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The excretory system is responsible for removing unwanted waste products from the body's chemistry.
Generally speaking, excretion is the process of separating wastes from the body's fluids and eliminating
them. Examples include the removal of carbon dioxide in the air we exhale, and unwanted nitrogen in
sweat, nails and hair. Don't confuse excretion with defecation. Defecation is getting rid of undigested
foods from the body... via the colon.

BLOOD SUPPLY OF THE URINARY EXCRETORY SYSTEM

The kidney's unique anatomy allows it to efficiently discharge its functions. In order to

Blood is supplied to the kidneys by the Renal Artery. On average, the kidneys account for
only 0.4% of body weight, however, they receive approximately 21% of cardiac output.
Over 180 liters (50 gal) of blood is supplied to the kidneys each day. Considering that a
human adult body contains 7 to 8 liters of blood, this means that your entire volume of
blood gets filtered 20 to 25 times each day!

THE FILTERING PROCESS OF THE URINARY EXCRETORY SYSTEM

Once the blood enters the kidneys the filtering process begins. Water and other substances,
such as amino acids, glucose and waste products (urea and uric acid) are removed from the
blood. This process is performed by microscopic structures within the kidneys known as
nephrons. Each kidney contains over one million nephrons.

The filtered blood moves through tiny blood vessels called capillaries, in the nephrons and
exits the kidneys through the Renal Vein.

The substances that are extracted from the blood during the filtering process move through
a tube in the nephron, called the renal tubule. (The two kidneys contain about 16 km of
tubules.) Those substances which are useful to the body, such as water, salt, glucose and
amino acids are reabsorbed into the blood, through the capillaries. Just enough water and
salt are reabsorbed to give the blood its correct composition.

The unwanted substances, such as urea, uric acid, excess water and salt remain in the renal
tubule and eventually pass into the ureters. (The ureters are approximately 25 to 30 cm
(10 to 12 in) long and about 0.5 cm (0.2 in) in diameter.) The waste products form what is
known as urine. It moves along the ureters into the bladder where it is eventually expelled
from the body, via the urethra. 

The urinary excretory system performs one of the most important operations in which the
kidneys play a significant role. Should the kidney not be able to perform this critical
function, the results would be contamination of the blood... leading to serious life-
threatening diseases.
Human Excretory System

The human excretory system functions to remove waste from the human body. This system

consists of specialized structures and capillary networks that assist in the excretory process. The

human excretory system includes the kidney and its functional unit, the nephron. The excretory

activity of the kidney is modulated by specialized hormones that regulate the amount of

absorption within the nephron.

Kidneys
The human kidneys are the major organs of bodily excretion (see Figure 1 ). They are bean-shaped organs located
on either side of the backbone at about the level of the stomach and liver. Blood enters the kidneys through renal
arteries and leaves through renal veins. Tubes called ureters carry waste products from the kidneys to the urinary
bladder for storage or for release. 

The product of the kidneys is urine, a watery solution of waste products, salts, organic compounds, and two
important nitrogen compounds: uric acid and urea. Uric acid results from nucleic acid decomposition,
and urea results from amino acid breakdown in the liver. Both of these nitrogen products can be poisonous to the
body and must be removed in the urine.
Nephron
The functional and structural unit of the kidney is the nephron. The nephron produces urine and is the primary unit of
homeostasis in the body. It is essentially a long tubule with a series of associated blood vessels. The upper end of
the tubule is an enlarged cuplike structure called the Bowman's capsule. Below the Bowman's capsule, the tubule
coils to form the proximal tubule, and then it follows a hairpin turn called the loop of Henle. After the loop of Henle, the
tubule coils once more as the distal tubule. It then enters a collecting duct, which also receives urine from other distal
tubules.
Within the Bowman's capsule is a coiled ball of capillaries known as a glomerulus. Blood from the renal artery enters
the glomerulus. The force of the blood pressure induces plasma to pass through the walls of the glomerulus, pass
through the walls of the Bowman's capsule, and flow into the proximal tubule. Red blood cells and large proteins
remain in the blood.
After plasma enters the proximal tubule, it passes through the coils, where usable materials and water are reclaimed.
Salts, glucose, amino acids, and other useful compounds flow back through tubular cells into the blood by active
transport. Osmosis and the activity of hormones assist the movement. The blood fluid then flows through the loop of
Henle into the distal tubule. Once more, salts, water, and other useful materials flow back into the bloodstream.
Homeostasis is achieved by this process: A selected amount of hydrogen, ammonium, sodium, chloride, and other
ions maintain the delicate salt balance in the body.
The fluid moving from the distal tubules into the collecting duct contains materials not needed by the body. This fluid
is referred to as urine. Urea, uric acid, salts, and other metabolic waste products are the main components of urine.
The urine flows through the ureters toward the urinary bladder. When the bladder is full, the urine flows through
the urethra to the exterior.
Control of kidney function
The activity of the nephron in the kidney is controlled by a person's choices and environment as well as hormones.
For example, if a person consumes large amounts of protein, much urea will be in the blood from the digestion of the
protein. Also, on a hot day, a body will retain water for sweating and cooling, so the amount of urine is reduced.
Humans produce a hormone called antidiuretic hormone (ADH), also known as vasopressin, which is secreted by the
posterior lobe of the pituitary gland. It regulates the amount of urine by controlling the rate of water absorption in the
nephron tubules.
Some individuals suffer from a condition in which they secrete very low levels of ADH. The result is excessive
urination and a disease called diabetes insipidus. Another unrelated form of diabetes, diabetes mellitus, is more
widespread. Persons with this disease produce insufficient levels of insulin. Insulin normally transports glucose
molecules into the cells. But when insulin is not available, the glucose remains in the bloodstream. The glucose is
removed from the bloodstream in the nephron; to dilute the glucose, the nephron removes large amounts of water
from the blood. Thus, the urine tends to be plentiful.
Hormones from the cortex of the adrenal glands also control the content of urine. These hormones promote
reabsorption of sodium and chloride ions in the tubules. Thus, they affect the water balance in the body, because
water flows in the direction of high sodium and chloride content.

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