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Male reproductive physiology Flashcards

1
Q

What are the major functions of the male reproductive system?

A

1) Spermatogenesis (production of sperm)

2) Production of testosterone

3) Performance of the male sexual act

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2
Q

What are the accessory organs/tissues of the male reproductive system?

A

1) Seminal vesicle

2) Prostatic gland

3) Bulbourethral gland (Cowper gland)

  • They assist in the function of the male reproductive system by producing secretions that help in the survival, nourishment, and enhancement of sperm motility
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3
Q

What is the function of the seminal vesicles?

A

It provides the bulk of the semen, providing fructose for the nourishment of the ejaculate, and prostaglandins to stimulate sperm motility

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4
Q

What molecule nourishes the ejaculate, and which gland secretes it?

A

Fructose, which is secreted by the seminal vesicle

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5
Q

Which molecule stimulates sperm motility, and which gland produces it?

A

Prostaglandins, secreted by the seminal vesicles in addition to the alkaline fluid secreted by the prostate

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6
Q

What is the function of the prostatic gland?

A

It secretes an alkaline fluid that helps in neutralizing the acidic component of the semen and enhances its motility

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7
Q

What is the function of the bulbourethral gland?

A

It secretes fluid that lubricates the end of the penis

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8
Q

What are the main organs of the male reproductive system?

A

1) Epididymis

2) Testis

3) Scrotum

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9
Q

What is the function of the epididymis?

A

1) Promotes sperm maturation

2) Stores the sperm cells

3) It conveys the sperm cells to the ductus deferens

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10
Q

What is the function of the testis?

A

1) The seminiferous tubule produces sperm cells

2) The interstitial cells produce and secrete interstitial cells

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11
Q

What is the function of the scrotum?

A

It encloses, protects, and maintains the temperature of the sperm

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12
Q

Describe the general structure of the male reproductive gland

A

1) Gonds: The primary reproductive gland (testis) it is composed of seminiferous tubules

2) Reproductive tract: Houses and transports the sperm (composed of the epididymis, and the vas deferens)

3) Accessory sex glands: Composed of the seminal vesicle, prostate, and the bulbourethral gland, which produce and release supportive secretions

  • Does any storage of sperm occur in the vas/ductus deferens? Yes slight BUT
  • Main site of storage & maturation? Epididymis
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13
Q

What is the function of the srotum?

A
  • It regulates and maintains the temperature of the scrotum (via 3 mechanisms)
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14
Q

What are the mechanisms by which the scrotum maintains the temperature of the sperm?

A

1) Cremasteric muscle

2) Tunica dartos muscle

3) Pampiniform plexus

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15
Q

How does the cremasteric muscle maintain the temperature of the testis?

A
  • They are layers of SKELETAL muscle that cover the scrotum

1) They lower and raise the testis to control their temperature

2) It promotes spermatogenesis

  • The cremasteric muscle pulls the testes towards the body in fight or flight situations
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16
Q

What is the cremasteric reflex?

A

It is the elevation of the testis when we stroke the skin of the inner thigh

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17
Q

How does the tunica dartos muscle help the scrotum maintain the temperature for the sperm?

A
  • It is a subcutaneous layer of SMOOTH muscle that coordinates with the cremasteric muscle

1) Contracts in cold weather (wrinkled scrotum) push the testis towards the body

2) And in warm weather, it relaxes and pushes the testis away from the body

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18
Q

What is the pampiniform plexus, and how does it help the testis to control the temperature for the sperm?

A

1) Regulates the temperature by acting as a heat exchanger

  • Warm blood flowing through the testicular artery loses some of its heat to the cooler blood flowing in the opposite direction through the pampiniform plexus of veins
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19
Q

What is the structure of the testis?

A
  • Contains 900 coiled seminiferous tubules, which are the functional unit of the testis that produces the sperm
  • They contain the spermatogonia cells (precursor of sperm) and Sertoli cells (supporting cells) in the seminiferous tubules and leyding cells (produce testosterone) in the interstitial compartment
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20
Q

Which cell is responsible for testosterone production, and where is it present?

A

The leyding cells found in the interstitium

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21
Q

What are the precursors of the sperm cells?

