HND in Biomedical Engineering
Anatomy and Human Physiology
Urinary System
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Learning Objectives
Structure and function of the kidney
Urine production
Osmoregulation and regulation, of pH and
sodium
Urinary System
As body cells carry out metabolic activities, they consume oxygen and nutrients and
produce waste products such as carbon dioxide, urea, and uric acid.
Wastes must be eliminated from the body because they can be toxic to cells if they
accumulate. While the respiratory system rids the body of carbon dioxide, the urinary
system disposes of most other wastes.
The urinary system performs this function by removing wastes from the blood and
excreting them into urine. Disposal of wastes through the release of urine is not the only
purpose of the urinary system.
The urinary system also helps regulate blood composition, pH, volume, and pressure;
maintains blood osmolarity; and produces hormones
Structure of Kidney (Internal View)
Functions of Urinary System
Kidneys regulate blood volume and composition; help regulate blood pressure, pH, and
glucose levels; produce two hormones (calcitriol and erythropoietin); and excrete wastes
in urine.
Ureters transport urine from kidneys to urinary bladder.
Urinary bladder stores urine and expels it into urethra.
Urethra discharges urine from body .
Urinary System
• The ureters are tubes that carry urine from the pelvis of the kidneys to the urinary
bladder.
• The urinary bladder temporarily stores urine until it is released from the body.
• The urethra is the tube that carries urine from the urinary bladder to the outside of
the body.
• The outer end of the urethra is controlled by a circular muscle called a sphincter.
• The kidneys help to maintain homeostasis by filtering the blood.
• The kidneys are fist-sized, bean shaped structures.
– two layers: medulla and cortex
– filtering units called nephrons
– renal artery and renal vein
Kidney
Cortex
Medulla
Renal Artery
Renal Vein
Ureter ( to Bladder
Kidney
The kidney can also excrete other waste products, such as :
urea a nitrogenous waste produced in the liver from the breakdown of protein. It is the
main component of urine
uric acid usually produced from breakdown of DNA or RNA
creatinine waste product of muscle action
Kidneys have three basic functions in maintaining
homeostasis.
Remove waste from blood
Release key hormones
Help to maintain electrolyte, pH and fluid balances.
Excretion
• Excretion involves the removal of ingested materials or
metabolic wastes
• Excretion is performed by:
– the skin – waste heat, urea, water, salts
– the respiratory system – CO2(g), water, alcohol
– the kidneys – urea, uric acid, excess water, salts (through the urine)
Nephron
Nephron
Nephrons are the functional units of the kidneys. Each nephron consists of two parts: a renal
corpuscle where blood plasma is filtered, and a renal tubule into which the filtered fluid
(glomerular filtrate) passes.
The two components of a renal corpuscle are the glomerulus (capillary network) and the
glomerular capsule or Bowman’s capsule, a double-walled epithelial cup that surrounds the
glomerular capillaries. Blood plasma is filtered in the glomerular capsule, and then the filtered
fluid passes into the renal tubule, which has three main sections. In the order that fluid passes
through them, the renal tubule consists of;
(1) Proximal convoluted tubule (PCT)
(2) Nephron loop (loop of henle)
(3) Distal convoluted tubule (DCT)
Proximal denotes the part of the tubule attached to the glomerular capsule, and distal denotes the
part that is further away. Convoluted means the tubule is tightly coiled rather than straight.
Nephron
• The functional unit of the kidney is the nephron, which filters the
blood and collects urine for excretion
• 180 L of blood is filtered daily by the kidneys
• The kidneys produce on average 1 ml of urine every minute
• The nephrons perform three duties
– Filtration: which occurs in the bowman’s capsule
– Selective reabsorption: proximal convoluted tubule
– Selective secretion
Nephron
Functional Regions of the Nephron - Filter
The filtration structure is a cap-like formation called the Bowman’s
capsule.
Within each capsule, a renal artery enters and splits into a fine
network of capillaries called a glomerulus.
The walls of the glomerulus act as a filtration device.
They are impermeable to proteins, other large molecules, and red
blood cells, so these remain within the blood.
Water, small molecules, ions, and urea—the main waste products of
metabolism—pass through the walls and proceed further into the
nephron.
The filtered fluid that proceeds from the glomerulus into the
Bowman’s capsule of the nephron is referred to as filtrate.
Functional Regions of the Nephron -
Tubule
The Bowman’s capsule is connected to a small, long, narrow
tubule that is twisted back on itself to form a loop.
