HISTOLOGY OF

URINARY SYSTEM

dr. Radita NA Ginting

dr. Alya Amila Fitrie,M.Kes
Histology Department
FK USU
 Urinary System

Comprised of :
Paired Paired Urinary
Urethra
kidneys ureters bladder

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 Urinary System

Kidneys produce ultrafiltrate

called urine :
• transported by ureters (muscular tubes)
to urinary bladder for storage
• expelled from urinary bladder via urethra

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Gross structure of the kidney
Kidney bean-shaped organ
• hilum – depression on medial aspect; portal for renal vessels,
nerves and ureter
• renal sinus – cavity deep to hilum occupied by renal pelvis and
vessels
• renal pelvis – expansion of ureter which receives urine via
major calyces (below)

Capsule – bi-laminar (humans)

• outer: dense connective tissue (collagen & fibroblasts)
• inner: myofibroblasts; function unknown

Parenchyma divided into (1) cortex and (2)

medulla
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Kidney cross-section

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 Cortex

Outer, divisible grossly into alternating

:
(1) Medullary rays
(striated) : medullary
rays - rich in (a)
straight tubules and
(b) collecting ducts
(2) Cortical labyrinths
cortical labyrinths – rich in :
(a) renal corpuscles,
(b) convoluted tubules and
(c)collecting tubules

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 Cortex

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 Medulla

Inner, divisible into alternating :

(1) Pyramids – variable in number (2) renal
contain (a) straight tubules (b) columns –
collecting ducts and (c) vasa recta extensions of
• pyramids- apex of each pyramid terminates in a cortex into
papilla
medulla; same
• papilla perforated by opening of collecting
ducts termed area cribosa composition as
• drains into minor calyx cortex

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 Medulla

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• Renal pelvis
– Each pyramid drained by minor calyx; several
minor calyxes unite to form a major calyx; major
calyxes unite to form renal pelvis which is drained
by ureter

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Nephron – functional unit of kidney

Renal corpuscle • Glomerulus

(filtration) • Bowman’s capsule

• Proximal convoluted tubule,

Renal tubule • proximal straight tubule (descending thick
limb)
(selective • thin descending limb
resorption and • thin ascending limb
secretion) • distal straight tubule (thick ascending limb)
• distal convoluted tubule

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 Nephrons

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 Renal Corpuscle – site of filtration
Filtrate of blood plasma
Also called “Malpighian”
Structure
• consists of (1) glomerulus and (2) Bowman’s
capsule
– glomerulus – tufts of capillaries; fed by afferent
arteriole and drains to efferent arteriole
– Bowman’s capsule – double-walled (visceral and
parietal) epithelial capsule
– ~ 200 micrometers diameter
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 – urinary pole – leads to proximal convoluted tubule; route
of filtrate
– vascular pole – site of afferent (incoming) and efferent
(outgoing) arterioles supplying glomerulus

• Bowman’s capsule
– visceral layer – podocytes
– parietal layer – simple squamous epithelium
• continuous with cuboidal epithelium of proximal convoluted
tubule at urinary pole
• space between visceral and parietal called urinary space
(Bowman’s space)

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 Renal Corpuscle

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RENAL CORPUSCLE

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RENAL CORPUSCLE

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Renal corpuscle with macula densa
and urinary pole

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Glomerulus & Sel Podosit

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Glomerular Filtration

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 Proximal convoluted tubule
Structure
• tubules formed by simple cuboidal / columnar epithelia
• apical surface covered with microvilli creating LM brush
border
- increase surface area for ion absorption
• The cells have a high proportion of mitochondria in
their cytoplasm, to provide the energy for pumping
ions and molecules against their concentration
gradient.
• The abundance of mitochondria makes the cells rather
intensely acidophilic.

