Urea is primarily removed from the body through the kidneys.
The Kidneys and Urea Removal
The kidneys play a vital role in filtering waste products, including urea, from the blood. Here's how the process works:
- Nephrons: The Filtering Units: The kidneys contain millions of tiny filtering units called nephrons.
- Filtration: Blood enters the nephrons, where water, salts, glucose, and urea are filtered out.
- Reabsorption: The body reabsorbs essential substances like water, salts, and glucose back into the bloodstream.
- Excretion: The remaining waste products, mainly urea and excess water, form urine.
- Urine Removal: Urine travels from the kidneys through the ureters to the bladder, where it's stored until it's eliminated from the body through the urethra.
Role of Nephrons
Nephrons are the functional units of the kidneys and are directly involved in urea removal. The kidneys remove urea from the blood through tiny filtering units called nephrons.