This long, hairpin loop is a reabsorption device.
The tubule has three sections: the proximal tubule, the loop of
Henle, and the distal tubule.
this tubule absorbs substances that are useful to the body, such
as glucose and a variety of ions, from the filtrate passing through
it.
Functional Regions of the Nephron - Duct
The tubule empties into a larger pipe-like channel called a
collecting duct.
The collecting duct functions as a water-conservation device,
The filtrate that remains in the collecting duct is a suspension of
water and various solutes and particles. It is now called urine.
Its composition is distinctly different from the fluid that entered the
Bowman’s capsule.
The solutes and water reclaimed during reabsorption are returned
to the body via the renal veins
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Urine Formation
Urine Production
• Excretion of wastes - By forming urine, the
kidneys help excrete wastes from the body.
Some wastes excreted in urine result from
metabolic reactions. These include urea and
ammonia from the deamination of amino
acids; creatinine from the breakdown of
creatine phosphate; uric acid from the
catabolism of nucleic acids; and urobilin
from the breakdown of haemoglobin.
• Urea, ammonia, creatinine, uric acid, and urobilin are collectively known as
nitrogenous wastes because they are waste products that contain nitrogen.
• Other wastes excreted in the urine are foreign substances that have entered the body,
such as drugs and environmental toxins.
Parts of the Nephron and Their Functions
Glomerulus – Filtration Glomerular blood pressure forces some of the water
and dissolved substances from the blood plasma through the pores of the
glomerular walls
Bowman’s capsule - Receives filtrate from glomerulus
Proximal tubule –
Reabsorption
Active reabsorption of all nutrients, including glucose and amino acids
Active reabsorption of positively charged ions such as sodium, potassium,
calcium
Passive reabsorption of water by osmosis
Passive reabsorption of negatively charged ions such as chloride and bicar-
bonate by electrical attraction to positively charged ions
Parts of the Nephron and Their Functions
Descending loop of Henle – Reabsorption = Passive reabsorption of water by osmosis
Ascending loop of Henle – Reabsorption = Active reabsorption of sodium ions
Distal tube
Reabsorption
• Active reabsorption of sodium ions
• Passive reabsorption of water by osmosis
• Passive reabsorption of negatively charged ions such as chloride and bicarbonate
Secretion
• Active secretion of hydrogen ions
• Passive secretion of potassium ions by electrical attraction to chloride ions.
Regulation of Reabsorption and Secretion
Reabsorption and Secretion are regulated by the en-
docrine system (via hormones) in response to:
– Changes in blood pressure
– Changes in solute concentration in the blood
Questions
1. What is osmoregulation?
2. Why osmoregulation is necessary?
3. What is osmoregulation in excretion?
4. What happens in osmoregulation?
5. What organs are involved in osmoregulation?
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Osmoregulation and regulation
Regulation of blood ionic composition. The kidneys help regulate the blood levels
of several ions, most importantly sodium ions (Na+), potassium ions (K+), calcium
ions (Ca2+), chloride ions (Cl−), and phosphate ions (HPO42−).
The kidneys accomplish this task by adjusting the amounts of these ions that are
excreted into the urine.
Regulation of blood pH. The kidneys excrete a variable amount of hydrogen ions
(H+) into the urine and conserve bicarbonate ions (HCO3−), which are an important
buff er of H+ in the blood. Both of these activities help regulate blood pH.
Regulation of blood volume. The kidneys adjust blood volume by conserving or
eliminating water in the urine. An increase in blood volume increases blood
pressure; a decrease in blood volume decreases blood pressure.
Osmoregulation and regulation
Regulation of blood pressure. The kidneys also help regulate blood pressure by
secreting the enzyme renin, which activates the renin– angiotensin–aldosterone
pathway. Increased renin causes an increase in blood pressure.
Maintenance of blood osmolarity. By separately regulating loss of water and
loss of solutes in the urine, the kidneys maintain a relatively constant blood
osmolarity close to 300 milliosmoles per liter.
Production of hormones. The kidneys produce two hormones. Calcitriol, the
active form of vitamin D, helps regulate calcium homeostasis, and erythropoietin
stimulates the production of red blood cells.
Regulation of blood glucose level. Like the liver, the kidneys can use the amino
acid glutamine in gluconeogenesis, the synthesis of new glucose molecules.
They can then release glucose into the blood to help maintain a normal blood
glucose level.
THANK YOU !
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