The Urinary System

Lecture
for medical students

Department of
histology, cytology
and
embryology
Kharkiv National
Medical University

2012

System Integration
food, water intake

oxygen intake

Digestive System
nutrients,
water,
salts

Respiratory System
oxygen

elimination
of carbon
dioxide

carbon
dioxide

Circulatory System

Urinary System
water
solutes

elimination
of food
residues

rapid transport
to and from all
living cells

elimination of
excess water
salts, wastes

The Urinary System

Paired kidneys
A ureter for
each kidney
Urinary bladder
Urethra

 ureters muscular tubes

connecting renal pelvis to urinary
bladder
urinary bladder distensible
reservoir; receives bilateral
ureters and empties via midline
urethra
smooth muscle forms
detrussor muscle; specialized
distally as internal urethral
sphincter

RENAL

PARENCHYMA
RENAL PYRAMIDS
EXTENSIONS OF CORTEX (RENAL
COLUMNS) DIVIDE MEDULLA INTO 6
10 RENAL PYRAMIDS
PYRAMID + OVERLYING CORTEX =
LOBE
POINT OF PYRAMID = PAPILLA
PAPILLA NESTED IN CUP (MINOR CALYX)
2 3 MINOR CALICES MAJOR CALYX
2 3 MAJOR CALICES RENAL PELVIS
RENAL PELVIS URETER

KIDNEY FUNCTIONS
FILTER BLOOD PLASMA, ELIMINATE
WASTES
REGULATE BLOOD VOLUME, PRESSURE
REGULATE FLUID OSMOLARITY
SECRETE RENIN
SECRETE ERYTHROPOIETIN (EPO)
REGULATE PCO2, ACID-BASE BALANCE
SYNTHESIZE CALCITROL (VITAMIN D)
DETOXIFY FREE RADICALS, DRUGS
GLUCONEOGENESIS

Kidney Functions

Regulation of blood ionic composition

Regulation of blood pH
Regulation of blood volume
Regulation of blood pressure
Maintenance of blood osmolarity
Production of hormones
Regulation of blood glucose levels
Excretion of waste and foreign
substances

Urinary System Function

Removal of toxic waste products
Regulation of blood volume
Regulation of electrolyte balance
Regulation of acid-base balance
Regulation of fluids/electrolytes
in tissue fluid
Production of erythropoietin*

Cortex

NEPHRONS
FUNCTIONAL UNITS OF
KIDNEY
~1.2 MILLION PER KIDNEY
THREE MAIN PARTS
BLOOD VESSELS
RENAL CORPUSCLE
RENAL TUBULE

Nephron functional unit of

kidney

RENAL

CORPUSCLE
GLOMERULUS PLUS CAPSULE
GLOMERULUS ENCLOSED IN TWOLAYERED GLOMERULAR CAPSULE
BOWMANS CAPSULE
FLUID FILTERS FROM GLOMERULAR
CAPILLARIES
GLOMERULAR FILTRATE
FLUID COLLECTS IN CAPSULAR
SPACE
FLUID FLOWS INTO RENAL TUBULE

RENAL TUBULE
LEADS FROM GLOMERULAR
CAPSULE
ENDS AT TIP OF MEDULLARY
PYRAMID
~3 CM LONG
FOUR MAJOR REGIONS
PROXIMAL CONVOLUTED TUBULE
NEPHRON LOOP
DISTAL CONVOLUTED TUBULE
COLLECTING DUCT

URINE FORMATION
OVERVIEW
BLOOD PLASMA URINE
FOUR STEPS
GLOMERULAR FILTRATION
TUBULAR REABSORPTION
TUBULAR SECRETION
WATER CONSERVATION

Renal Corpuscle

RENAL CORPUSCLE

histology of urinary system

19

III. Renal
Secondary
Corpuscle
processes interdigitate around

glomerular capillaries. The narrow space

between processes is the filtration slit.

Glomerulus & Podocyte

Renal Corpuscle site of

filtration
Structure
consists of (1) glomerulus and (2) Bowmans
capsule
glomerulus tufts of capillaries; fed by afferent
arteriole and drains to efferent arteriole
Bowmans capsule double-walled (visceral and
parietal) epithelial capsule
~ 200 micrometers diameter
urinary pole leads to proximal convoluted
tubule; route of filtrate
vascular pole site of afferent (incoming) and
efferent (outgoing) arterioles supplying
glomerulus

EM structure of Glomerular
Filtration Barrier

Proximal tubule cells

Proximal convoluted tubule

Structure
tubules formed by simple cuboidal epithelia
apical surface covered with microvilli
creating LM brush border
- increase surface area for ion absorption
cells tightly bound to one another to seal off
intercellular space from lumen
- tight junctions and zonula adherens
apically; interdigitating plicae (folds)
laterally
interdigitating basal processes contain
numerous mitochondria; creates LM basal
striations; associated with ion transport

Distal convoluted tubule

located within cortex
approximately 1/3 as long as
proximal
contacts renal corpuscle at
macula densa to form
juxtaglomerular apparatus (below)
morphology similar to straight
portion
function: ion exchange

Distal convoluted (shorter)

Medulla

The thin limb of the loop of

Henle

Histologically the ascending thick limb &

the distal convoluted tubules are the same

Collecting tubules

Collecting duct

Thin limbs of the loop of Henle

Cortical and Juxtamedullary

Nephrons

Nephrons

histology of urinary system

38

Juxtaglomerular Apparatus

Juxtaglomerular apparatus

Juxtaglomerular apparatus

Ansa(loop)of Henle

Comparison of the tubule

Collecting tubules / ducts

Start in cortex and descend through medulla
as ducts coalesce and increase in size, cells
of tubes change from somewhat squamous
to cuboidal to columnar
terminate at tip of renal pyramid where
urine enters into minor calyx
distinguishable cell margins
central nuclei with poorly staining cytoplasm
At EM level many possess single cilium and
sparse microvilli

Ureter / Bladder
Histological structure of calyces, renal pelvis,
ureter and urinary bladder broadly similar
mucosa lined by transitional epithelium
over connect tissue lamina propria
transitional epithelium impermeable to
water and salts; distendable
lamina propria- dense irregular collagen
fibers
muscularis smooth muscle layer
bi-laminar: inner longitudinal and outer
circular; produce peristalsis
adventitia / serosa connective tissue coat
with or without mesothelial covering

Ureter

Transitional epithelia changes

depending on how full the urinary
bladder is

Dome cells

Urethra
fibromuscular tube connecting bladder to
external urethral orifice
sexually dimorphic
males terminal duct for both urinary and
genital systems
females urinary system only

lining in both sexes grades from

transitional epithelium adjacent to
bladder to stratified squamous at orifice
males have stratified columnar or
pseudostratified columnar in middle portion