Urinary System
NOTES:
● KIDNEY- serves as the filtering mechanism
of our body releasing the toxic waste and
filters the blood
● HIPPOCRATES: (father of medicine)-they
use urine to diagnose patients and relate it
to presence of acute and chronic disease,
used to for diagnosis of diabetes
(GALEN- diarrhea of urine)
● HINDU PHYSICIAN- they taste the urine
(sweet=positive for diabetes)
● MEDIEVAL PERIOD - use of ants (if
attracted= positive for diabetes)
● URINE- used to analyze for different
metabolize or for the presence of RBC,
WBC or different biological agent
(bacteria,parasite)
● Dialysis- uses a machine to clean the blood
because kidney can’t function to clean it
COMPONENTS OF URINARY SYSTEM
● Pair of kidney
● Ureters
● Urinary bladder
● Urethra
NOTES:
● UTI is more common in female than males
because they have longer urethra
● Mahampdi, masakit umihi, balisawsaw, UTI.
● Masakit balakang, fever (kidney infection);
the microorganisms migrated in the ureters
and kidneys - pyelonephritis
● 25% the blood coming from aorta will go to
the kidney
● Urinary bladder - storage of urine; sterile
● Urethra - where the urine comes out
Functions:
Produce urine (excretion of waste and excess
water as URINE)
Functions of KIDNEY:
1. Acid- base balance (balance between
water and electrolytes)
2. Excretion of metabolic waste (creatinine,
urea)
3. Excretion of bioactive substances (drugs-
like vitamins that are water soluble)
4. Secretion of renin (regulate blood
pressure)
5. Secretion of Erythropoietin (hormone
responsible for production of red blood cell)
- Erythropoietin attach to your bone
marrow to release immature red
blood cell (for blood loss)
6. Conversion of Vitamin D ( important to
bone it regulates calcium and the
complications will be bone disorder)
7. Gluconeogenesis (formation of new
glucose coming from other sources during
starvation or fasting)
NOTES:
● Damaged kidney may lead to hypertension,
diabetes, anemia, bone disorder
● Diabetes- palapot yung dugo the kidney
can't tolerate because the blood should only
be free flowing
● Hypertension- high pressure nabubugbog
and filtering mechanism resulting to failure
to filter metabolic waste and bigger
molecules will come out with the urine
● NO protein in the urine because they are
larger molecules.
Urinary System
THE FUNCTION OF THE URINARY SYSTEM
Production of urine (excretion of waste and excess
water as URINE) →Transported in the ureters →
store in urinary bladder → excrete through urethra
KIDNEYS
● A pair of bean-shaped solid organs
○ Located retroperitoneally on the
posterior wall of the abdomen on
either side of vertebral column at the
lumbar region
● 10-12 cm x 5-6cm x 3 - 4 cm
● 150 gm each
STROMA
● Enclosed by a thin fibrous capsule of dense
collagenous CT (outside)
● Interstitial CT (inside) made up of delicate
reticular fibers which support the
parenchyma
PARENCHYMA
Cortex
● Outer darker part of the kidney
Medulla
● Inner, lighter colored made up of 8 -15
conical divisions called renal pyramids
○ Lateral boundaries formed by inward
extension of the cortex called renal
column
FLOW IN THE KIDNEY
Stroma → Parenchyma: Renal Cortex →
Parenchyma: Renal Medulla or Renal Pyramid →
Minor Calyx → Major Calyx → Ureter
● Renal Hilum consists of renal pelvis, artery,
vein, lymphatics, and nerves
● Renal pelvis - is divided into two: Minor
calyx and Major calyx (it will form once the
minor calyx coalesce or merge)
KIDNEYS
PARENCHYMA
● Made up of numerous (1.5-3 million) minute
nephrons
● NEPHRONS - structural unit of the kidney
○ Renal corpuscle
○ Proximal convoluted tubule
○ Loop of Henle (thin and thick limbs)
○ Distal convoluted tubule
○ Collecting tubule
Cortex
● Contains the renal corpuscles, proximal and
distal convoluted tubules, and collecting
tubules
Medulla
● Loops of Henle and the greater length of the
collecting ducts
JUXTAMEDULLARY NEPHRON
● Have very long Henle's loop extending deep
into the medulla
● Short thick descending limb, long thin
descending and ascending limb, and thick
ascending limb
CORTICAL NEPHRONS
● Very short thin descending limbs and no thin
ascending limb
Urinary System
BLOOD FLOW THROUGH THE KIDNEY
● After the Vitamin D is processed in the liver,
we are now able to produce the Aorta
25-hydroxyvitamin D3
● For us to be able to use the Vitamin D, the Renal artery
25-hydroxyvitamin D3 needs to pass Segmental arteries
through the kidney to convert it in its active
form 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 or Interlobar arteries
Calcitriol
● 1,25-DIHYDROXYVITAMIN D3 - to maintain Arcuate arteries
calcium balance in the body Interlobular arteries