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• cells tightly bound to one another to seal off
intercellular space from lumen
• The plasma membranes of adjacent proximal tubule cells
are extensively interdigitated. This increases the basal
membrane surface area available for pumping molecules
out the basal end of each cell.
– As a consequence of such interdigitated cell
membranes, boundaries between adjacent proximal
tubule cells are inconspicuous (i.e., in section the
epithelium looks like a continuous band of cytoplasm
with nuclei appearing at irregular intervals).

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histology of urinary system 26
 Ansa Henle
Thick descending of
Henle’s loop

Thick ascending Ansa Thin descending

of Henle’s loop of Henle’s loop
Henle

Thin ascending of
Henle’s loop

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The loop of Henle is a remarkable feature of the renal
tubule, associated with the remarkable function of the
renal medulla in water conservation.
Brush border is absent
Microvilli present (can see on EM)
Nuclei flat, bulge into lumen
The loop of Henle consists of a descending limb,
having an initial short thick segment followed by a long
thin segment, and an ascending limb, having a thin
segment followed by a thick segment.
descending asceding
The ascending thin
segment is also lined by
The descending thick segment is
simple squamous
lined by simple cuboidal epithelium
epithelium that is structurally
similar to the proximal
convoluted tubule. This segment The ascending thick
is essentially a continuation of
the proximal tubule (sometimes segment is lined by
called pars recta in contrast to simple cuboidal
pars convoluta epithelium that is
structurally similar to
the distal convoluted
tubule (as for the
proximal tubule, this
The descending thin segment is sometimes
segment is lined by called pars recta of the
simple squamous distal tubule in contrast
to pars convoluta)
epithelium
 Ansa Henle

Thin segmen Thick segment

 Distal convoluted tubule
• Located within cortex
• Approximately 1/3 as long as proximal
• Special region of the distal tubule called the
Macula densa which is part of the
juxtaglomerular apparatus
• Morphology similar to straight portion , is
lined by a simple cuboidal epithelium
• Have fewer mitochondria : acidophilia
• function: ion exchange
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 Collecting tubules / ducts
• Are named because they “collect” the urine from distal
tubules.
• Lined by simple cuboidal epithelium
• Cytoplasm is relatively clear
• Collecting ducts merge and become larger as they
descend through the medulla, so different sizes of
collecting ducts may be observed at different levels in
the kidney, with the smallest in the cortex and the
largest near the pelvis
• At EM level many possess single cilium and sparse
microvilli
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Comparison of the tubule

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Proximal tubule Distal Proximal tubule Henle’s loop
(convoluted) tubule (straight) (thick)

Collecting tubule
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 Juxtaglomerular apparatus

Site of blood pressure

Located at the vascular
regulation via renin-
pole of Bowman’s
angioensin-aldosterone
capsule
(RAA) system

formed by conjunction of cells of :

• the macula densa (distal straight tubule)
• juxtaglomerular cells of the afferent arteriole
• extraglomerular mesangial cells

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Juxtaglomerular apparatus
macula densa – a patch of densely-packed epithelial cell nuclei
along the distal convoluted tubule, adjacent to the afferent
arteriole at the vascular pole of the corpuscle from which the
tubule arose

juxtaglomerular cells – specialized smooth muscle cells of

afferent arteriole which contain rennin in secretory granules,
source of the hormon renin

extraglomerular mesangial cells or Lacis cell – function?

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Juxtaglomerular Apparatus

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 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

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• 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

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 Normal urothelium, histologic section. Close-up view of normal urothelium with the nuclei
showing a uniform appearance and polarity. Occasional small nucleoli and nuclear grooves are
visible. Luminal surface displays umbrella cells. Th is urothelium has mild reactive features and
some small submucosal hemorrhaging. Th e nuclear membranes are smooth, and compared to
the stromal lymphocytes, the nuclei are within the normal size range (H&E, high power).
 Ureter

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 Bladder

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 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

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 Urethra

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The Histology of the Organs that Collect and
Transport Urine

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Figure 26.20a
 References

• Basic Histology : Junqueira ed.11

• Human Histology
• Histology and Cell Biology, Abraham L.
Kierszenbaum

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T E R
I M A
K A
S I
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