A

Spermatogenic cells

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22
Q

What is the function of the Sertoli cells?

A

They produce products that support the production of sperm

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23
Q

What is the function of the spermatogonia

A
  • Seminiferous tubules are only composed of Sertoli cells + spermatogonia/spermatogenic cells
  • Spermatogonia are arranged in layers towards the inner part, and between them are Sertoli cells (leyding cells are found outside the tubule in the interstitium, which produces testosterone)
  • At puberty, the proliferation and stage-wise differentiation of the spermatogonia leads to the formation of the sperm, which begins around the age of 13 regulated by the age of 13 years old
24
Q

What is spermatogenesis?

A
  • In spermatogenesis, the 46 chromosomes of the spermatocyte must divide into 23 in each spermatid
  • The entire period of spermatogenesis (74 days) to release the sperm that are capable of swimming and not fertilization
  • Then the sperm undergoes further maturation in the epididymis (but still the motility isn’t functional yet)
  • After ejaculation, the sperm attains its final maturation, attaining its mobility and the ability to fertilize
  • Final maturation and mobility are attained by the products secreted by the accessory glands and the fluid produced by the Sertoli cells, which contains (enzymes, hormones, and nutrients)
25
How is the sperm transported and stored?
1) Formation of sperm in the seminiferous tubule 2) First, it takes several days for the sperm to reach the seminiferous tubule, and they reach as non-motile sperm and can't fertilize an ovum 3) After 18-24 hours in the epididymis, they start to develop motility, however, the motility capacity isn't 100% due to the inhibitory proteins 4) 120 million sperm are produced by the two testes, and they can maintain their fertility for a month (stored in the epididymis and the vas deferens to a lesser extent)
26
What is the importance of the inhibitory proteins in the epididymis?
1) To not activate the digestive enzymes in the sperm so that they do not cause damage to the sperm 2) So that they do not utilize unnecessary ATP for their movement
27
What are the characteristics of the sperm?
- Parts (Head "contains the acrosome, nucleus, and cell membrane", Neck, mitochondria, tail "axoneme of 11 microtubules" - It moves in a rhythmical longitudinal sliding - Velocity 1-4mm/min, and can stay alive for 1-2 days in the female reproductive tract - Their activity is slightly increased in a slightly alkaline medium, and it greatly decreases in an acidic medium
28
Describe the composition of the secretory product of the seminal vesicle
They are tortuous tubes that are lined by secretory epithelium, which secretes a mucoid material that contains (for nourishment): 1) Fructose 2) Citric acid 3) Prostaglandins 4) Fibrinogen
29
Describe the composition of the prostatic gland secretions
- It secretes a thin, milky slightly alkaline fluid that has calcium, citrate ion, phosphate ion, clotting enzyme & profibrinolysin - They make the final semen neutral by adding an alkaline fluid to it, enhancing its motility
30
What is the role of testosterone in the control of spermatogenesis?
- Produced by the leyding cells in the interstitium - It is essential for the growth and division of the testicular germinal cells
31
What is the role of Estrogen in the control of spermatogenesis?
Fromed by the sertoli cells which uses testosterone, when they are stimulated by FS
32
What is the role of LH in the control of spermatogenesis?
- Produced by the anterior pituitary - It stimulates the leyding cells to secrete testosterone
32
What is the role of GH in the control of spermatogenesis?
It controls the background metabolic function of the testes and promotes the early division of the spermatogonia
32
What is the role of FSH in the control of spermatogenesis?
- Produced by the anterior pituitary - It stimulates the Sertoli cells, to convert the spermatids into sperms
33
What is the hormone that stimulates the leyding cells to produce testosterone?
Leuteinizing hormone
34
What are the spermatogenic functions of the FSH?
1) Stimulates the Sertoli cells (which support the spermatogonia, and this is essential to convert spermatids to sperm) 2) Stimulates the Sertoli cells to utilize testosterone to produce estrogen (essential for spermatogenesis)
35
So, what are the functions of the Sertoli cells?
