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Excretory System

The excretory system is essential for removing waste products from the body to maintain homeostasis, primarily involving the urinary system, which includes the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra. Accessory excretory organs such as the lungs, liver, skin, and intestines also play a role in waste elimination. Kidneys filter blood, regulate blood pressure, produce hormones, and maintain glucose homeostasis while excreting metabolic waste and foreign materials.

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5 views

Excretory System

The excretory system is essential for removing waste products from the body to maintain homeostasis, primarily involving the urinary system, which includes the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra. Accessory excretory organs such as the lungs, liver, skin, and intestines also play a role in waste elimination. Kidneys filter blood, regulate blood pressure, produce hormones, and maintain glucose homeostasis while excreting metabolic waste and foreign materials.

Uploaded by

chaitali02prabhu
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Excretory System

Prutha Bhatt
What is Excretory System?

• The excretory system is a vital biological system that removes excess and waste
products from the body to maintain homeostasis.

• Most of these products are in fact used and broken down components of
metabolism that leave the body in the form of urine, sweat, or feces.
• While many organs are linked indirectly to the
removal of metabolic waste, the term ‘Excretory
system’ refers to those organs that are used KIDNEY
strictly for the elimination and excretion of these
broken-down components.

• This limits the focus of a discussion of the


excretory system to mainly the Urinary, or renal,
system, which consists of the kidneys, ureters, a
bladder, and a urethra.
Accessory organs of Excretion

• Some organs act as excretory organs besides their normal functions.

• Those organs are called ‘Accessory excretory organs’.

• Lungs, liver, skin, and intestine are the accessory excretory organs
that remove certain metabolic wastes like urea, ammonia, carbon
dioxide etc., from the body.
• Skin: Human skin possesses glands for secreting two
fluids on its surface, namely sweat from the sweat glands
and sebum from sebaceous glands.

• Lungs’s role in the excretory system is to dispose of


carbon dioxide through exhalation.

• Liver helps in the conversion of ammonia into less toxic


urea that is excreted through urine.

• Large intestine too is a part of the excretory system. Its


primary function is to absorb water and salts from
undigested food, and formation of faeces.
Urine Composition
• Urine: A liquid excrement that consists of water, salts,
and urea, and is made in the kidneys then released
through the urethra.

• It contains 95% water, Remaining 5% contains


Electrolytes and waste formed in metabolism.

• Electrolytes: Sodium, Potassium, Calcium etc.


Electrolytes are not waste material but their excess may
disturb the homeostasis of blood. Hence, excreted out
of the body.

• Metabolic waste: Urea, Uric acid, Creatinine etc


The human excretory system organs include:

•A pair of kidneys
•A pair of ureters
•A urinary bladder
•A urethra
Kidneys

• Kidneys are bean shaped organs(Approx


10 cms long and 5cms wide) situated
near posterior wall of abdomen.

• The left kidney is located at about the


T12 to L3, whereas the right is lower
due to slight displacement by the liver.
• It has a convex and concave border.

• Towards the inner concave side, a notch


called the hilum is present through which
the renal artery enters the kidney and the
renal vein and ureter leave.

• The outer layer of the kidney is a tough


capsule.

• On the inside, the kidney is divided into an


outer renal cortex and an inner renal
medulla.
• The hilum extends inside the kidney into a
funnel-like space called the renal pelvis.

• The renal pelvis has projections called


calyces(sing: calyx).

• The medulla is divided into medullary


pyramids, which project into the calyces.

• The kidney is made up of millions of smaller


units called nephrons which are also the
functional units.
Nephrons
• Each pyramid contains million of small
filters called Nephrons.

• Each nephron contains 2 parts.

• First part is ‘Renal Corpuscle’ where


filtration takes place.

• Second part is called ‘Renal Tubule’ where


the filtered part moves and some of that is
reabsorbed.
Renal corpuscle
• It contains 2 parts:

• Glomerulus: It is the network of capillaries.

• Bowman’s capsule: It is a cup shaped


structure through which the filtration of urine
from capillaries takes place.
Note: Afferent arteriole is a branch of the renal
• Glomerulus is situated inside the cup of artery that brings in blood to the glomerulus.
Efferent arteriole is a branch of the renal artery that
Bowmans capsule. drains blood away from the glomerulus.
Renal Tubules

• They are associated with small blood vessels so


that some of the water and electrocyte is
reabsorbed and again returns to blood.

• Many tubules enter into the collecting duct.

• Many collecting ducts unite into papillary duct.

• Many papillary ducts unite into minor calyx.


• These open into major calyx.

• Many calyx open into a single wide duct


just outside the kidney called Renal
Pelvis.

• Further the pelvis is extended as ureter


towards bladder.
• Ureter
• A pair of thin muscular tubes called the ureter comes out of
each kidney extending from the renal pelvis. It carries urine
from the kidney to the urinary bladder.

• Urinary Bladder
• It is a muscular sac-like structure, which stores urine. The
urinary bladder is emptied by the process of micturition, i.e.
the act of urination.

• Urethra
• This tube arises from the urinary bladder and helps to expel
urine out of the body. In males, it acts as the common route
for sperms and urine. Its opening is guarded by sphincter
muscles.
Physiology
Filtration and selective reabsorption and tubular
secretion:

• Renal artery enters the kidney gets branched and rebranched


the capillaries rest in Bowman’s capsule of nephron
water, minerals, solutes and other materials are filtered completely.

• Water and electrolytes are reabsorbed in renal tubules. Sufficient


amount of water passes with other contents towards collecting tubules.
• Potassium ions, hydrogen ions, and ammonia are secreted out to
maintain the equilibrium between the body fluids.

• Thus, kidney is the site of regulation of blood volume, blood pH etc.

• Finally, all urine which comes through all pathway is collected at Renal
pelvis.
Movement of Urine

• From pelvis urine moves towards bladder via ureter.

• Urine remains in bladder for some time and then by Micturition process
passes through urethra.
Kidney and Blood Pressure
• Renin is an enzyme that helps control the blood pressure. It’s made by special cells in kidneys.

• When the blood pressure drops too low or the body doesn’t have enough salt, renin gets sent into
bloodstream.

• That triggers a chain reaction that creates a hormone called angiotensin and signals adrenal glands to
release another hormone called aldosterone.

• Angiotensin makes tiny blood vessels narrower, and aldosterone tells kidneys to hold on to salt and
fluid.

• Both those things can raise blood pressure.

• If that process gets out of balance, the blood pressure can get too high.
Hormone Production

• Kidneys produce Erythropoietin which stimulates production of blood


cells.

• Kidneys also produce Calcitriol to regulate Calcium homeostasis.


Regulation of Glucose

• In addition to their important role in gluconeogenesis, the kidneys


contribute to glucose homeostasis by filtering and reabsorbing glucose.
Note: Gluconeogenesis is a process that transforms non-carbohydrate
substrates (such as lactate, amino acids, and glycerol) into glucose.

• Under normal conditions, the kidneys retrieve as much glucose as


possible, rendering the urine virtually glucose free.
Excretion of Foreign Materials

• Apart from excreting metabolic waste, it helps in excreting some toxins


and drugs by kidney.

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