University of Szeged, Faculty of Medicine

Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology

HISTOLOGY PRACTICE 9.

Urinary system

Zoltán Süle

2014
 Organization of the kidney Organization of the nephron*

I. stroma: I. renal (Malpighian) corpuscle:

• renal capsule • Bowman’s capsule
• interstitium • glomerulus
II. parenchyma: II. renal tubules:
• nephron
• proximal tubule
• collecting duct
• thin limb of Henle’s loop
• distal tubule
• connecting tubule

renal lobe: renal pyramid + surrounding cortical territories (macroscopic unit)

renal/cortical lobule: medullary ray + surrounding cortical labyrinth (microscopic unit)
medullary ray = pars radiata lobuli corticalis (collecting ducts + straight tubules)
cortical labyrinth = pars convoluta lobuli corticalis (renal corpuscles + convoluted tubules)
* based on the Concise histology textbook, but other classifications exist
55. Kidney (HE) – Panoramic view

2
4
2

1X 4
5 2X
1 – renal cortex
3 2 – renal medulla
3 – minor calyx
4 – arcuate artery junction of the cortex and medulla
5 – arcuate vein
 2 2 2
55. Kidney (HE) – cortex
2
1
1
1 1

3X
2
2 2

1 – cortex corticis
2 – fibrous capsule 1

5X 10X
55. Kidney (HE) – cortex

medullary ray
1 – cortical labyrinth
2 – collecting duct
renal (Malpighian) corpuscle

1 1

2 2

2 2

10X
 UNITS OF THE URINARY SYSTEM EPITHELIUM

glomerulus endothelium
Renal
podocyte,
(Malpighian) Bowman’s capsule: simple
corpuscle visceral layer + parietal layer squamous
epithelium

pars convoluta simple cuboidal

Proximal
epithelium with
tubule pars recta brush border
NEPHRON
Henle’s simple
Thin limb squamous
loop epithelium
Renal tubules

Distal pars recta simple cuboidal

tubule epithelium
pars convoluta
simple cuboidal
Connecting tubule epithelium
simple cuboidal,
then simple
Collecting ducts columnar
epithelium
simple
Papillary duct (duct of Bellini) columnar
epithelium
55. Kidney (HE) – cortex

2
1
1 3

2
1
1

2 1

1 1
2
10X

1 – proximal tubule
renal (Malpighian) corpuscle
2 – distal tubule
3 – collecting duct
55. Kidney (HE) – cortex

1 1
1
2

1
1 1
1

2
2

2 20X
1 – proximal tubule
2 – distal tubule
3 – collecting duct

1
1

20X
55. Kidney (HE) – cortex

2 1

1 2

1
2 1
1

1 1 1

1 1
1

40X

1 – proximal tubule
2 – distal tubule
basement membrane
Kidney (EM) 1 2
bl
n e
l bl

c
m bl

m m
m
m m
m

MV

l
bl c bl
1 – distal tubule e – erythrocyte n – nucleus
2 – proximal tubule l – lumen basal membrane enfolding
bl – basal lamina m – mitochondrium From the EM database of
c – capillary MV – brush border the Anatomy Department
55. Kidney (HE) – cortex

1
1

2 2
2

1 1

1 1

40X

1 – proximal tubule
2 – collecting duct
cell boundary
55. Kidney (HE) – cortex

2
3 3
7
1
1 1

5
5

4 6
4
1 4

20X

6
1 – proximal tubule
2 – distal tubule
3 – macula densa
4 – Bowman’s space (urinary space)
5 – Bowman’s capsule – parietal layer
8 1
6 – glomerulus
7 – vascular pole 2
1
8 – urinary pole 20X
55. Kidney (HE) – medulla, outer zone

1 – thin limb of Henle’s loop

2 – capillary

40X
55. Kidney (HE) – minor calyx

3
2 3
3

7
7
3X

1 – medulla 3
4
2 – minor calyx 3 3
3 – transitional epithelium
4 – lamina propria 5
5 – tunica muscularis
6 – tunica adventitia 6
7 – white adipose tissue
7
artefact (caused by shrinkage) 20X
56. Ureter (HE)
1

Wall structure of the ureter:

I. Tunica mucosa 5x
- epithelium
- lamina propria
II. Tunica muscularis* 6
- inner longitudinal
- outer circular
III. Tunica adventitia 4

*outermost longitudinal (only at pelvic part)

1
1 – tunica mucosa
2 – tunica muscularis 5
3 – tunica adventitia
4 – transitional epithelium
5 – lamina propria 20x
6 – umbrella cell
57. Urinary bladder (HE)

3
Wall structure of the urinary bladder:
I. Tunica mucosa
- epithelium 5x
- lamina propria 4
- lamina muscularis*
II. Tunica submucosa
III. Tunica muscularis**
1 – tunica mucosa
- inner longitudinal 2 – tunica submucosa
- middle circular 3 – tunica muscularis
- outer longitudinal 4 – tunica subserosa + serosa
IV. Tunica subserosa+serosa or
Tunica adventitia

* insignificant layer which is completely missing at the trigone

**the layers of muscular coat are indistinguishable
58. Penis - urethra (HE)

1 1
3

3X

1 – penile (spongy) urethra

2 – epithelium 3
3 – lamina propria
corpus spongiosum 40x