Chapter 14 Excretion

14.1 Waste product

14.1.1 Waste product of nitrogen compound

1. Urea is formed in the liver as a result of an excess of amino acids.

2. Excess amino acids cannot be stored in the body, unlike glucose and other nutrients, thus excess amino acids
that cannot be converted to proteins and used in the body are removed from the body in a process called
deamination.
3. Deamination takes place in the liver.
4. Deamination involves the removal of the nitrogen-containing section of the amino acids (removal of amine
group).
5. This forms urea, which is then filtered from the blood by the kidney and excreted out from the body as urine.

14.1.2 Waste products like carbon dioxide, excess water and salt

1. Urea is formed in the liver as a result of an excess of amino acids.

2. Excess amino acids cannot be stored in the body, unlike glucose and other nutrients, thus excess amino acids
that cannot be converted to proteins and used in the body are removed from the body in a process called
deamination.
3. Deamination takes place in the liver
4. Deamination involves the removal of the nitrogen-containing section of the amino acids (removal of amine
group).
5. This forms urea, which is then filtered from the blood by the kidney and excreted from the body as urine.

14.2 Homeostasis

1. Homeostasis is a process of keeping a constant internal environment around the cells of the body.
2. This involves providing cells with essential raw materials, removing of waste products from the cells.

14.3 Excretion

14.3.1 Definition of Excretion: Removal of metabolic waste product like urea, creatinine, or excess water,
mineral salt ions like Na+, K+, H+ , out from the body of the organism.

14.3.2 Importance of excretion

 To maintain blood volume
 To maintain blood osmotic pressure
 To remove metabolic toxic waste product like urea, CO2, NH4 +, creatinine, uric acid, H+, etc…
 To maintain blood pH.

14.3.3 Anatomy of Urinary System

1. Urinary system consists of a pair of kidney, renal artery, renal vein, urether, urethra and urinary bladder

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2. Table below shows the function of each part of urinary system
Part Function
Cortex The layer where glomerulus located, blood is being filtered.
Medulla The inner region of the kidney, where renal tubule located
Renal artery Bring oxygenated blood to renal cells
Renal vein Bring deoxygenated and cleansed blood to the heart
Ureter Deliver urine to urinary bladder
Urethra The tube that deliver urine out of the body
Urinary Bladder Temporary store urine

3. Function of kidney
 The kidney’s role is to filter waste and excess substances from the blood. Then these waste will be
excreted out via urine.
o Example of waste products in blood : urea, nitrogen compounds, creatinine
 Or excess water, K+, Na+, Ca2+, Cl-, etc.
 It is important for these substances to be filtered out of the blood, as the built up of such toxins could
cause harm to the organism.

4. Nephron, the functional unit of kidney

 Nephron consist of glomerulus, Bowman’s Capsule, proximal tubule, loop of henle, distal tuble
and collecting duct.
 Glomerulus is network of blood capillaries that closely arranged near to Bowman’s capsule.
 Renal tubule = proximal tubule, loop of henle, distal tubule and collecting duct.
 The diagram below show one nephron.

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5. Formation of urine involves three steps which involve renal tubule.
 Ultrafiltration
Happen at Glomerulus and Capsule Bowmen
 Re-absorbtion
Glucose, amino acids and other useful substance will be actively transported back to blood.
 Active secretion
Waste product that still accumulated in the blood will be actively transported from blood into the
collecting duct.

6. Ultrafiltration
 Larger diameter of arteriole compare to glomerulus (capillary), generate a higher hydrostatic
pressure at the blood at glomerulus.
 This high pressure will force small size molecules from blood to enter Bowman’s capsule and form
filtrate.
 Filtrate consists of all small size molecules like glucose, amino acids, urea, mineral ions, etc.. Except
big size substance like RBC, plasma protein, fibrinogen.

