Functions of the Urinary System

Objective 1: State the functions of the urinary system and each of its organs

What is the function of the urinary system?

Filter the blood which involves three processes- filtration (of fluid of the blood), reabsorption (of things in the plasma you don’t wanna lose like sugar), and secretion (addition of things to the filtrate which becoome urine)

Kidneys

filtering waste from blood to produce urine, regulating blood pressure, balancing water and minerals

Adrenal Glands

blood pressure, metabolism, and stress response

Ureters

transport urine from the kidneys to the bladder 

Bladder

to act as a reservoir to store urine produced by the kidneys and then to eliminate it from the body through urination

Urethra

allows urine to exit the bladder and leave the body through the process of urination

Renal artery

help with blood flow through the kidneys, branch from abdominal aorta

Segmental artery

help with blood flow through the kidneys, branch from renal a.

Interlobar artery 

help with blood flow through the kidneys, ascend within renal columns toward cortex

Arcuate artery

help with blood flow through the kidneys, branch and arch over the base of the pyramids

cortical radiate artery

help with blood flow through the kidneys, project into cortex and rise to afferent arterioroles

afferent arteriole

help with blood flow through the kidneys, supply blood to glomerulus

glomerulus

help with blood flow through the kidneys

efferent arteriole

help with blood flow through the kidneys, exit renal corpsucle

peritubular capillaries

help with blood flow through the kidneys, form a plexus around the proximal and distal tubules

cortical radiate vein

help with blood flow through the kidneys, blood from pertibular capillaries drain into this

arcuate vein

help with blood flow through the kidneys

interlobar vein

help with blood flow through the kidneys

renal vein

help with blood flow through the kidneys

nephron

filter waste from blood, reabsorb essential substances like water and nutrients, and secrete waste products to form urine (functional and histological unit of the kidney)