URINARY SYSTEM

 Urinary system consists of a pair of kidneys, pair of ureters, urinary bladder and urethra
 Urology – Branch of science that deals with both male & female urinary systems and also
the male reproductive system
 Nephrology – Scientific study that involves the anatomical, physiological and pathological
aspects of kidneys.

Kidney
 Reddish brown ; bean shaped paired organs
 Situated posterior to peritoneum of abdominal wall - hence known as retroperitoneal. Located
between last thoracic & 3rd lumbar vertebrae; partially protected by 11th and 12th pair of ribs.
 Each kidney is positioned on either side of the vertebral column
 Right kidney appears lower than left kidney to accommodate the liver
 Length (10-12cm); Width (5-7.5cm); Thickness (3 cm); Weight (135-150g)
 Lateral surface is convex; medial surface is concave.
 Adrenal gland is present on top of each kidney
 3 layers of tissues surrounds each kidney-
a) Renal capsule- deep layer. Continuous with outer coat of ureter. Act as barrier against trauma &
maintains kidney shape
b) Adipose capsule- middle layer. Mass of fatty tissue that protects kidney from trauma and holds
it in place
c) Renal fascia- superficial layer. Outer layer of dense irregular connective tissue – Anchors
kidneys to surrounding structures and abdominal wall
 Renal hilum – At the center of each kidney, an indent is present through which ureter emerges
along with blood vessels, lymphatic vessels and nerves.
Internal Anatomy of kidney
 Divided into 2 regions :
a) Renal cortex b) Renal medulla
 Renal cortex :
 Superficial region
 light in color and has a granular appearance.
 Divided into outer cortical zone & inner juxtamedullary zone
 Renal medulla :
 Deep darker reddish brown inner region.
 Several cone shaped structures called renal pyramids are present in medulla.
 Apex of the pyramid, called renal papillae faces the renal hilum while base faces the renal
cortex.
 Pyramids appear striped as they are formed of parallel bundles of urine collecting tubules and
capillaries.
 Portions of cortex between renal pyramids are called renal columns.
 Renal cortex+ pyramids  constitute renal parenchyma  functional part of kidneys (where
in nephrons are present)
 Renal pelvis – Funnel shaped tube, continuous with the ureter leaving the hilum.
 Urine formed in nephrons are drained into papillary duct  minor calyx  major calyx  renal
pelvis  ureter  urinary bladder
 Each kidney has 8-18 minor calyses and 2 or 3 major calyses.

 Blood and nerve supply to kidneys

 Kidneys are highly vascularized
 Aorta Left & right Renal artery Segmental arteries Lobar arteries Interlobar arteries
Arcuate arteries Interlobular arteries Afferent arteriole glomerular capillaries Efferent
arterioles Peritubular capillaries  Interlobular veins Arcuate veins Interlobar vein
Renal vein Inferior vena cava
 Renal nerves are part of ANS

Functions of Kidney
 Regulation of blood ionic composition (Na+, Ca2+, Cl-, K+)
 Regulation of blood pH (Excrete H+, Conserve HCO3- as buffer)
 Regulation of blood volume (Conserve or eliminate H2O in blood)
 Regulation of blood pressure (By secreting renin)
 Maintenance of blood osmolarity (Regulating loss of H2O & solutes)
 Production of hormones (Calcitriol)
 Regulation of blood glucose level
 Excretion of wastes from metabolic reactions (urea, ammonia, bilirubin etc)
 Excretion of foreign substances (drugs or toxins)
 NEPHRON
 Structural & functional unit of kidneys
 Each kidney contains numerous nephrons
 Main function : Helps in production of urine
 Components of nephron –
A. Renal corpuscle
B. Renal tubule
A. RENAL CORPUSCLE :
 Filters blood plasma
 Consist of Glomerulus (capillary network) & Bowman’s /glomerular capsule
 Lie in renal cortex
a) Glomerulus
 Network of arterial capillaries situated in Bowman’s capsule.
 Afferent arterioles form the glomerulus, which then reunite to form efferent arterioles.
 Endothelium of glomerular capillaries have fenestrations (pores)
 Function : Glomerulus functions as ultrafilter, allowing passage of water and small molecular
weight solutes, but retains high molecular weight solutes like proteins, blood cells etc (Filtration)
b) Bowman’s capsule
 Double walled cup shaped structure that surrounds glomerulus.
 Composed of 2 layers – parietal & visceral
 Visceral layer consists of modified simple squamous epithelial cells called podocytes that wrap
foot like projections pedicels around endothelial cells of glomerular capillaries & form inner wall
of capsule.
 Parietal layer consists of simple squamous epithelium & forms outer wall of capsule.
 Fluid filtered from glomerulus enters capsular space (Space between 2 layers of Bowman’s
capsule)

B. RENAL TUBULE
 Consist of Proximal convoluted tubule (PCT) + Loop of Henle (LOH) + Distal convoluted tubule
(DCT)
 PCT & DCT is present in renal cortex while Loop of Henle enters deep into renal medulla &
returns to cortex

a) Proximal Convoluted Tubule (PCT):

 Near to glomerulus and highly coiled.
 Have simple cuboidal epithelial cells with a brush border of microvilli on the apical surface
(microvilli helps increase surface area for reabsorption & secretion)
 Absorbs water, glucose , Na+, Cl- & HPO4-

b) Loop of Henle (LOH) :

 It is a U-shaped structure divided into –
 Descending limb of Henle
 Ascending limb of Henle – thin and thick limbs
 Consist of simple squamous and simple cuboidal epithelial cells.
 LOH enters renal medulla and finally returns to renal cortex

c) Distal Convoluted tubule (DCT) :

 Located away from glomerulus and Highly coiled
 Lies in cortex and begins a short distance past the macula densa.
 Most part of DCT consists of simple cuboidal epithelial cells.
 The last part of DCT and collecting duct contains 2 types of cells:
(i)Principal cells- They contain receptors for antidiuretic hormone (ADH) and aldosterone.
(ii) Intercalated cells-They helps in blood pH homeostasis
 DCT reabsorb Na+ and water
DCT of several nephrons empty into single collecting duct.
Numerous collecting ducts combine and in turn transfer their contents into the fewer
papillary ducts which then go through the minor calyces.

