
Structures of the Excretory System
1. Skin
2. Lungs
3. Liver
4. Urinary System
5. Large Intestine
Can you guess how these structures
are a part of the excretory
system? What makes the Large
Intestine different from the rest?
Large Intestine
• The large intestine
removes solid,
undigested food from the
body after it passes
through the digestive
system.
• Waste is stored in rectum
until it is excreted from
the body as solid waste.
NOTE: This is NOT waste
produced by the cells
(cellular waste) as a part
of your metabolism!!!!!
Skin
Wastes such as excess
water, salt, urea and uric
acid are removed from
the body in sweat.
Skin
2. Excretion
– Small amounts of urea and salts in sweat
– Removal of excess heat (Major Function)
• Blood vessels dilate bringing more warm blood to skin
surface
• Sweat is produced by sweat glands
• Sweat absorbs body heat and evaporates to water
vapor and body heat leaves the body in the water
vapor
• Body cools as a result of the evaporation
Lungs
Excess carbon dioxide
waste is removed
from the body when
we exhale.
Liver
The liver is a part
of what other
system?
The digestive
system
Liver
The liver has many functions,
including (but not limited to):
1. produce substances that break down fats
2. produce urea (the main substance of urine)
3. make certain amino acids (the building blocks of
proteins)
4. filter harmful substances from the blood (such as
alcohol)
5. the liver is also responsible for producing
cholesterol. It produces about 80% of the
cholesterol in your body.
The Liver and Waste
• The liver produces
urea and uric acid
as a by-product of
the breakdown of
proteins
• Urea and uric acid
are sent to the
kidneys to be
processed
Liver
Formation of Urea in Liver:
• Amino acids are broken down.
1) amino group, NH2→ changed to
ammonia, NH3 → changed to urea
(less poisonous)
• Finally: Urea diffuses back into
bloodstream and is filtered out by
the kidneys.
Human Excretion
• Liver’s role
– Detoxification-
• changes harmful substances
into inactive or less
poisonous substances
• These inactive substances
are returned to blood and
are filtered by kidneys.
Learning Objectives:
•To define the functions of the urinary system
•To name the external layers of the kidney
•To point out the internal parts of the kidney
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The urinary system
• The kidneys filter the
blood to form urine,
which is excess
water, salt, urea and
uric acid
Urinary System
Kidneys-> ureter-> urinary bladder-> urethra
Kidneys
2 main functions
1. Remove wastes from cellular metabolism
2. Regulate the concentrations of substances found in the
body fluids
**If kidneys cannot perform these functions a person will
die**
Function of the Kidney
• The principal function of the kidney is to filter blood
in order to remove cellular waste products from the
body.
• At any given time, 20 % of blood is in the kidneys.
Humans can function with one kidney.
• If one ceases to work, the other increases in size to
handle the workload.
• It secretes the following hormones to help regulate
blood volume and pressure :
Renin
• Renin is an enzyme released by the kidneys
in response to a drop in blood pressure.
• Renin catalyzes the production of
angiotensin, a hormone that causes
arterioles to constrict, raising blood
pressure. This also causes water retention.
Erythropoietin
• A second response to low blood pressure is
the release of erythropoietin, another
hormone.
• Erythropoietin travels to the bone marrow
and stimulates the production of new blood
cells.
Kidney structure
3 layers of the kidney
• Cortex- outer layer blood is filtered to remove
waste and excess substances
• Medulla- middle layer made up of tubes called
collecting ducts that carry the filtered substances
(filtrate) to the innermost layer of the kidney
• Pelvis- cavity that collects the filtrate and
connects the kidney to the ureter which exits the
kidney
Nephron
Nephron- waste filtering unit of the kidney found
in the cortex and the medulla
• 1.25 million nephrons in each kidney
Filtration in Nephron
1. Blood enters kidney through renal artery,
2. Small substances (water, salts and minerals) and wastes (urea) diffuse from the
capillaries into the nephron of the kidneys.
3. Urea, excess water and excess substances travel to the renal pelvis to form urine.
4. Water and some dissolved substances are reabsorbed into the blood through the
capillaries.
5. Clean blood leaves the kidney through the renal vein.
6. Urine- final waste fluid excreted:
Made up of water, urea and various salts.
1-1.5 liters of urine are produced every 24 hours
Structures Involved in Getting Rid of Urine!
Ureter- tube connects kidney to urinary bladder
•Function –conducts urine from kidney to bladder
Urinary Bladder- collects and stores urine for
Excretion
Urethra- during urination urine travels from the bladder to the outside of
the body
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Activity
List the four basic processes in the formation of
urine starting with plasma
• The ureters are tubes that carry urine
from the pelvis of the kidneys to the
urinary bladder. skin
lungs
• The urinary bladder temporarily stores
urine until it is released from the body.
• The urethra is the tube that carries kidneys
urine from the urinary bladder to the
outside of the body. ureters
urethra
urinary bladde
• The outer end of the urethra is
controlled by a circular muscle called a
sphincter.
Kidney Disorders
• Kidney function can be inhibited or impaired by
infections or disorders.
• Nephritis is a common kidney problem, often
caused by inflammation or painful swelling of
some of the glomeruli.
• Kidney stones are another kidney disorder. A
kidney stone is a crystallized solid that forms in
the kidney.
• Kidneys can also be damaged by conditions such
as diabetes and high blood pressure and by
prescription and illegal drug use.
Injury and disease can damage kidney
functions.
Kidney Transplant
•Kidney transplants have shown increasing success in recent
years.
•The major complication is rejection of the donated organ.
Dialysis
•Dialysis is a procedure in which an artificial kidney machine
filters out wastes and toxins from a patient’s blood.
• Dialysis can be used to filter and clean the blood.
Disorders of the Excretory System
UTI (Urinary Tract Infection)
• Is a very common disorder. If the bladder has become
infected, it is known as cystitis. If the urethra is
infected., it is called urethritis.
• Symptoms include painful urination burning sensation),
frequent urination (even if no urine present) and
bloody or brown urine.
• This can lead to chills, fever, nausea, vomiting and
upper abdomen tenderness.
NOTE :
• If left untreated, all UTI’s can lead to permanent
kidney damage and possible kidney failure.
• The general treatment is by antibiotics. A person
needs to maintain good personal hygiene when
eliminating wastes (liquid and solid forms) from the
body.
• Also, a person should drink lots of water.
Kidney Infections
• Result when an infection reaches the kidneys and
becomes known as pyelonephritis.
• Common causes can be infection from elsewhere in
the body or obstruction of the prostate gland
(usually in older men).
• For children, infection can be caused by the tube that
drains urine from the kidneys and the bladder.
Kidney Stones
• Crystals formed from
minerals in urine.
• They can be found in
the kidney, ureter or
bladder.
•80% of those stricken are males.
•The most common crystals are:
– Calcium Oxalates
– Uric acid
Kidney Stones (cont)
•Symptoms include severe back or abdomen pain, blood
in the urine, nausea and vomiting.
•Diagnosis involves a complete medical examination,
including X-rays.
•Treatment may vary from letting the stones pass
through the urinary tract to ultrasound shock (or
lithotripsy) to disintegrate the stones to a small size that
can be passed through the urinary tract.
•Real large stones require surgery for removal.
Kidney Stones (cont)
• Ways to avoid kidney stones:
• Increase liquid intake (more
than 2l / day)
• Limit sodium intake
• Limit animal protein
• Limit foods high in oxalate
(spinach, strawberries, nuts,
dark chocolate, brewed tea)
