16) Male Reproductive System Flashcards
What are the components of the male reproductive system?
Testes: Produce sperm and testosterone.
Genital ducts: Include the epididymis, vas deferens, and ejaculatory duct, which carry sperm.
Accessory glands: Seminal vesicles produce secretions that nourish sperm and form most of the semen.
Penis: Delivers semen to the female reproductive tract and serves as the urinary conduit.
What are the functions of the testes?
Endocrine: Leydig cells produce testosterone.
Exocrine: Seminiferous tubules produce spermatozoa.
Describe the structure of the testes.
Covered by the tunica albuginea (dense connective tissue capsule).
Divided into about 250 lobules, each containing 1–4 seminiferous tubules.
Leydig cells and connective tissue with blood and lymphatic vessels are found between seminiferous tubules.
What is the germinal epithelium, and what does it contain?
Germinal epithelium is a complex stratified epithelium lining seminiferous tubules.
Contains spermatogenic cells (develop into sperm) and Sertoli cells (support and nourish developing sperm).
What are Leydig cells, and where are they located?
Leydig cells are interstitial cells found between seminiferous tubules.
They produce testosterone.
What is the role of the rete testes and epididymis?
A coiled tube for sperm storage and maturation; sperm become motile here.
Describe the vas deferens.
A muscular tube that propels sperm during ejaculation.
Lined with pseudostratified columnar epithelium with or without stereocilia.
What is the function of seminal vesicles?
Produce 65-70% of the ejaculate volume.
Secrete seminal fluid containing nutrients for sperm.
What is the prostate gland, and what does it secrete?
A tubulo-acinar gland beneath the bladder.
Secretes prostate-specific antigen (PSA), citric acid, and enzymes to prevent sperm coagulation.
Describe the structure of the penis.
Contains two corpus cavernosa and one corpus spongiosum.
Erectile tissue engorges with blood during erection, facilitated by helicine arteries.
What are the histological features of the epididymis?
Lined with pseudostratified columnar epithelium and stereocilia.
Absorbs excess fluid and facilitates sperm maturation through peristalsis.
What changes occur in sperm during their passage through the male reproductive system?
In the epididymis, sperm become motile.
They are propelled by peristaltic contractions in the vas deferens during ejaculation.