Collecting duct : The collecting duct system of the kidney consists of a series of tubules and ducts
that physically connect nephrons to a minor calyx or directly to the renal pelvis. The collecting duct
system is last part of nephron and participates in electrolyte and fluid balance through reabsorption
and excretion processes.
 JUXTAGLOMERULAR APPARATUS (JGA)
 Complex structure found in regions of nephron where distal tubule comes in contact with
afferent arteriole.
 3 components are :
a) Juxtaglomerular cells :
 They are modified smooth muscle fibres seen in walls of afferent arteriole
 Synthesize, store & release renin
b) Macula densa cells :
 Tall, closely packed columnar tubule cells seen at the beginning of DCT
 Detect changes in GFR and NaCl concentration in distal tubule.
c) Mesangial cells:
 Supportive cells that regulate GFR

NEPHRON TYPES

Due to difference in size and length of loop of Henle along with variations in other aspects,
nephrons can be divided into two:
1. Cortical nephrons
2. Juxtamedullary nephrons

CORTICAL NEPHRONS JUXTAMEDULLARY NEPHRONS

Glomerulus is in upper region of cortex Glomerulus lies deep in cortex, closer to medulla

85% of total no. of nephrons 15% of total no. of nephrons

Short LOH, penetrate outer region of Long LOH, penetrates deep into medulla. Consist of
medulla thin ascending limb, followed by thick segment

Receive blood supply from peritubular Receive blood supply from peritubular capillaries and
capillaries vasa recta

Rate of filtration – slow Rate of filtration – high

Function : excretion of waste products in Function : concentration of urine

urine

URETERS
 Ureters are paired tube like structures, that transport urine from kidney to urinary bladder
 25- 30 cm long, thick walled, diameter : 1-10mm
 Originate from the renal pelvis and enter urinary bladder through its posterior wall.
 As the urinary bladder fills with urine, pressure within it compresses the oblique openings
into the ureters and prevents the backflow of urine. When this physiological valve is not
operating properly, it is possible for microbes to travel up the ureters from the urinary
bladder to infect one or both kidneys
 3 layers of tissue forms wall of ureter:
a) Mucosa - deep layer - is a mucous membrane with transitional epithelium and an
underlying lamina propria of areolar connective tissue
b) Muscularis – intermediate layer - composed of inner longitudinal and outer circular
layers of smooth muscle fibers.
c) Adventitia – superficial layer - a layer of areolar connective tissue containing blood
vessels, lymphatic vessels, and nerves
 Function- Transfer urine produced in the kidneys to urinary bladder

URINARY BLADDER
 A hollow, distensible muscular organ situated in the pelvic cavity posterior to the pubic
symphysis.
 Location : In males - anterior to the rectum; in females - anterior to the vagina and inferior
to the uterus.
 Shape depends upon volume of urine present in bladder. Spherical – moderate volume of
urine, pear shaped – fully filled. When it is empty, it collapses.
 Urinary bladder capacity averages 700–800 mL.
 It is smaller in females because the uterus occupies the space just superior to the urinary
bladder.
 Function- Act as a reservoir of urine
Anatomy and Histology of the Urinary Bladder
 In the floor of the urinary bladder is a small triangular area called the trigone.
 The two posterior corners of the trigone contain the two ureteral openings and the anterior
corner contains internal urethral orifice (opening into urethra). Inferior to it is the external
urethral sphincter, which is composed of skeletal muscles.
 Three layers make up the wall of the urinary bladder.
a) Mucosa - deep layer - a mucous membrane composed of transitional epithelium and an
underlying lamina propria. The transitional epithelium permits stretching.
b) Muscularis – intermediate layer - also called the detrusor muscle, which consists of
three layers of smooth muscle fibers - the inner longitudinal, middle circular and outer
longitudinal layers.
c) Adventitia - superficial coat - a layer of areolar connective tissue that is continuous with
that of the ureters.
 Rugae (the folds in the mucosa) are also present to permit expansion of the urinary bladder.


URETHRA
 Terminal portion of urinary system
 A small tube leading from the internal urethral orifice in the floor of the urinary bladder to
the exterior of the body
 Smaller in size for females (4 cm) & 20 cm for males
 The male urethra, which also consists of a deep mucosa and a superficial muscularis, is
subdivided into three anatomical regions:
(i) The prostatic urethra passes through the prostate.
(ii) The intermediate (membranous) urethra, the shortest portion, passes through the
deep muscles of the perineum.
(iii) The spongy urethra, the longest portion, passes through the penis.
 Urethra has 2 valves that control the outflow of urine from bladder:- (a) Internal Urethral
Sphincter (involuntary) (b) External Urethral Sphincter (voluntary)
 Function – In females it act as a passage for the discharge of urine from the body while in
males, it serves as a passage for both urine & semen.