Chapter 10 - Removal Of Wastes Flashcards
What is excretion?
Excretion is the is removal from the body of the wastes of metabolism
What is the excretory system?
The excretory system is a system of the body that remove wastes of metabolism and passes them to the exterior.
What are the four main organs in the body which are involved either in processing or excretion of wastes
- Lungs; are in the excretion of the carbon dioxide that is produced by all body cells during cellular respiration.
- Liver; has an important role in processing many substances so that they can be excreted.
- Skin; Sweat Glands; skin secretes sweat which is largely water for cooling. Sweat contains the by products of metabolism Eg salts, urea, lactic acid
- Kidneys; (principle organ) they are responsible for constant concentration of materials in the body fluids.
- Alimentary canal; passes out bike pigments from the breakdown of haemoglobin - small intestine - faeces
Explain what the liver does in terms of excretion.
Located in upper abdominal cavity and has different functions including the preparation of materials for excretion.
Liver is a main by product of breaking down PROTEINS in diet and in body (RBCs) through the Process of DEAMINATION.
Proteins are primarily ‘body builders’, so they make of the structural materials of cells.
But if there is enough carbs and fats in diet or fast is stored well enough in body then protein needs to be metabolised and gotten rid of.
Eg Small amounts of amino acids from broken down protein of worn down RBCs are lost from body via urine, skin , hair and fingernails.
What is deamination?
DEAMINATION is the removal of the amino group from the amino acid molecule.
What is urine?
Urine is the fluid produced by the kidneys that contains wastes and excess materials.
Explain the process of DEAMINATION
If other energy sources have been used up, the body is able to metabolise large amounts of protein.
To make use of this protein in this way, the amino group (NH2) must first be removed from the amino acids.
DEAMINATION occurs in the liver with aid of enzymes
Once the amino group has been removed it is converted by the liver cells to ammonia (NH3) and then finally to urea.
The urea is eliminated from the body through urine.
The remaining part of the amino acid is primarily made up of carbon and hydrogen, which is converted into a carbohydrate.
This carbohydrate can easily be broken down by the cells to realse energy, carbon dioxide and water.
What is the DEAMINATION equation?
Amino acid + oxygen —————> carbohydrate + ammonia
(Enzymes)
How does the liver get rid of ammonia
Ammonia is extremely soluble in water and is highly toxic to cells.
1/1000th of a milligram of aminos in a litre of blood is sufficient to kill a person.
*The liver rapidly converts ammonia to a less toxic molecule called UREA. Moderate amounts of urea is harmless to the body. Urea can be easily excreted by the kidneys and is eliminated from the body in urine. (Small amounts gets excreted from sweat glands).
THE PROCESS CAN BE EXPRESSED IN THIS WAY
energy + CO2 + ammonia (NH3) —> Urea + water
Other than DEAMINATION what does the liver do?
- detoxifies alcohol and many other drugs such as antibiotics
- deactivates hormones and converts them into a form that can be excreted by the kidneys
- haemoglobin from dead RBCs is broken down in the liver to produce bile pigments which are passed out with faeces.
What are the main functions of the skin?
- provide protective covering over the surface of the body
- regulate body temperature
- thermoregulation via vasodilation and vasoconstriction
- excrete of metabolic wastes
How is the skin an excretory organ?
- sweat glands are located in the lower layers of skin known as the dermis
- ducts carry the sweat to a hair follicle or the skin surface where it opens at a pore
- cells surrounding the glands are able to contract and squeeze the sweat to the skin surface.
- even when there is no visible perspiration on the skin, the sweat glands secrete 500ml of water per day.
- dissolved in the water are sodium chloride, lactic acid and urea which are excreted from the body
- some drugs are also excreted this way
What are the kidneys?
They kidneys are a pair of reddish brown organs located in the abdomen - approx 11cm
What is the urinary system?
The kidneys, the bladder and ass ousted ducts are often referred to as the URINARY SYSTEM.
It is a system of the body which produces, stores and eliminates urine, the fluid waste excreted by the kidneys. -
Is a osmoregulation system - where it maintains right amounts of H2O and dissolved substances in our body
What are the three layers of skin?
Outer = Epidermis - closely packed epithelial cells/ tissues
Inner = Dermis (connective tissue)
Subcutaneous layer