MACROSCOPIC AND

MICROSCOPIC ANALYSIS OF
THE URINARY SYSTEM
Finals Laboratory Session 4
First Semester
Our Lady of Fatima University

COLLEGE OF MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE – VALENZUELA CAMPUS / JOSHUA LUIGI D. RAMEL, RMT / jdramel@fatima.edu.ph
I. COMPONENTS OF URINARY SYSTEM
Kidneys Bladder
Ureters Urethra

RENAL FUNCTIONS:

1. Acid-Base Balance
2. Excretion of metabolic wastes
3. Excretion of bioactive substances
4. Secretion of renin
5. Secretion of erythropoietin
6. Conversion of Vitamin D
7. Gluconeogenesis

COLLEGE OF MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE – VALENZUELA CAMPUS / JOSHUA LUIGI D. RAMEL, RMT / jdramel@fatima.edu.ph
 I. KIDNEY
Components:
1.Cortex (outer)
- stains darker than medulla

2. Medulla (inner)
- contains 8-12 renal pyramids containing a
renal lobe

Renal Pyramids
- apical end contains renal papilla and minor calyx
that eventually become one of three major clayces

- Renal Pyramids are separated by structures called

renal columns

COLLEGE OF MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE – VALENZUELA CAMPUS / JOSHUA LUIGI D. RAMEL, RMT / jdramel@fatima.edu.ph
 I. KIDNEY
Components:
1.Cortex (outer)
- stains darker than medulla

2. Medulla (inner)
- contains 8-12 renal pyramids containing a
renal lobe

3. Renal Hilum
- Where renal artery and vein are located
- The ureter exits the kidney from here

COLLEGE OF MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE – VALENZUELA CAMPUS / JOSHUA LUIGI D. RAMEL, RMT / jdramel@fatima.edu.ph
 II. RENAL
VASCULATURE
1. Renal Artery
- Largest
- Divides into 2 segmental arteries at hilum

2. Interlobar Arteries
- Branch from segmental arteries
- Extend between renal pyramids towards
corticomedullary junction

COLLEGE OF MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE – VALENZUELA CAMPUS / JOSHUA LUIGI D. RAMEL, RMT / jdramel@fatima.edu.ph
 II. RENAL
VASCULATURE
3. Arcurate Arteries
- Branches from interlobar arteries

4. Interlobular Arteries
- Branches from arcurate arteries
- Extend all the way to renal cortex
In the cortex afferent arterioles enter capillary
clusters called glomeruli
- Where blood is filtered in the kidney
- drained by efferent arterioles

Efferent arterioles
- branch into peritubular capillaries
College COLLEGE
of Medical Laboratory
OF MEDICAL Science / SCIENCE
LABORATORY Canellie–Canlas, RMT,CAMPUS
VALENZUELA MSMT //JOSHUA
Jonna Tacsay,
LUIGI D.RMT, MSMT/
RAMEL, Joshua Ramel, RMT
RMT / jdramel@fatima.edu.ph
III. NEPHRONS
Functional units of the kidney
* 1- 4 million

Major Divisions of Nephron:

1. Renal Corpuscle
2. Proximal Tubule
3. Loop of Henle
4. Distal Tubule

5. Connecting Tubule
- links nephron to collecting ducts

COLLEGE OF MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE – VALENZUELA CAMPUS / JOSHUA LUIGI D. RAMEL, RMT / jdramel@fatima.edu.ph
III. NEPHRONS

COLLEGE OF MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE – VALENZUELA CAMPUS / JOSHUA LUIGI D. RAMEL, RMT / jdramel@fatima.edu.ph
 III. NEPHRONS
1. RENAL CORPUCSCLE
- Dilated part enclosing a tuft of capillary loops
- SITE OF BLOOD FILTRATION

* Contains the ff:

- Glomerulus
- Glomerular Capsule ( Bowman’s Capsule)
> Simple Squamous Epithelial
- Podocytes
> Satellite Epithelial Cells
> Compose the apparatus for renal
filtration

COLLEGE OF MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE – VALENZUELA CAMPUS / JOSHUA LUIGI D. RAMEL, RMT / jdramel@fatima.edu.ph
 IV. GLOMERULUS
Three Parts:
1. Fenestrated Capillary Endothelium
2. Fused Basal Laminae
> Contains Type IV Collagen
> Produced by Podocytes
3. Slit Pores

