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Human urinary system

Functions of Urinary System


• Kidneys carry out
– Filter nitrogenous wastes, toxins, ions, etc. from
blood to be excreted as urine.
– Regulate volume and chemical composition of
blood (water, salts, acids, bases).
– Produce regulatory enzymes.
• Renin – regulates BP/ kidney function
• Erthropoeitin – stimulates RBC production from
marrow.
– Metabolism of Vitamin D to active form.
ORGANS
• Two Kidneys: Perform all functions except actual
excretion.
• Two Ureters: Convey urine from Kidneys to Urinary
Bladder.
• Urinary Bladder: Holds Urine until excretion.
• Urethra: Conveys urine from bladder to outside of
body.
The Kidneys
• Lie against posterior abdominal.
• Right kidney is lower than left kidney due to the shape of
the liver.
• Lateral surface of kidney is convex while medial is concave.
– Concave side has a cleft – Renal Hilus
– Inside hilus is Renal sinus where kidneys receive renal
vessels and nerves.
Kidney Component
• Renal arteries and veins
• Renal cortex
• Renal medulla
• Nephron
• Renal pyramids (6-10)
• Renal papilla
• Calyx (ces)
• Renal pelvis
Mammalian Kidney
• Are paired kidneys.
• Each kidney has a medial indentation (hilus), where
the renal artery, renal vein, and ureter are seen.
• Each kidney is enclosed in a tough fibrous capsule.
• A longitudinal section of a kidney reveals an outer
cortex, deeper medulla, and
medial pelvis.
- Calyces surround the tips of
medullary pyramids and collect
urine draining from them.
Nephrons
Blood processing unit which serves to produce urine.
• 1 million per kidney
• Consists of a glomerulus and tubules
• Are structural and functional units of the kidneys.
• Each nephron consists of a glomerulus (a tuft of
blood capillaries) and renal tubule.
-The renal tubule is Subdivided into:
- Glomerular capsule (Bowman’s capsule)
- Proximal convoluted tubule
- Loop of Henle
- Distal convoluted tubule.
Reabsorption and Secretion
• 180 L of water leaves the blood and enters the
glomerular filtrate
• Most of the water and dissolved solutes that
enter the glomerular filtrate must be returned
to the blood by reabsorption
• Water is reabsorbed by the proximal
convoluted tubule, descending loop of Henle,
and collecting duct
The Ureters
– 25 cm long
– Enters on the floor of bladder
• Are slender tubes running from each kidney to the
bladder.
• Carry urine from the
kidneys to the bladder.
• Begin as a continuation
of the renal pelvis
in the kidney.
The Bladder
• Is a muscular sac posterior to the pubic symphysis.
• The function of the bladder is to store urine.
• A collapsible muscular sac that store urine.
• Lies on the pelvic floor, posterior to the pubic
symphysis.
• As urine accumulates, the walls distend and stretch.
There is no increase in internal pressure until there
is about 300mL of accumulated urine.
– Average bladder volume is 500 ml
– Max capacity is 700-800 ml
The Urethra
• Is a tube that leads urine from the bladder to the body exterior.
In females, it is 3-4 cm long and conducts only urine.
• In males, it is 20 cm long and conducts both urine and seminal fluid.
The internal sphincter of smooth muscle is at the bladder-urethra
junction. The external sphincter of skeletal muscle is located more
inferiorly.
• In males, the prostate gland surrounds its urethra.
– Three regions:
• Prostatic urethra – 2.5 cm
• Membranous urethra – 0.5 cm
• Penile urethra – 15 cm
Micturition

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