ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY OF

URINARY SYSTEM
By Mr. RODGERS .O
 COMPONENTS OF THE URINARY SYSTEM

 A pair of kidneys
 A pair of ureters
 A bladder
 A urethra
 These components together carry out the urinary system’s
function of regulating the volume and composition of body fluids,
removing waste products from the blood, and expelling the waste
and excess water from the body in the form of urine.
 THE KIDNEYS

 The two kidneys are reddish organs resembling beans in shape

that are situated on either side of the abdomen just above the
waist and towards the back of the body.
 The kidneys contain microscopic filtering units that remove waste,
unwanted minerals, and excess water from the blood as urine.
Each kidney is connected to the bladder by a long tube called a
ureter, which transports urine away.
 Kidneys are made up of million tiny structures called nephrons
which are basically the functional unit of the kidney. It is where
ultrafiltration of blood takes place to get rid of wastes such as
urea.
Cont...
 The kidneys reabsorb vital substances, remove unwanted ones, and return
the filtered blood back to the body.
 The right kidney is slightly lower than the left kidney to accommodate the
liver. Both kidneys are bean-shaped and about the size of an adult fist.
 Blood enters the kidneys through renal arteries branches of abdominal aorta.
These arteries branch into tiny capillaries that interact with urinary structures
inside the kidneys (namely the nephrons). Here the blood is filtered. Waste is
removed and vital substances are reabsorbed back into the bloodstream. The
filtered blood leaves through the renal veins.
 The filtered blood leaves through the renal veins.
Cont...
 Each kidney contains over 1 million tiny structures called
nephrons. The nephrons are located partly in the cortex and partly
inside the renal pyramids, where the nephron tubules make up
most of the pyramid mass.
 Nephrons perform the primary function of the kidneys: regulating
the concentration of water and other substances in the body. They
filter the blood, reabsorb what the body needs, and excrete the
rest as urine.
 BLADDER

 The bladder is a hollow, muscular organ situated centrally in the

pelvis; it stores urine until it is convenient to release it. At a certain
volume, stretch receptors in its wall transmit nervous impulses
that initiate a conscious desire to urinate.
URETHRA
 The urethra then conducts urine from the bladder to the outside.
 FUNCTIONS OF THE KIDNEYS

Filtration of Blood:
 The kidneys filter blood to remove waste products, excess ions (like sodium,
potassium), and water from the bloodstream.
 This filtration process occurs in specialized structures called nephrons, which
are the functional units of the kidney.
Regulation of Blood Pressure:
 Kidneys play a crucial role in regulating blood pressure by controlling the
volume of blood and fluids in the body.
 They do this through the release of hormones like renin, which regulates
blood pressure by controlling sodium and water balance.
Cont...
Regulation of Electrolytes:
 Electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, calcium, and phosphate are
regulated by the kidneys to maintain proper balance within the body.
 This balance is essential for proper nerve and muscle function, as well as
maintaining cellular function.
Acid-Base Balance:
 Kidneys help regulate the pH balance (acid-base balance) of the blood by
excreting hydrogen ions and reabsorbing bicarbonate ions.
 This function is crucial for maintaining overall physiological balance and
proper functioning of enzymes and other proteins.
Cont...
• Excretion of Metabolic Wastes:
• They excrete metabolic wastes such as urea, uric acid, and creatinine, which
are by-products of protein metabolism and muscle activity.
• Efficient removal of these wastes is essential to prevent toxic buildup in the
body.
Regulation of Red Blood Cell Production:
• The kidneys produce and release erythropoietin, a hormone that stimulates
the bone marrow to produce red blood cells (erythropoiesis).
• This ensures an adequate oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood and overall
tissue oxygenation.
Cont...
Water Balance:
• Kidneys regulate water balance by adjusting the amount of water excreted in
urine.
• This regulation is critical for maintaining proper hydration levels and ensuring
the body's overall fluid balance.
Detoxification:
• They help in the detoxification process by filtering out potentially harmful
substances such as drugs and environmental toxins.
• This detoxification function is essential for maintaining overall health and
preventing toxic overload.
 URINE FORMATION

 There are 3 main steps of urine formation:

