Male Reproduction System Flashcards
What are the male accessory sex glands?
Male accessory sex glands include the seminal vesicles, prostate, and bulbourethral glands.
What do the seminal vesicles do?
The seminal vesicles produce a sugar-rich fluid (fructose) that provides sperm with a source of energy to help them move - this makes up the majority of semen.
What does the prostate do?
Secretes prostate fluid, one of the components of semen. The muscles of the prostate gland also help propel this seminal fluid into the urethra during ejaculation
What does the bulbourethral gland do?
Adds fluids to semen during ejaculation.
What is the tunica vaginalis?
The tunica vaginalis is the pouch of serous membrane that covers the testes.
Where is sperm produced?
Sertoli cells of seminiferous tubules of the testes
What does the epididymus do?
Stores the sperm and matures it until ejaculation.
What forms the blood-testis barrier?
Sustentacular (aka sertoli) cellswith tight junctions
What cells make up the seminiferous tubules?
Sertoli cells (aka sustentacular cells) Spermatogenic cells
What do sertoli cells do?
Provide nutrients to nourish the spermatogenic cells.
Form the tight junctions that make the blood-testis barrier.
Secrete Mullerian regression factor
Secrete Inhibin and Activin
Secrete androgen binding protein and estrogen binding protein
What is mullerian regression factor?
A hormone that prevents ducts from developing into structures of the female reproductive tract.
What does a mutation of mullerian regression factor in men lead to?
Hermaphroditism
What does activin do?
Stimulate FSH synthesis and secretion.
What does inhibin do?
Inhibit FSH synthesis and secretion.
Where does the vas deferens run through?
Inguinal canal
Explain the route of the vas deferens.
The vas deferens takes sperm stored in the epididymus to the posterior prostate, here it joins the seminal vesicle duct forming the ejaculatory duct which opens up into the urethra.
What cells line the seminal vesicles?
Columnar secretory epithelium with goblet cells.
What do the seminal vesicles secrete?
Each seminal vesicle secretes a mucoid material containing an abundance of fructose, citric acid and other nutrient substances as well as large quantities of prostaglandins and fibrinogen, making up 60% of semen.
When does the seminal vesicle empty it’s contents into the ejaculatory duct?
During ejaculation shortly after the vas deferens empties sperm.
What forms the ejaculatory duct?
The joining of the vas deferens and seminal vesicle duct.
What makes up the prostate?
70% glandular elements
30% fibromuscular stroma
What does prostatic fluid contain?
Nutrients and enzymes to activate sperm.
What makes up semen?
60% Mucoid from seminal vesicles
30% Prostatic fluid
How are spermatagonia produced?
Primordial germ cells migrate to the testes where they differentiate into spermatogonia.
How long does the entire period of spermatogenesis from spermatogonia to spermatozoa take?
64 days
By what sequence of cells do primordial germ cells differentiate into mature sperm cells?
Primordial germ cells > Spermatogonia > Primary spermatocyte > Secondary spermatocyte > Spermatid > Mature Sperm cell
What is the function of the acrosome?
Contains enzymes which allows the sperm to enter the ovum and fertilise it.
Where is the acrosome of the sperm cell synthesised?
Golgi apparatus
What is different between male and female sperm?
The female sperm also differ phenotypically in that they have a larger head in comparison to the male sperms. This contributes to the male sperm being lighter, and therefore faster and stronger swimmers than their female counterparts. Still a 50:50 chance of XX or XY however.
What cell in the testes does LH act on?
Leydig cells
What cell in the testes does FSH act on?
Sertoli cells
What effect do LH have on the testes?
Stimulates testosterone production in the leydig cells.
What effect does FSH have on the testes?
Stimulates spermatogenesis in the sertoli cells of the testes.
What hormone inhibits spermatogensis, explain how.
Inhibin by inhibiting FSH secretion in the anterior pituitary. Thus FSH cannot stimulate spermatogensis in sertoli cells.
Where are leydig cells found?
In the loose tissue surrounding seminiferous tubules.
What role does testosterone have in spermatogeneis?
Testosterone stimulates growth and division of testicular germ cells, the first stage in forming sperm.
Erection is caused by increased bloodflow into which tissue?
Corpus cavernosum
