CHAPTER-7
EXCRETORY SYSTEM
Topic-1 Excretory Organs
Revision Notes
Excretion
l Excretion is the process by which metabolic wastes and other non-useful materials are eliminated from the body
of an organism.
l It plays an important role in maintaining homeostasis of the body.
l During the metabolism of carbohydrates and fats, CO2 and water are formed. By the
metabolism of proteins, nitrogenous wastes like ammonia, urea, uric acid are formed.
l These waste products are harmful to the tissues and hence need to be removed from the
body.
l In vertebrates, the excretory products are eliminated through skin, lungs and kidney.
l The process of excretion plays an important role in healthy survival of an organism,
without which life is impossible.
l Mammals, many terrestrial amphibians and marine fishes mainly excrete urea.
Excretory Organs
l The main excretory organs of the human body are kidneys, liver, skin and lungs.
l Kidneys are the primary excretory organs which excrete urea as a waste product in the form of urine.
l Skin bears several sweat glands under the layer of skin that excretes through skin pores called perspiration.
l Sweat is made up of nitrogenous wastes (urea), salts and water. This process also helps in controlling body
temperature. It is known as thermoregulation.
l Lungs excrete CO2 and water vapours by diffusion and exhalation.
l Liver also perform some major functions in excretory system by forming urea from ammonia released during
de-amination of excess amino acids.
Kidney
l A pair of reddish brown, bean shaped metanephric kidneys are present in the posterior of the abdominal cavity,
one on each side of the vertebral column. They are protected by the last 2 pairs of ribs.
l Each kidney is 10-13 cm in length, 5-6 cm in breadth and 3-4 cm in thickness and weigh about 150-170 gm in
adult male and 125-145 gm in adult female.
l Each kidney is convex on the outer surface and concave on the inner side termed as hilum through which renal
artery enters and renal vein, ureter leaves.
l Each kidney is covered by fibrous connective tissue called capsule.
l Each kidney has nearly one million complex tubular structures called nephrons which are the functional units.
l Energy requirements of the kidney during urine formation are high due to a multitude of functions and hence
the oxygen demand of the kidneys may be 6-7 times that of muscles.
Cortex
Medulla
Hilum
Pelvis
Ureter
Pyramids
L.S. of a kidney
l The longitudinal section of kidney shows a peripheral dark reddish brown region called cortex and central light
red area called medulla.
l The medulla is divided into 15-16 cone like structures called renal pyramids having their base towards cortex.
l Each pyramid terminates into a renal papilla and the cortex extends and forms columns of Bertini between the
pyramids.
l The pyramids are connected with 7 to 13 minor calyces. All their calyces open into major calyces. The human
kidney has 2-3 major calyces.
Nephron
l Nephron is the structural and functional unit of kidney.
l Each nephron has a malpighian capsule or renal corpuscle and uriniferous tubules.
l Each nephron is 3 cm long and 30-60 cm in diameter.
Malpighian Body
l Malpighian body is formed by Bowman’s capsule and glomerulus.
l It is placed in cortex.
l Bowman’s capsule is a thin walled, double layered cup like structure.
l In the cavity of Bowman’s capsule is a network of capillaries (formed by afferent and efferent
arteriole), known as glomerulus.
Uriniferous Tubule
Uriniferous tubule is very long, convoluted and is divisible into three parts –
(i) Proximal convoluted tubule (PCT).
(ii) Loop of Henle (U-shaped).
(iii) Distal convoluted tubule (DCT).
The malpighian corpuscle, PCT and DCT of the nephron are situated in the cortical region of the kidney whereas
the loop of Henle dips into the medulla.
Proximal convoluted tubule is the proximal part of the secretory tubule lying next to the Bowman’s capsule. It is
in the form of a thick and coiled tube.
Function: Nearly all of the essential nutrients, and 70-80 per cent of electrolytes and water are reabsorbed by PCT.
Helps to maintain the pH and ionic balance of the body fluids by selective secretion of hydrogen ions, ammonia
and potassium ions into the filtrate and by absorption of HCO3– from it.
Loop of Henle is the middle part of the tubule which is an U-shaped in appearance and is divisible into a
descending and ascending loop. Descending limb is very thin and permeable to water but ascending limb is thick
and impermeable to water. Descending limb is lined by flattened epithelial cells whereas the ascending limb by
cuboidal epithelial cells. The ascending limb open into the distal convoluted part.
Function: Loop of Henle concentrates the filtrate. It allows transport of electrolytes actively or passively.
Distal convoluted tubule is the posterior convoluted part of the uriniferous tubule which leads distally into the
collecting tubule.
