12/30/20

Urinary System
Study Guide

● Consists of:
Urinary System
◦ Two kidneys
• Filter blood plasmaà urine
◦ ureters
• Transports urine from kidneys to bladder
◦ One urinary bladder
• Stores urine until excreted
◦ urethra
• Carries urine from bladder to outside of body
● Major functions:
◦ Adjusting blood composition
• Regulating plasma concentrations of sodium,
potassium, chloride, calcium, and phosphateions
◦ Regulates blood volume
• Water conservation vs excretion
◦ Regulate blood
• RAAS--renin
◦ Stabilizing blood pH
• Excrete H+ and conserve HCO3- (bicarbonate)
◦ Secretes hormones
• EPO,activeVitamin D
◦ Waste removal

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Anatomy of the Kidney

Path of Urine Drainage:

Collecting duct à Papillary duct à Minor calyx à Major calyx à Renal pelvis à
Ureter à à Urethra

Anatomy of the Kidney

● Hilum: site where ureter leaves the kidney and blood and
lymphatic vessels and nerves enter.
● Renal cortex: smooth-textured area from renal capsule to bases
of renal pyramids (light red layer)
● Renal : Deep, darker reddish brown area. Divided
into several cone-shaped renal pyramids.
● Renal pyramids: Base faces cortex, apex (renal papilla) faces the
hilum.
● Renal columns: portions of renal cortex that extend between
renal pyramids.
● Renal : renal pyramid + overlying area of renal cortex +
½ of adjacent renal column.
● Major and minor calyces: receives and transports urine from
renal papilla and sends it on to renalpelvis.
● Renal : single large cavity that receives urine from
major calyces, sends on to bladder.
● Renal sinus: acavity that contains part of renal pelvis, calyces,
blood vessels and nerves. Stabilized by adiposetissue.

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Blood Supply
● Renal arteries: receives blood from systemic circulation.
● arteries: divisions of renal arteries that supply different
segments of the kidney.
● Interlobar arteries: branches of segmental arteries that pass through renal
columns between renal pyramids.
● Arcuate arteries: arches in interlobar arteries at the base of the renal
pyramid. Arch is between renal medulla and cortex.
● Afferent arterioles: branches of cortical radiate arteries.
● Renal corpuscle: includes glomerulus and Bowman’s capsule (much more
soon).
● Glomerulus: aknot of capillaries shaped like aball for filtration.
● arteriole: Glomerular capillaries reunite to form efferent
arterioles.
● Peritubular : Efferent arterioles divide to form these,
which surround tubular parts of the nephron.
● Vasa recta: Long loop-shaped capillaries extending from some efferent
arterioles, particularly those in the renal medulla.
● Cortical radiate veins: near interlobular arteries—collect blood from
peritubular capillaries and vasa recta.
● Arcuate veins: Receives blood from cortical radiate veins .
● Interlobar veins: Receives blood from Renal vein: dumps venous blood back
into circulation to enter heart at inferior vena cava.

Path of Blood Flow

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Nephrons:
Filtration, Reabsorption, &Secretion

2Types:
-Cortical
-
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Basic Principles of Urine Production:

Filtration discussed here
Overall goals to maintain homeostasis:
1) To regulate blood volume/pressure
2) To regulate of blood

How this is done:

1)
• Takes place in renal corpuscle.
• Blood pressure forces water across membrane.
• Some solute molecules can pass into filtrate.
2)
Occurs in tubule
3)

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Primary Functional
Unit of Kidney:

The —the
start of urine
production.

• ~1.25 million/kidney
• ~ 85 miles in length

Renal Corpuscle = Glomerulus + Bowman’s capsule

• Glomerulus – capillary bed.
• Bowman’s capsule – cup-shaped chamber that forms wall around glomerulus.
• – receives filtrate.

• Glomerular filtration - passive process by which water and small dissolved

solute molecules are passed through glomerulus capillary walls.

• Glomerular - protein-poor fluid transferred into the capsular

space of the renal corpuscle as a result of the process of glomerular filtration.

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• Glomerular capillaries: filtering of blood starts here

• Are
• Separated by thick basement membrane
• Have specialized epithelium –
• Each layer allows different sized particles through
• Endothelial layer--first layer that catches blood cells
• Basal lamina--second layer that catches larger proteins
• --tertiary layer that catches medium-sized proteins

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Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) – Total amount of plasma

filtrate formed by all the nephrons of the kidneys per minute.
• ~ 125ml of filtrate filtered per minute; over 99% reabsorbed.
GFR influenced by:
1) Total surface area of capillaries
• About 6 sq. meters/kidney
2) Permeability of wall s
3) Net rate

Net filtration rate:

• Sum of three forces
1.
(GBHP)
2.
(BCOP)
3.
(CHP)

Net Filtration Pressure (NFP) = total pressure that promotes filtration.