*memorize the blood flow through the kidney Afferent arterioles

Glomerular capillaries

Efferent arterioles

Peritubular capillaries and/or vasa recta

Interlobular veins

Arcuate veins

Interlobar veins

Segmental veins

Renal vein

Inferior vena cava

Heart

NOTES:
What is the artery in the cortex = interlobar
arteries
Afferent arterioles = renal corpuscle
Vasa recta = blood vessel na dumikit sa another
blood vessel
Afferent arterioles = papunta sa glomerulus ang
blood
Efferent arterioles = palabas sa glomerulus ang
blood (clean blood)
What is the functional unit of the kidney?
- nephron
Compositions of nephron = renal corpuscle and
tubules
What do you call the capillary present in the
glomerulus? - Glomerular capillaries
*filters blood
Urinary System
Renal artery = 25% ng blood mapupunta sa kidney ○ Secondary processes interdigitate at
ay dito dadaan a periodic distance of 25 nm forming
Segmental artery = branched out na renal artery the filtration slits
Segmental artery going to cortex magiging ● The space in between the visceral and
interlobar artery parietal is called the Bowman’s or urinary
Arcuate artery = medulla space
Interlobular artery = deep part of the kidney ○ Continuous with the lumen of the
After the renal vein, the blood will go to the inferior proximal tubule
vena cava and then the heart
RENAL CORPUSCLE
● Occupied by a globular tuft of highly
convoluted capillaries, called the
glomerulus
○ tuft of capillaries and its surrounding
cup-shaped epithelial capsule
constitute the renal corpuscle
○ Used to filter blood and ibabalik sa
inferior vena cava
● Has 2 poles
○ Vascular pole
■ The afferent arteriole (where
blood enters) and efferent
NEPHRON
arteriole (blood leaves
● At the proximal end of each nephron, there
glomerulus) are found in
is a close thin-walled expansion of the
JUXTAGLOMERULAR
tubule that is deeply invaginated to form a
APPARATUS
cup-shaped hollow structure called
■ composed of ff:
Bowman’s capsule
● Macula densa - can
○ Bowman’s structure = covering of
detect if our BP is
the glomerulus
high or low
○ Parietal/outer layer of bowman’s
● Juxtaglomerular
structure = ‘yung mas malayo
cells - produces
○ Visceral/inner layer of bowman’s
RENIN (to regulate
structure = ‘yung mismong nakakabit
BLOOD PRESSURE)
or nakadikit sa glomerulus
○ Glomerulus - tuft of capillaries that
○ Urinary pole
filters the blood
■ Near the proximal convoluted
tubules
BOWMAN’S CAPSULE
● Double-walled cup composed of simple
PARTS OF THE NEPHRON
squamous epithelium
● Parietal layer (external) PROXIMAL CONVOLUTED TUBULE
● Visceral layer (internal) or podocytes ● Simple cuboidal epithelium
○ The primary process gives rise to ● Located in cortex area
numerous secondary processes ● Large cells w/ wide lumen therefore
(pedicels or foot processes) that transverse section show only 3-5 spherical
embrace the capillaries of the nuclei
glomerulus ● Apical cytoplasm has numerous canaliculi
between the bases of microvilli
Urinary System
● Longest segment of the nephron - made up
of convoluted and straight portions
● Forms the main bulk of the kidney cortex
● For reabsorption of the ff:
○ Organic nutrients
○ Proteins
○ Water
○ Electrolytes
○ Secretion of anion and cation
HENLE’S LOOP/LOOP OF HENLE
● U-shaped structure consisting of ff:
○ Thick and thin descending limb