COLLEGE OF MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE – VALENZUELA CAMPUS / JOSHUA LUIGI D. RAMEL, RMT / jdramel@fatima.edu.ph
 V. NEPHRON TUBULES
For Reabsorption and Secretion of Substances

1. Proximal Convoluted Cuboidal Tubule

- located at renal cortex
> Simple Cuboidal Cells
> Contains Microvilli
> Abundant Mitochondria
> Basolateral Folds

Molecules Reabsorbed:
Glucose Amino Acids
Electrolytes Water

COLLEGE OF MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE – VALENZUELA CAMPUS / JOSHUA LUIGI D. RAMEL, RMT / jdramel@fatima.edu.ph
 V. NEPHRON TUBULES
For Reabsorption and Secretion of Substances

2. Loop of Henle
- With Thin Ascending and Thin Descending parts
- Loop of Henle contains SQUAMOUS epithelial

- Also contains Thick Ascending Limb

> Further thickens to macula densa

Macula Densa
- Specialized smooth muscle cells
- Have juxtaglomerular cells
> Secrete renin

COLLEGE OF MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE – VALENZUELA CAMPUS / JOSHUA LUIGI D. RAMEL, RMT / jdramel@fatima.edu.ph
 V. NEPHRON TUBULES
For Reabsorption and Secretion of Substances

3. Distal Convoluted Tubule

> Where Electrolyte Levels are adjusted further

4. Connecting Tubules
- Join to form the cortical collecting ducts
> simple cuboidal epithelium

COLLEGE OF MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE – VALENZUELA CAMPUS / JOSHUA LUIGI D. RAMEL, RMT / jdramel@fatima.edu.ph
 V. NEPHRON TUBULES

COLLEGE OF MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE – VALENZUELA CAMPUS / JOSHUA LUIGI D. RAMEL, RMT / jdramel@fatima.edu.ph
 VI. URINARY TRACT
Principal Cells
> pale staining
> few mitochondria
> contain cell membranes rich in aquaporins
- for passive water reabsorption

> delivers filtrate of plasma into minor calyces

Filtrate is now called urine.

The calyces, renal pelvis, ureters, and urinary

bladder are lined by urothelium

COLLEGE OF MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE – VALENZUELA CAMPUS / JOSHUA LUIGI D. RAMEL, RMT / jdramel@fatima.edu.ph
 VII. UROTHELIUM
- Contain Large Bulbous superficial cells called
umbrella cells that contain uroplakin
> protect cytoplasm

COLLEGE OF MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE – VALENZUELA CAMPUS / JOSHUA LUIGI D. RAMEL, RMT / jdramel@fatima.edu.ph
 VIII. URINARY BLADDER
- Where urine temporarily is stored
- Contains folded mucosa which unfold
as bladder fills.
- Transitional epithelium gets thinner as
bladder fills.

COLLEGE OF MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE – VALENZUELA CAMPUS / JOSHUA LUIGI D. RAMEL, RMT / jdramel@fatima.edu.ph
 IX. URETHRA
- Drains the bladder
- Lined initially by urothelium

- For Males:
> Urothelium is followed by stratified and pseuostratified
columnar epithelium
> Last portions of male urethra is stratified squamous
epithelium

- Male Urethra has three regions:

> Prostatic Urthera
> Membranous Urethra
- passes through urogenital diaphragm
> Penile Urethra

COLLEGE OF MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE – VALENZUELA CAMPUS / JOSHUA LUIGI D. RAMEL, RMT / jdramel@fatima.edu.ph
REFERNCES
Lecture Notes, Ramel, Jonas Mikko D., MD (2017)
Lecture Notes, Ramel, Joshua Luigi D., RMT (2019)
Lecture Notes, Tan, Christine Faith, MD (2020)
Mescher, Anthony L (2018) , Junqueira’s Basic Histology Text and Atlas 15th Edition

COLLEGE OF MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE – VALENZUELA CAMPUS / JOSHUA LUIGI D. RAMEL, RMT / jdramel@fatima.edu.ph