 Glomerular filtration,(approx 150L/day)-only 1% is excreted
 Reabsorption (99% of the 150L )
 Secretion
 The nephrons of the kidneys process blood and create urine
through a process of filtration, reabsorption, and secretion. Urine
is about 95% water and 5% waste products. Nitrogenous wastes
excreted in urine include urea, creatinine, ammonia, and uric acid.
Ions such as sodium, potassium, hydrogen, and calcium are also
excreted.
Terms in relation to kidney function
 Filtration: Blood enters the glomerulus under pressure. Water, ions, glucose,
amino acids, and waste products like urea and creatinine are filtered into the
Bowman's capsule.
 Reabsorption: Most of the filtered substances (water, glucose, ions) are
reabsorbed back into the blood from the renal tubules, except for waste
products and excess ions.
 Secretion: Certain substances (e.g., potassium ions, hydrogen ions) are
actively secreted into the renal tubules from the blood.
 Concentration: The final concentration of urine is regulated by the
reabsorption of water in the collecting ducts, which is controlled by the
hormone ADH (antidiuretic hormone).
 NB:hypophysectomy (removal of pituitary glands) is followed by a fall in
arterial blood pressure which is positively correlated to the previous existing
amounts of vasopressin
Urine flow
Points to note
• The afferent lumen is larger than the efferent lumen
• Feedback mechanisms that control GFR
– Renal autoregulations
– Sympathetic control
– Hormonal control
• These causes
– Constrictions of afferent
– Dilations of afferent
• These cause causes glomerular blood pressure to fall or rise.
Process of urine formation
• The kidneys filter blood plasma, removing metabolic wastes, toxins from the body and
excrete them in the form of urine.
• Blood enters the kidney via the renal artery, which divides to smaller arteries and finally
arterioles.
• The arterioles get into contact with functional units of the kidney called nephrons.
• This is where blood filtration and urine formation take place. The filtered blood is then
collected in to a series of larger veins and exits the kidney through the renal vein.
• A nephron consists of 2 major parts:
 Bowman’s capsule;
 and a long renal tubule. Renal tubules of several nephrons connect to a common collecting
duct.
• There are 3 steps in the formation of urine:
 glomerular filtration
 tubular reabsorption
 Tubular secretion
 Water conservation.
• Blood enters the Bowman’s capsule via the afferent arteriole, passes through a ball of capillaries called
the glomerulus, and leaves via the efferent arteriole.
• Hydrostatic and osmotic pressures drive water and solutes from blood plasma through a filtration
membrane into the capsular space of nephron.
 These include water
 inorganic ions
 Glucose
 amino acids
 various metabolic wastes such as urea and creatinine.
• The amount of filtrate produced per minute is called glomerular filtration rate, or GFR.
• The GFR is kept at a stable value by several feedback mechanisms within the kidneys. This is known
as renal autoregulation.
• The proximal convoluted tubule, reabsorbs about two thirds of the filtrate.
• In this process, water and solutes are driven through the epithelial cells that
line the tubule into the extracellular space.
• They are then taken up by the peritubular capillaries. Sodium re-absorption is
most important, as it creates osmotic pressure that drives water and electrical
gradient that drives negatively charged ions.
• Sodium level inside the epithelial cells is kept low thanks to the sodium-
potassium pumps that constantly pump sodium ions out into the extracellular
space.
• This creates a concentration gradient that favors sodium diffusion from
tubular fluid into the cells. Sodium is absorbed by symport proteins that also
bind glucose and some other solutes.
• About half of nitrogenous wastes also re-absorbs back to the
bloodstream.
• Some of the re-absorption also occurs by the paracellular route
through tight junctions between the epithelial cells.
• At the same time, tubular secretion also takes place.
• The main function of the loop of Henle is to create and maintain an
osmolarity gradient in the medulla that enables the collecting ducts
to concentrate urine at a later stage.
• The ascending limb of the loop actively pumps sodium out making
the medulla “salty”. The descending limp of the loop is permeable to
water but much less to sodium.
• As the water exits the tubule by osmosis, the filtrate gets more and
more concentrated as it reaches the bottom.
• The ascending limb, on the other hand, is permeable to ions but
not water. As a result, the filtrate loses sodium as it goes up and
becomes more diluted at the top of the loop.
• Re-absorption and secretion in the distal convoluted tubule are
under control of various hormones.
• The main function of the collecting duct is to concentrate urine and
therefore conserve water. As it gets saltier deep in the medulla,
the filtrate loses more and more water as it flows down the
collecting duct.
• The collecting duct is also under hormonal control so it can adjust
the amount of re-absorbed water accordingly to the body’s state of
hydration.
 Summary
• Blood enters the kidneys via renal arteries, these branches
into small arteries, then arterioles which connects with the
glomerulus for ultrafiltration.
• Filtration removes-inorganic ions, glucose, amino acides,
water, metabolics wastes (urea and creatinine)
• Filtered blood exits the kidneys by passing through series
of veins then out of the kidney via renal veins.
• The filtrate then move into the bowman’s capsule for
further reabsorption process.
• The urine is collected in the collecting ducts, moves to the
renal pelvis, into the ureters and then into the bladder.
 Process of urination/micturition

 Smooth muscle stretch initiates the micturition reflex by activating

stretch receptors in the bladder wall. This autonomic reflex causes
the detrusor muscle to contract and the internal urethral sphincter
muscle to relax, allowing urine to flow into the urethra. The stretch
receptors also send a message to the thalamus and the cerebral
cortex, giving voluntary control over the external urethral
sphincter. We usually gain this control of urination between the
ages of 2 and 3, as our brains develop.
THANK YOU.