○ Thin and thick ascending limb
● Thick limbs - simple cuboidal epithelium
● Thin limbs - simple squamous epithelium
DISTAL CONVOLUTED TUBULE
● Simple cuboidal epithelium
● Located in the CORTEX
● Differ from proximål convoluted
○ Absence of brush border
○ No apical canaliculi
○ Cells are flatter and smaller
○ More nuclei are seen
● For reabsorption of electrolytes
● Cells in close contact with afferent arteriole
become modified, usually become columnar
and their nuclei are closely packed
● Modified segment becomes darker in color,
called macula densa
○ Cells are sensitive to the ionic
content and water volume which
may signal the release of renin (for
BP regulation
JUXTAGLOMERULAR APPARATUS
● Adjacent to the renal corpuscle, the tunica
media of afferent arteriole has modified
smooth muscle cells called
juxtaglomerular cells, which produce
renin
● Juxtaglomerular cells and the macula densa
of the distal convoluted tubule comprise the
juxtaglomerular apparatus
COLLECTING TUBULE AND DUCT
● Collecting tubule - simple cuboidal
epithelium becoming columnar
● The collecting duct which opens at the apex
of the renal pyramid into the lumen of the
minor calyx
● Collecting tubule - Dito napupunta yung
mga metabolic wastes
RENAL PELVIS, CALCYES & URETERS
● transitional epithelium
● Muscularis mucosae and submucosa are
● absent
● Tunica muscularis is made up of
anastomosing bundles of smooth muscles
that are of varying orientation
● Dito dadaan ang ihi papunta sa urinary
bladder
RENAL PELVIS
● Funnel-shaped expansion of the
upper end of the ureter
● Divides into 2 long branches, the
major calyces (calyx), and these in
turn have short branches called the
minor calyces
● Minor calyces forms into major
calyces
URINARY BLADDER
● Serves as storage of urine
● Lined by transitional epithelium
● Thick muscular coat made up of 3 layers of
smooth muscles
● Sterile inside
MALE URETHRA
● 18 cm in length and serves as the terminal
portion of both the urinary tract and the
reproductive tract
● 3 segments
○ Prostatic urethra
■ Portion that runs through the
prostate gland; lined by
transitional epithelium
○ Membranous urethra
Urinary System
■ Short segment lined by
pseudostratified columnar
epithelium
○ Penile urethra
■ Courses through the whole
length of the penis to its
external opening (meatus) on
the glans penis; lined by
pseudostratified columnar
epithelium but becoming
stratified squamous
URINARY BLADDER
towards the meatus

FEMALE URETHRA
● 25 - 30 mm long or 4cm
● Lined mainly by stratified squamous
epithelium
● Functions solely as urinary tract

OTHER INFORMATION IN THE BOOK:

1. Podocytes
● Unusual stellate epithelial cells that
forms the visceral layer of a renal
corpuscle
2. Normally about 20% of the blood plasma
entering a glomerulus is filtered into the
capsular space
3. GLOMERULAR FILTRATION BARRIER
LAYERS:
a. Capillary endothelium
b. Glomerular Basement Membrane
(GBM)
c. Filtration slit
4. The bladder in an average adult can hold
400-600 mL of urine.
5. The muscularis consists of three poorly
delineated layers, collectively called the
detrusor muscle,
6. The ureter carries urine from the renal
pelvis and exits the renal hilum (where the
renal artery and vein are also located)
7. Function unit of the kidney are the NEPHRONS
Urinary System