Excretory system

and excretion
Chapter 9
D. Safa
- Sara Subhi
Organs of excretion

Skin

Liver

Intestine

Lungs

Kidneys
Excretory substances

A. Nitrogenous end
products

1. Ammonia NH3-

2.Urea

3.Cereatinin

B. Other excretory substances (non

nitrogenous)

1. CO2

2. Bile pigments

3. Urochrome

4. Ions

5. Water

Major metabolic wastes (produced by cells during

metabolism) and other chemicals excreted from the
body
Urinary system

(2 kidneys - 2 ureters -
bladder - urethra)

It produces urine and

conducts it to outside
the body.

See figure, table 9.2

Kidney function

Eliminates wastes from the blood

Contribute to the homeostasis by regulating:

Body water concentration

Blood volume

Blood pressure

Blood PH

Has hormonal function

Activates vitamin D
The anatomy of the kidney

Bean- shaped, reddish

brown organ

They are located one on

e i t h e r s i d e s o f t h e
vertebral column

Blood enters each kidney

through renal artery and
leaves it through renal vein

It is surrounded by a
connective tissue coat
called renal capsule

Beneath the coat are:

Renal cortex: outer region containing

more than a million of tubes called
nephrons (functional units of the
kidney, tiny biological filters)

Renal medul l a: mi ddl e l ayer

consisting several triangular renal
pyrami ds and renal col umns i n
between. It contai ns ducts that
transport urine from nephron to the
renal pelvis

Renal pelvis: inner central chamber or

cavity receiving urine from nephrons

Ureters:

Two muscular tubes transport the urine from the renal pelvis
to the bladder with the aid of peristaltic smooth muscle
contraction

Urinary bladder:

Hollow organ lies in the pelvic cavity

Its smooth muscle wall can stretch yo store urine

Urethra:

Narrow tube that carries the urine from bladder to outside the
body

Urethra passes through penis of males and carries

semen and urine

Urethra is shorter in females than males and carries

only urine
Nephrons

It consists of glomerulus and renal tubules

The glomerulus:

Tuft of blood capillaries inside Bowman's

capsule

Blood enters the glomerulus through the

afferent arteriole and leaves it through the
efferent arteriole

Renal tubules consists of 4 segments:

A. Bowman's (glomerular) capsule:

Double-walled saclike structure with a

space

It receives substances filtered from the

blood

B. Proximal convoluted tubule:

It is continuous with the outer layer of Bowman's

capsule

C. Loop of Henle:

It is hairpin-U shaped connects the proximal and distal

tubule

D. Distal convoluted tubule:

The most distant (farthest) from Bowman's capsule

It empties into a collecting duct

Collecting ducts:

Straight ducts found in renal pyramids

They conduct the urine from nephron to the renal

pelvis

Bowman's capsule and loop of Henle are lined with

simple squamous epithelium

Proximal tubules, distal tubules and collecting duct

are lined with simple cuboidal epithelium

Blood capillaries associated with nephrons

Two regions Glomerulus and Peritubular

capillaries

Peritubular capillaries :

Network capillaries branch from efferent arteriole

weave around tubule

They merge into venule which carry filtered blood

out of the kidney
Urine formation

Urine:

Yellowish fluid contains water, nitrogenous wastes,

ions, and small amount of water and other
substances

It is produced by kidneys 1-3 liters/ day depending

on how much fluid ingested

Urination:

Urine flow from the body to outside

Urine formation (blood filtration) involves 3

processes:

1. Filtration (glomerular filtration)

2. Reabsorption (tubular reabsorption)

3. Secretion (tubular secretion)

1. Glomerular filteration

It is physical process by which blood pressure in

the glomerulus forces water, nutrients and solute
like glucose, amino acids, sodium, urea and
vitamins (Glomerular filtrate) out of the glomerulus
to inside of the Bowman's capsule

Glomerular filtrate travels through the inner layer of

the capsule to the proximal tubule

Large molecules (proteins), blood cells are not

filtered
2. Tubular reabsorption

It is the movement of useful and needed

substances from renal tubules back into the blood
in the peritubular capillaries

About 1% of 180Ls filtrate is urine but most of it is

reabsorption

It occurs through the walls of proximal tubule, loop

of Henle, distal tubules, and collecting ducts

In proximal tubule: most reabsorption of nutrients

(like glucose) occurs through its wall

In loop of Henle:

1- Descending limb: is permeable to water

2- Ascending limb: is impermeable to water but it's

permeable to sodium ions; it can pump Na+ out

In distal tubule and collecting ducts: they are

under the hormonal control. Urine becomes more
concentrated

Tubular reabsorption is important because:

It conserves water, glucose, other nutrients, and

salts (Na+, Cl-) that are filtered

Waste products like urea and uric acids remains

in the filtrate and will be excreted in urine

It controls the blood PH

See table (9-4)

3. Tubular secretion

It is an active transport of waste substances from the

peritubular capillaries to the filtrate inside the distal tubules

It removes wastes specifically wastes that escaped

filtration

Urea, excess H+ and K+ and toxins such as pestside,

drugs such as antibiotics are removed by tubular secretion

It maintains the body's acid-base balance. Secretion of

more H+ occurs if blood is more acidic.

The veins that draining from peritubular capillaries

merge to form the renal veins then to the inferior
vena cava

Urine produced passes to the collecting ducts

where much water escapes by osmosis, further
concentrating the urine