7. Re-absorption
 Useful substance from the filtrate : glucose, amino acids, sodium ions, chlorides ions etc..
 Are actively transported back to blood
 Water will also started to diffuse back to blood due to osmosis
 Re-absorbtion occurs at the tubule’s (proximal convoluted tubule and loop of Henle) of the nephron
 Reabsorption is important to salvage whatever nutrients that are useful.
 So, no glucose and amino acid should be found in a normal person’s urine.

8. Active secretion
 Certain substances like ammonium ions, creatinine – protein waste product, Hydrogen ions
 Will be secreted from the blood back into tubule, at collecting duct.
 By active transport using energy.
 The liquid in collecting duct is called urine.
 Collecting duct connects to ureter that will then flow the urine to urinary bladder.
 Active secretion is important to maintain the toxic waste product at a lower level in the blood.

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 9. Factors that affect the volume of urine formed/excreted
 Water intake
The larger the volume of water taken in by a person, the larger the volume of urine excreted
out.
 Temperature of the surrounding
The higher the temperature of the surrounding, the person sweat more. Thus, the lesser the
volume of urine produced and excreted.
 Salt intake
The more the salt taken in, the lesser the volume of urine and the urine is more concentrated.
 Exercise
The more vigorous the exercise is, the lesser the volume of urine formed.

14.4 Kidney Failure

1. Common causes of kidney failure

 High blood pressure, which damages the glomerular filtration membranes.
 Another cause is diabetes mellitus, which results in excess glucose being filtered and not
absorbed by the kidneys.

2. Consequences of kidney failure:

 Inability to remove wastes from the blood
 Inability to reabsorb useful substances effectively
 Inability to remove excess water, mineral salts effectively

3. Treatment if kidney fail to function

 When the kidneys are not working, the body cannot maintain the amounts of salts and water in the
blood or remove urea and toxic waste products.
 If the blood is not filtered correctly, urea builds up in the body, which is toxic and can eventually be
fatal.
 Treatment : (a) dialysis or (b) Kidney Transplant

4. Haemodialysis
 Before dialysis begins, a surgery method is perform to create an AV fistula.
 During dialysis, blood is taken from the arm and travels through the dialysis machine.
 Inside the dialysis machine, blood flows past a solution called dialysis fluid (dialysate), containing
glucose and ions. The concentration of mineral ions, glucose of dialysate is maintained at the normal
blood concentration except there is no urea.
 The blood and dialysate are separated by a partially permeable membrane, allowing diffusion
between the blood and fluid.
 As the fluid contains no urea, there is a high concentration gradient and urea exits the blood into the
dialysate by diffusion.
 The levels of glucose and ions in the dialysis fluid are similar to that of the blood, thus there is
usually no net diffusion of ions or glucose across the membrane, unless the blood is lacking in
certain mineral ions, in which case ions will diffuse into the blood from the dialysis fluid.
 Clean blood then exits the machine and re-enters the patient's arm.

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5. Dialysis machines must be used regularly to keep the blood clean.
6. Patients typically undergo dialysis 3 times a week for 4-6 hours at a time.
7. This makes it difficult for the patient to work and carry out a normal lifestyle as a large amount of time is
spent travelling and undergoing dialysis.
8. This lowers quality of life.
9. Advantage of haemodialysis
 Dialysis machines must be used regularly, however, to keep the blood clean.
 Patients typically undergo dialysis 3 times a week for 4-6 hours at a time.
 making it difficult to work and carry out a normal lifestyle as a large amount of time is spent
travelling and undergoing dialysis.
 This lowers quality of life.

10. Disadvantage of haemodialysis

 Dialysis machines must be used regularly, however, to keep the blood clean.
 Patients typically undergo dialysis 3 times a week for 4-6 hours at a time.
 making it difficult to work and carry out a normal lifestyle as a large amount of time is spent
travelling and undergoing dialysis.
 This lowers quality of life.

11. Kidney transplant

 Kidney transplants are an alternative to constant dialysis. Although this comes with the risks
 associated with major surgery, as well as the risk of rejection to the organ
 a successful kidney transplant can raise the quality of life of the patient and patients are not required
to undergo hours of dialysis.

End of Chapter 13 Excretion