RENALSYSTEM

I
NTRODUCTI
ON:
The r
enals
yst
em i
sone oft
he excr
etor
ysys
temsoft
he ani
mal
s’body.The
l
ungs
,ski
nandpar
tsoft
hei
ntes
tinecont
ribut
etot
heel
imi
nat
ionofwas
tepr
oduct
f
rom t
he body.However
,ther
enals
yst
em i
sthepr
imar
yadul
texcr
etor
ysys
tem
i
nthemanual
.It cons
ist
soft
woki
dneys
,twour
eter
s,oneur
inar
ybl
adderandone
ur
ethr
a.

THEKI
DNEY:
The gr
ossl
ocat
ion and appear
ance ofki
dneysi
n al
lwar
m-bl
ooded ani
mal
s
i
ssi
mil
ar.Thel
eftandr
ightwhi
char
ebeen-
shapedor
gansl
ocat
edont
hedor
sal
wal
lof t
heabdomi
nalcavi
ty.I
nbi
rds
,theki
dneyshavedi
sti
ncts
ubuni
tsorl
obes
i
nsome mammal
showever
,theki
dney may bepar
tial
lyl
ocat
ed,asi
nlar
ge
r
umi
nant
s,whi
lei
n ot
her
siti
sei
theronl
ysuper
fici
all
ylobat
edors
moot
h.
Ther
e ar
e t
hree ar
eas of t
iss
ue whi
ch can be di
sti
ngui
shed when a
l
ongi
tudi
nal s
ect
ionoft
heki
dneyi
sgr
oss
lyexami
ned.(
i)Thef
ibr
ouscaps
ule
whi
chs
urr
oundst
he ki
dney.(
ii
)Thecor
texwhi
chi
sar
eddi
sh-
brownl
ayerof
t
iss
uei
mmedi
atel
ybel
ow t
he caps
ule.(
ii
i)Themedul
lawhi
chi
sthei
nner
mos
t
l
ayerandcons
ist
sofpal
econi
cal
-shapeds
tri
ati
onscal
ledt
her
enalpyr
ami
ds.
The r
enalhi
lus i
sthe concave medi
al bor
der of t
he ki
dney,wher
e bl
ood
ves
sel
s and ner
ves ent
er and t
he ur
eter and l
ymphat
ic ves
sel
sleave.The
expanded or
igi
n oft
he ur
eterwi
thi
nthe ki
dney i
scal
led t
he r
enalpel
visi
t
r
ecei
vesur
inef
rom t
hecol
lect
ing t
ubul
esoft
heki
dney.

URETERS,BLADDERANDURETHRA
The ar
rangement of t
he r
emai
ning excr
etor
y pas
sages
, t
he ur
eter
s,
ur
inar
y bl
adderand ur
ethr
a,var
iess
omewhatbet
ween s
peci
es.I
n bi
rds
,the
ur
eter
sempt
yint
o t
hecl
oaca.I
nmammal
showever
,theur
eter
scar
ryur
inet
othe
ur
inar
ybl
adderf
ors
tor
age.Theur
eter
spas
sthr
oughi
ntot
hewal
loft
hebl
adder
and f
orm a val
ve whi
ch pr
event
sbackf
low ofur
ine.Dur
ing ur
inat
ion,ur
ine
pas
sesf
rom t
hebl
adderandout t
hrought
heur
ethr
a.
Mi
ctur
iti
oni
sthet
erm us
edf
orexpul
sionofur
inef
rom t
hebl
adderi
tnor
mal
ly
i
s ar
efl
ex act
ivi
tys
timul
ated by di
stent
ionoft
hebl
adderf
rom t
hecons
tant
i
nfl
ow of ur
inebywayoft
heur
eter
s.

MI
CROSCOPI
CSTRUCTUREOFTHEKI
DNEY
The ki
dney s
ubs
tance i
s compos
ed of a l
arge number of mi
cros
copi
c
s
truct
ure knownas nephr
on.Thenephr
oni
stheuni
tofs
truct
ureandf
unct
ionof
t
heki
dney. Thenephr
oncons
ist
sofs
ever
aldi
sti
ncts
egment
s.
(
i)The r
enal cor
pus
cle, whi
ch i
s compos
ed of t
he gl
omer
ulus and
Bowman'
s caps
ule.
(
ii
)Pr
oxi
malconvol
utedt
ubul
e
(
ii
i)
LoopofHenl
e,wi
thades
cendi
ngandas
cendi
ngpor
tion,
(
iv) Di
stal convol
uted t
ubul
e(whi
ch i
s cont
inued by t
he col
lect
ing
t
ubul
e).
Thenephr
onandcol
lect
ingt
ubul
ear
ecol
lect
ivel
ycal
ledt
heur
ini
fer
oust
ubul
e.
The gl
omer
ulusi
sa compl
ex br
anched and l
ooped capi
llar
y bed connect
ing
t
he af
fer
ent (
in-
goi
ng) ar
ter
iol
e and t
he ef
fer
ent (
out
-goi
ng) ar
ter
iol
e.The
gl
omer
ulusi
s envel
opedbyt
heBowman'
scaps
ulewhi
chi
sthei
nvi
gil
atedbl
ind
endoft
hepr
oxi
mal convol
utedt
ubul
e.Ther
enalcor
pus
clei
sthemaj
ors
itef
or
f
ilt
erat
ionoff
lui
dfr
om t
he bl
ood.

FUNCTI
ONOFTHEKI
DNEY
The pr
imar
yfunct
ion of t
he ki
dney i
sthe f
ormat
ion of ur
ine.I
n doi
ng t
his
,
t
he ki
dneyper
for
msanumberofot
herf
unct
ionswhi
chhel
psi
nthemai
ntenance
of t
he r
elat
ivel
y cons
tantcondi
ti
on of t
he i
nter
nalenvi
ronmentof t
he body
(
homeos
tas
is)
. Thi
sincl
udes
:
(
i)Regul
ati
onofwat
erbal
ance(
cons
ervat
ionofwat
er)
(
ii
)Regul
ati
onofpH,os
mot
icpr
ess
ure,el
ect
rol
ytel
evel
s.
(
ii
i)El
imi
nat
ion of ni
trogenous end pr
oduct
s of pr
otei
n met
abol
ism,
pr
imar
ily ur
ea(
Uri
caci
dinbi
rds
).Cr
eat
ini
neandammoni
a.
(
iv) El
imi
nat
ion of compl
ex or
gani
c compound bot
h endogenous and
 exogenous
.
(
v)The ki
dney al
so s
ecr
etes t
wo i
mpor
tant endocr
ine s
ubs
tances
:
er
ythr
opor
eti
n whi
ch pl
aysa r
olei
nhaemat
opoi
esi
sand r
eni
nwhi
chi
s
i
nvol
ved i
n t
he r
egul
ati
on of al
dos
ter
one s
ecr
eti
on by t
he adr
enal
cor
tex.