CHAPTER 11:
EXCRETION
Objectives
• Define and explain the importance of
excretion.
• Identify the various parts of the urinary
system and the function of each parts.
• Explain the function of mammalian
kidney in the removal of urea and water
from the body.
• Describe the process of dialysis using
kidney machines.
Metabolism
• Metabolism refers to all chemical
activities within the body.
• These chemical activities are called
catabolic activities and anabolic
activities.
• Catabolic activities refers to chemical
processes which cause the breakdown
of complex substances into simpler
ones.
Metabolism
• Anabolic activities refers to the
building up of simpler substances into
more complex ones.
• Therefore,
Anabolism + Catabolism =
Metabolism
Excretion in mammals – pg185
Excretory products Excretory Remarks
organ
Carbon dioxide Lungs Gas in expired air
Mineral salts
Nitrogenous waste Kidneys Constituents of urine
products
Mainly urea
Creatinine
Skin Constituents of sweat
Uric acid
Excretion in mammals – pg185
Excretory products Excretory Remarks
organ
Excess water Kidneys Main constituents of
urine
Skin Main constituents of
sweat
Lungs Water vapour in expired
air.
Bile pigments (from Liver Via the intestines
haemoglobin
pigment)
What is excretion?
Excretion is the process by which
metabolic waste products and toxic
materials are removed from the body
of
an organism.
The urinary system
• The urinary system comprises of:
- 2 kidneys
- 2 ureters
- 1 urinary bladder
- 1 urethra
Front view of the urinary
system
Left
Left kidney
kidney
Right kidney
Right kidney
Right
Rightureter
ureter
Left
Left ureter
ureter
Bladder
Bladder
Spincter
Sphincter
Urethra
Urethra
The kidneys
• Bean-shaped organs.
• Attached to the dorsal body wall, one
on each side of the vertebral column.
• In man, the kidneys lies just above the
waistline.
The kidneys
• Concave surface of each kidney faces the
vertebral column.
• At the centre of this surface is a depression
called the hilus.
• From the hilus, a narrow tube called the
ureter emerges.
• Ureter convey urine from the kidney to the
urinary bladder.
The kidneys
• The urinary bladder is an elastic,
muscular bag where urine is collected and
stored temporarily.
• At the bottom of the bladder is a
sphincter muscle.
• When the bladder is full, the sphincter
muscle relaxes to allow the urine to flow
into the urethra and pass out of the body.
Summary
• What is excretion?
• What are the types of excretory organs
present in your body?
• What is the shape of the kidney?
• Where is the kidney located?
• Name the structures which is involved in
the removal of urine in the kidney.
CHAPTER 11:
EXCRETION
Re-call
• What is ‘metabolism’?
• What is the definition of
‘excretion’?
• What is the component
parts of the urinary
system and their
functions?
Lesson objectives
• Identify the component parts of the
kidney and its function.
• Identify the structure of the nephron.
• State that the formation of urine
involves two processes, ultrafiltration
and selective re-absorption.
Structure of the kidney
• Longitudinal section of a mammalian
kidney consists of:
• An outer region called the cortex.
• A middle region called the medulla.
• An inner region leading to the ureter,
called the renal pelvis.
Structure of the kidney
Structure of the kidney
• Kidneys are made up of tiny tubules
called nephrons (uriniferous tubules).
• Each nephron begins in the cortex and
runs down to the pelvis.
• It is in the nephron that filtering takes
place and urine is formed.
Structure of a nephron
• Each nephron comprises of:
• Bowman’s capsule and glomerulus
• Proximal and distal convoluted tubules
• Loop of Henlé
• Collecting duct
CHAPTER 11:
EXCRETION
Lesson objectives
• Describe the processes
(ultrafiltration and selective re-
absorption) involved in urine
formation.
Formation of urine
• Two main processes are involved in
the formation of urine within each
tubule:
• Ultrafiltration
• Selective re-absorption
Ultrafiltration
• In each glomerulus, mechanical filtration
occurs. This is usually called
ultrafiltration.
• Blood vessels bringing blood to each
glomerulus (afferent arteriole) is quite
wide, but the blood vessels taking blood
away (efferent arteriole) is narrow.
• Hence, the blood pressure in the
glomerulus is high.
Ultrafiltration
• Only small molecules such as water, salt,
glucose and urea can go through into the
tubule.