NFP = GBHP - (CHP + BCOP)

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Regulation of GFR

• Homeostasis requires stable GFR

• If GFR is too , too many particles are .
• If GFR is too , not enough waste products
.
• How GFR is regulated:
1. Renal autoregulation
2. Sympathetic division of autonomic nervous system
3. Hormonal control
• Long-term changes to BP and blood volume

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RenalAutoregulation
Diameters of afferent and efferent arterioles are adjusted to
maintain constant GFR despite changes in systemic BP.

1. mechanism: Smooth muscle in

afferent and efferent arterioles makes adjustments to
keep pressure graduate constant.
• Example: High systemic BP stretches afferent
arteriole. Smooth muscle cells respond by
contracting. Low BP = dilation of afferent,
constriction of efferent.

2. Tubuloglomerular feedback: Negative feedback

control from juxtaglomerular apparatus.
• Example: High systemic BP elevates GFR =
rapid flow of fluid and loss of ions and water.
detects difference,
releases vasoconstrictor from juxtaglomerular
apparatus. Afferent arterioles constrict and
reduce GFR.

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Neural Regulation

• Primary function of sympathetic activity is to shift blood flow

AWAY from kidneys and lower GFR
• Constriction of _______________ arteriole decreases GFR,
slows filtrate production.
• At rest, sympathetic activity is minimal (autoregulation).
• When BP falls quickly, autoregulation is overridden and vasoconstrictionof
afferent arterioles GFR.
• Lowers urine output.
• Reduction in filtrate helps restore blood volume and pressure to
normal ranges.

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Hormonal Regulation

4 major players:
1. Angiotensin II
2. _____________________
3. Aldosterone (Renin-angiotensin-
aldosterone system)
4. Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP)

ANP: produced by cardiac muscle cells

in response to elevated blood volume
and pressure.
• Causes dilation of glomerular capillaries,
increasing surface area, which increases
GFR.

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Renin angiotensin
aldosterone system

When BP is low:
• Renin released from kidney, converts
angiotensinogen (from liver) into
angiotensin 1
• Angiotension I is converted into
(via ACE
produced by lungs)
• Angiotensin II then impacts blood
vessels causing vasoconstriction, and
the adrenals à aldosterone released
to KEEP WATER IN!
• Increased blood volume =
blood pressure

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Basic Principles of Urine Production:

Reabsorption and Secretion discussed here
Overall goals to maintain homeostasis:
1) To regulate blood
2) To regulate composition of blood

How this is done:

1) Filtration
• Takes place in renal corpuscle.
• Blood pressure forces water across membrane.
• Some solute molecules can pass into filtrate.
2) Reabsorption
Tubule/Capillary
3) Secretion

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Tubular
Reabsorption

• We filter about 90 two-liter

soda bottles of filtrate aday
• We excrete less than one of
those bottles as urine!
• Some fluid has to be returned
to the bloodstream after
filtration
• Tubular reabsorption
• reabsorb
from the tubule
• Returns filtered water and
many solutes
• Small proteins, sodium,
chloride, bicarbonate,
glucose, urea, calcium,
phosphate, potassium, amino
acids,

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Tubular
Secretion
• Returns material from
blood and tubule cells
into the glomerular
• Hydrogen, potassium,
ammonium ions,
creatinine, and some
drugs (e.g. penicillin)
• Two major outcomes:
1. Secretion of
hydrogen ions helps
control blood pH
2. Secretion of other
stuff eliminates them
from the body

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Reabsorption predominates along theproximal

convoluted tubule (PCT)

Two processes:
1. tubular
reabsorption
• Na+
• Glucose, amino acids &
vitamins
2. tubular
reabsorption
• Osmosis
• Lipid-soluble substances,
various ions and urea

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Reabsorption Within
Nephron Loop

• Mostly water is reabsorbed

along the
limb of
nephron loop
• 15%
• Fluid becomes more
CONCENTRATED as it travels
down
• Little or no water is
reabsorbed in Descending Ascending
limb Limb Limb

• Ions are reabsorbed now

• Tubular fluid becomes more
and more DILUTE as itclimbs
ascending limb

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BOTH reabsorption & secretion

at the and
collecting duct
By the time filtered fluid reaches
the end of the distal convoluted
tubule, 90-95% of the filtered
solutes and water have returned
to the blood stream.

• Only 15-20% of initial filtrate

reaches DCT.
• Sodium is reabsorbed,
swapped for potassium.
• Hydrogen ions are either
absorbed or secreted
depending on pH of blood
• Any drugs/toxins that made it
by the glomerulus are also
reabsorbed here

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All
together

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Urination

Micturition Reflex
1.Local reflex pathway -stretch receptor senses and
contracts detrusor muscle
2.CNS pathway through thalamus to cerebral cortex –
decides if good time to urinate
3. Voluntary relaxation of external urethral
causes relaxation of internal urethral

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