LECTURE NOTES – BIOLOGY STEPS … A T CY Pr ogr am

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EXCRETION IN HUMAN BEINGS

Human excretory system consists of: 2 kidneys
2 ureters
Bladder
Urethera

Lt. Kidney

Renal vein Renal artery

(Brings dirty blood; waste substances)

Urinary bladder
(Stores urine temporarily)

Muscles controlling the urine flow

Urethra
(Urine thrown out of body)

The function of kidney is to remove the poisonous substance urea, other waste salts & excess
water from the blood & excrete it in the forms of a yellowish liquid urine.

MECHANISM OF URINE FORMATION

Urine is formed inside a large no. of excretory units called Nephrons. The nephron has a cup –
shaped bag at its upper end which is called Bowman’s capsule. The lower end of Bowman’s
capsule is tube shaped and is called a tubule.
The Bowman’s capsule contains a tuft of blood capillaries which is called glomerulus. The other
end of glomerulus comes out of Bowman’s capsule as a blood capillary, surrounds the tubule of
nephron & finally joins as renal venule.

Filteration
Glomerulus filters the blood. Only the small molecules of subs. present in blood are allowed to
pass thru like glucose, amino acids, Salts, urea and water and collects as filterate in Bowman’s
cup The large molecules like protein and blood cells remain behind in the blood.

Selective Reabsorption
Nephrons allows the useful substances like glucose, amino acids, salts and water into blood
capillaries. But the urea remains behind in the tubule. It does not get reabsorbed into blood
capillaries.

The liquid left behind in the tubule of nephron is urine. The nephron carries this urine into the
collecting duct of the kidney, from where it is carried to ureter. From the ureter, urine passes
into urinary bladder. Urine is stored in the bladder for sometime & ultimately passed out of the
body thru urethra.
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Human urine contains

→ water
→ some slats
→ Nitrogenous substances
→ Urea

Efferent artery
Afferent artery collecting tubule
glomerulus’
Renal artery Collecting duct

Bowman’s Capsule

PCT
DCT

Ascending limb of LOH

Descending limb of Loop
of Henle
Loop of Henle

PCT = Proximal convoluted Tubule

DCT= Distal Convoluted Tubule
Renal venule

STRUCTURE OF A NEPHRON

OSMOREGULATION
Definition → The control of water & mineral content of the body is called Osmoregulation.

Purpose: If these factors are absent

Hypothalamus

Pituitary gland

Condition I ADH Condition II

more water in blood Less water concentrated

Dilite
Osmosis Blood
shrunk cells
Swollen cells
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Mechanism

Hypothalamus (Detector)
Monitors the conc. of blood

blood concentrated Blood diluted

Pituitary gland

ADH Secreted in Blood Stop secreting ADH

(Anti Diuretic Horm.)

Blood gets deluded Kidney

(absence of ADH) walls of collective

Kidney ducts impermeable to water

[makes walls of collecting ducts of nephron

Water remains in urine & urine thus passed
permeable to water]
will be very dilute & more in quantity.

Minimize loss of water in urine & maximize

water remains in blood.

Urine concentrated & lesser in quantity

KIDNEY FAILURE / RENAL FAILURE

An infection in the kidneys or an injury or restricted blood flow can damage kidneys due to
which they stop working. Complete failure of kidneys allows the urea & other waste products
to build up in the blood. Even the amt. of water in the kidney is not regulated C can lead to
death if not treated urgently.

7. Kidney transplant
Dialysis /Artificial Kidney
The procedure of cleaning the blood of a person by separating the waste sub. (urea) from
it is called dialysis.

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