• Most protein molecules, blood cells and
platelets are too big to be filtered off. They
remain in the glomerular capillaries.
Selective re-absorption
• In a normal adult, about 120 cm3 of filtrate
is formed in the kidney every minute.
• To prevent dehydration, a selective re-
absorption of useful materials occurs.
• Wrapped around each kidney tubule are
blood capillaries. They reabsorb the useful
substances back to the kidney tubule.
Selective re-absorption
• Most of the water is re-absorbed by
osmosis.
• Some mineral salts, all of the glucose and
amino acids are re-absorbed in a healthy
individual.
• The selective re-absorption process
requires energy and this process is called
active transport.
Selective re-absorption
• The remaining fluid continues on its way
along the tubule.
• By the time the fluid reaches the collecting
tubule and into the renal pelvis, it is
mostly water, mineral salts and
nitrogenous waste products (urea).
• This is called urine.
The normal constituents of urine
• Average composition of normal human
urine (g/100 cm3) is approximately:
Water 96.0 g
Mineral salts (mainly NaCl) 1.8 g
Urea 2.0 g
Other nitrogenous substances 0.2 g
100.0 g
Summary
• Each nephron consists of a renal
(Bowman’s) capsule containing the
glomerulus, proximal and distal
convoluted tubules, loop of Henlé and
collecting duct.
• Urine formation involves two processes,
namely ultrafiltration and selective re-
absorption.
The normal constituents of urine
• Composition of normal urine varies
considerably depending on several factors,
such as diet and weather.
• Abnormal constituents of urine are found
in certain disease. For example, in sugar
diabetes (diabetes mellitus), the urine
contains a considerable amount of
glucose.
Kidneys as osmoregulators
• Water potential of the blood has to be kept
relatively constant.
• Control of water content of the body is
known as osmoregulation.
• The kidney, together with the
hypothalamus and pituitary gland, are
responsible for osmoregulation in humans.
Kidneys as osmoregulators
• The hypothalamus continuously monitors
the concentration of the blood.
• The pituitary gland secretes the hormone
called vasopressin or anti-diuretic
hormone (ADH).
• Anti-diuretic hormone (ADH) increases
water re-absorption by the kidney tubules.
CHAPTER 11:
EXCRETION
What does this picture tells you?
Lesson objectives
• State the functions of kidneys.
• Describe the process of dialysis
treatment for kidney patients.
Functions of the kidneys
• Are excretory organs.
• Regulates the pH and composition of the
blood plasma.
• Regulates the salt and water balance of
the body fluid.
Kidney failure
Kidney failure
Kidney failure
• Sometimes, a person’s kidney may stop
working properly. This might be due to an
infection in the kidney.
• Prompt medical treatment have to be
given and this can be done with a kidney
machine.
• The process involved is called dialysis.
Kidney failure
• In dialysis, blood is drawn from an artery
in the patient’s arm and allowed to flow
through the tubing in a dialysis machine.
• The dialysis machine contains fluid
consisting of water and other substances
such as salt.
Kidney failure
• As the patient’s blood passes through the
dialysis machine, it is separated from the
fluid by a partially permeable membrane.
• Small molecules such as urea diffused
through the membrane into the fluid.
• Big molecules, such as proteins and
blood cells, remains in the tubing.
Video clip
Kidney failure
• The filtered blood is then returned to a
vein in the patient’s arm.
• Dialysis can be inconvenient and
expensive for the patients.
• A better long-term solution for kidney
failure is a kidney transplant. However,
there are drawbacks as well.
Summary
• The urinary system consists of a pair of
kidneys, ureters, urethra and urinary
bladder.
• The kidney consists of a fibrous capsule,
cortex, medulla and renal pelvis.
• The kidney contains numerous tubules
called nephrons.
Summary
• Excretion is the removal of metabolic
waste products and toxic substances
from the body.
• Kidney serves as the excretory organ
involved in osmoregulation, regulation of
pH in blood and regulation of blood
plasma composition.
Summary
• Each nephron consists of a renal
(Bowman’s) capsule, the glomerulus, first
(proximal) convoluted tubule, loop of
Henlé and second (distal) convoluted
tubule).
• Urine is formed by ultrafiltration and
selective reabsorption.
• The hormone ADH regulates the amount
of water reabsorbed by the kidney
tubules.
