THE EXCRETORY SYSTEM [ELIMINATION OF BODY WASTES] –IMPORTANT

POINTS

A. Some key terms:

1. Excretion: Excretion is the process of removal of all harmful and unwanted
products from the body, especially nitrogenous wastes.
2. Micturition: The process of expulsion of urine from the urinary bladder through
the urethra to the outside of the body by the relaxation of the sphincter muscles
located at the opening of the urinary bladder into the urethra under the impulse
from the nervous system.
3. Renal pelvis: The basin or cup-like front end of the ureter that is somewhat
expanded into the kidney.
4. Hilum: The notch on the median surface of each kidney, from which each ureter
arises.
5. Bowman’s capsule: Thin-walled, single-cell epithelium thick cup (something
like a hollow ball pressed deep on one side) and whose hollow internal space
continues into the kidney tubule.
6. Glomerulus: A knot-like mass of blood capillaries that is lodged in the outer
concavity of the cup of the Bowman’s capsule.
7. Malpighian capsule or Renal capsule: The bowman’s capsule with the
glomerulus.
8. Uriniferous Tubules or Nephrons or Renal Tubules or Kidney Tubules: The
structural and functional units of each kidney,
9. Renal Papilla; The apex of each renal pyramid that projects into the renal pelvis.
10. Diuresis: Increased production of urine.
11. Diuretics: Substances like tea, coffee, alcohol, liquid diets that increase the
production of urine are diuretics.
12. Uremia: Poisoning by accumulation of high quantities of urea in blood as
evidenced in cholera, wherein the kidneys reabsorb almost all the water and with
it even urea, to compensate for the water losss due to vomiting and watery
bowels.
13. Osmoregulation: Regulation of osmotic pressure of blood.
14. Urochrome: The pigment of bilious origin that gives a clear yellow colour to
urine generally.

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 B. ACTIVITIES IN ULTRAFILTRATION AND SELECTIVE REABSORPTION
DURING URINE FORMATION

PARTS OF RENAL TUBULE ACTIVITY

GLOMERULUS Ultrafiltration
BOWMAN’S CAPSULE Receives glomerular filtrate or ultrafiltrate
PROXIMAL CONVOLUTED TUBULE 2
Reabsorbs about3 of water and much of
glucose and sodium and chloride ions
LOOP OF HENLE Some absorption of water and sodium ions
DISTAL CONVOLUTED TUBULE Secretion of K+ and foreign chemicals such as
Penicillin and other drugs into the forming
urine, by its walls

C. NORMAL CONSTITUENTS OF URINE (5% solid wastes as remaining is water)

ORGANIC INORGANIC
Urea Sodium Chloride
Creatinine Potassium Chloride
Uric Acid Ammonia
Others Others

D. ABNORMAL CONSTITUENTS OF URINE AND ITS REASONS

ABNORMAL CONSTITUENTS REASONS

Blood cells/Haematuria-Blood in urine Infection in urinary tract, renal calculi or
tumour
Glucose/Glycosuria Excess glucose due to Diabetes mellitus
Albumin Hypertension, increased permeability of the
membrane of the Bowman’s capsule on
account of bacterial infection
Bile Pigments Anaemia, Hepatitis, Liver Cirrhosis

E. Why is urine thicker in summer than in winter?

We lose a considerable part of water through perspiration in summer due to which the
kidneys reabsorb more water from the urine making it more concentrated while in
winter, due to less perspiration, the kidneys do not reabsorb as much water from the urine
in winter leading to thinner or dilute urine. ADH (Antidiuretic Hormone level in blood in
summer is higher than in winter as it helps in greater reabsorption of water from the
kidney tubules in summer than in winter.
F. Why is the renal cortex dotted in appearance in a section of the kidney?
Both the Malpighian capsule (especially the Bowman’s capsule) and the proximal
convoluted tubule lie in the cortex giving it a dotted appearance.

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 G. Excretion and Defecation are dissimilar.
Excretion is the removal of metabolic wastes, mainly nitrogenous ones from the body
while defecation is passing out of faeces i.e., the undigested food from the intestine.
H. The right kidney is at a slightly lower level than the left kidney.
So that the liver can be accommodated.
I. STEPS IN UROPOIESIS (Urine Formation)
1. Ultrafiltration: The blood flows through the glomerulus under great hydrostatic
pressure as the efferent renal arteriole is two times thinner than the afferent renal
arteriole. This high hydrostatic pressure causes the liquid part of the blood to filter
out from the glomerulus into the renal tubule due to the extraordinary force called
ultrafiltration. The ultrafiltrate contains plasma with organic and inorganic
substances like urea, glucose, amino acids, water, salts and other plasma solutes.
The thicker part of blood left behind in the glomerulus has blood corpuscles,
plasma proteins and other large molecules.
2. Selective Reabsorption: The reabsorption of usable materials like glucose, some
salts, such as those of Sodium as the ultrafiltrate passes through the renal tubule,
to restore the normal concentration of blood.
3. Tubular Secretion: The passage of K+, and a large number of foreign chemicals
including drugs like Penicillin into forming urine from the walls of the distal
convoluted tubule due to their cellular activity.

J. SUMMARY OF EXCRETION IN HUMANS

EXCRETORY SUBSTANCES EXCRETORY ORGANS

Carbondioxide Lungs, excreted as gas in expired air
Mainly urea Kidneys, as constituent of urine
Creatinine
Uric Acid Skin, as constituents of sweat

Water Kidneys, as a part of urine

Skin, as a constituent of sweat
Lungs, excreted as water vapour in expired
air
Bile pigments from Haemoglobin Liver, excreted through the intestines as
breakdown bile juice poured into the duodenum

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