Function: Conditional reabsorption of Na+ and water takes place. It is capable of reabsorption of HCO3– and
selective secretion of hydrogen and potassium ions and NH3 to maintain the pH and sodium-potassium balance
in blood.
Other Parts of Excretory Organ
Ureters are the paired tubular drainage structures arising from the hilum of each kidney and passing backwards
to open into the urinary bladder. Muscles in the ureter walls produce peristalsis which helps in the onward passage
of urine.
Urinary bladder is a thin walled, elastic bag situated in the posterior part of the abdominal cavity and meant to
store urine temporarily, till the person is not having an
urge to urinate. Its outlet is normally closed by a tight
ring of sphincter muscle.
Mnemonics
Urethra is a membranous tube through which urine Concept : Parts of kidney
emptied from bladder is conducted to the exterior. Mnemonics : Cat & Rat Are Very Naughty Create
l The urethral sphincter guards the opening of bladder Mess
into the urethra and relaxes only at the time of urination Interpretation : C
ortex, Renal Artery - Vein,
(micturition) and semen ejection in males. Whereas in
Nephron, Cortex, Medulla
females, urethra serves as passage way for urine only.
Key Terms
Ammonotelism: Excretion in which main nitrogenous waste is ammonia. Such animals are called ammonotelic
animals.
Ureotelism: Type of excretion in which main nitrogenous waste is urea and the animals are called ureotelic
animals.
Uricotelism: Type of excretion in which uric acid is excreted. Such animals are called uricotelic.
Homeostasis: Self-regulating process by which biological systems tend to maintain stability.
Osmoconformers: These are the animals which change the osmolarity of body fluids according to osmolarity of
external medium e.g., Hag fish.
Osmoregulators: These are the animals which maintain the internal osmolarity which is different from external
medium in which they live.
Vasa recta: These are thin walled, parallel, wide straight capillaries arising from efferent arteriole and lie parallel
and close to Henle’s loop.
Glomerular filtrate: It is protein, corpuscles and platelets free filtrate formed due to ultrafiltration in glomerulus.
Podocytes: These are cells of inner wall of Bowman’s capsule.
Kidney stone : It is the precipitation of uric acid in kidney.
Micturation : It is defined as the expulsion of the urine from the bladder through the urethra.
Diuresis : Hypo-secretion of ADH leads to an increase in urine output. This condition is known as diuresis.
Topic-2 Urine Formation
Revision Notes
Formation of Urine
� Blood flows into glomerulus under high pressure. Due to this pressure, the dissolved substances like salts,
glucose, water, urea etc. are filtered through glomerulus by a process called ultra-filtration. Glomerular filtrate is
deproteinised plasma.
� The glomerular filtration rate is 120 ml per minute. About 180-190 litres of glomerular filtrate is formed everyday.
It forms 1 – 1.08 litres. of urine per day.
� Glomerular filtrate passes through uriniferous tubule. Some water, glucose, amino- acids,
inorganic salts are re-absorbed into blood by a process called selective reabsorption.
� Substances absorbed in large amount are called high threshold substances (glucose,
amino-acids etc.). Those absorbed in low quantity are called low threshold substances
(urea, uric acid) and those which are not absorbed are called threshold substances
(creatine, hippuric acid).
� Selective reabsorption is under the control of antidiuretic hormone (ADH) of pituitary
gland.
� Gland cells in distal convoluted tubule secrete excretory materials into the tubule from the blood by a process
called tubular secretion. Creatine, uric acid and potassium are secreted by this process, which are mixed with
glomerular filtrate (remained after selective reabsorption) forming urine.
Composition of Urine
� Urine is mainly formed of water, urea and sodium chloride.
� About 95% of urine is composed of water.
� Organic substances like urea, uric acid, creatine, etc. and inorganic substances like chlorides, sulphates and
phosphates of Na, K and ammonia etc. form 5% of urine.
� Yellow pigment in urine is urochrome.
Some abnormal composition of Urine
� Glucose, blood, pus cells, ketone bodies, albumin, bile pigment etc. are some abnormal composition of urine.
Key Terms
Dialysis : It is the process of separating small molecules from colloids with the selectively permeable membrane.
Hypertonic solution : When two solutions of different osmotic concentrations are separated by a semipermeable
membrane, then solution with more concentration is called hypertonic solution and second solution which is
less concentrated is called hypotonic solution.
GFR (Glomerular filtration rate) : It is the rate at which glomerular filtrate is formed per minute.
Glycosuria : Presence of glucose in urine.
Hematuria : Blood cells in urine.
Ketonuria : Presence of ketone bodies in urine.
Proteinuria : When the proteins like albumin and globulin are present in the urine.
