Unit 11 – Introduction to Urinary System Tissues

Introduction to Urinary System Tissues

The urinary system consists of the kidneys, which work to clear metabolic wastes from the blood and produce urine, and all the structures that transport urine and remove it from the body including the ureters, urinary bladder, and urethra.  The ureters, urinary bladder, and urethra are known collectively as the urinary tract, and they work together to eliminate urine from the body by the process of urination (micturition).

Urine produced by the kidneys is transported by ducts known as ureters toward the urinary bladder where urine is temporarily stored until urination.  During urination, sphincters that guard the entrance to the urethra relax and open allowing urine to exit the body via the urethra.  In males, the urethra exits the body through the external urethral orifice at the distal end of the penis.  In females, the urethra opens into a shallow depression known as the vestibule (urogenital sinus) between the labia minora.

The tutorials in this unit will focus on the histology and general functions of the kidneys, ureters, and urinary bladder.