1) Support the cells for spermatogenesis 2) Secretes androgen-binding globulin to transform testosterone 3) Interacts with testosterone that comes from the leyding cells and under the influence of FSH to produce estrogen 4) Secretes inhibin to keep the spermatogenesis regulated (inhibits FSH secretion) 5) Kills and destroys defective sperm
36
What is the importance of the androgen-binding globulin?
It binds to testosterone and keeps its levels high in this area in order for spermatogenesis to occur efficiently
37
What hormone gets secreted by the Sertoli cells and regulates the FSH (and thus the spermatogenesis)?
Inhibin
38
How are Sertoli cells regulated?
1- LH is released from the anterior pituitary, goes and binds to its receptor on the cell membrane of Leydig cells 2- Testosterone is produced 3- Testosterone leaves and binds to nuclear receptors (because it's a steroid hormone) in Sertoli cells 4- stimulates spermatogenesis Another side of the story 1- FSH is released from the anterior pituitary, binds to its receptor on the cell membrane of Sertoli cells 2- It can increase the expression of testosterone’s nuclear receptors 3- It can also stimulate spermatogenesis So as a result, FSH alone weakly stimulates spermatogenesis, same case for testosterone alone. But if we combine both effects together, spermatogenesis is STRONGLY stimulated!! In other words, we actually need both testosterone AND FSH to work together for efficient spermatogenesis.
39
What are the other actions of testosterone?
1) Muscle mass 2) Skeletal growth 3) Spermatogenesis 4) Sexual function 5) Converted to DHT (scalp hair loss, acne, prostate growth, growth of facial and body hair) 6) Converted to estradiol (bone formation, and breast tissue)
40
What is the pattern of testosterone secretion?
1) Produced during fetal life and increases in the second trimester (comes from the hCG, "which acts like LH" of the placenta), this is important to allow males to grow and inhibit the female hormone characteristics and to form the male structures - Up until 10 weeks after birth, there is testosterone circulating in the male baby (the level fluctuates but overall it stays in the blood), but then after 10 weeks, almost no testosterone is produced during childhood 2) The second peak occurs in puberty, stimulated by the hypothalamic-pituitary axis (which secretes androgens that act on the testes) 3) It goes down once a man reaches 50-60
41
Describe the metabolism of testosterone
1) Synthesized by the leyding cells 2) 97% of the testosterone (loosely bound to plasma albumin, or tightly bound to sex hormone-binding globulin) 3) Circulates in the body in the binding form for 30 min to several hours 4) Majority is converted to DHT in tissues like the prostate
42
What are the stages of the male sexual act?
1) Penile erection 2) Lubrication 3) Emission 4) Ejaculation
43
How is the male sexual act initiated?
1) It is initiated by the special sensory end-organ system (the glans penis) 2) Slippery massaging action (stimulates the sensory system in the penis glans) 3) Sexual sensation: Impulses from the pudendal nerve go to the sacral plexus, then into the brain
44
What is the nerve that transmits the sexual sensation to the brain?
The pudendal nerve - sacral plexus - and then brain
45
What is the psychiatric element in the male sexual act?
Psychic stimuli increases the ability for sexual act performance and nocturnal emissions - Usually Combination of psychic stimulation and sex organ stimulation leads to sustainable sexual act
46
A cut to above which spinal level could still sustain ejaculation?
Anything cut above the lumbar level wont affect ejaculation
47
What are the types of erection?
1- Reflexogenic erection -> NO input from brain -> from S2-S4 segments then to spinal cord then back to the penis 2- Psychogenic erection -> brain is involved here -> any sensory input (thoughts, smells, etc) -> relayed down through T10 -L2 segments to cause erection A male needs BOTH components for a sustainable sexual act
48
What promotes erection?
- First stage of the sexual stimulation - It is proportional to the degree of stimulation - Mediated by: 1) Parasympathetic impulses: sacral spinal cord - pelvic nerves - penis 2) Vasodilators mainly (NO, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, and acetylcholine), vasodilate the penile arteries - These mechanisms will lead to the ballooning of the two corpora cavernosa (erectile tissue) and thus erection (vasodilation -> more blood -> spongy structure fills up -> ballooning of corpora happens -> fibrous sheath allows it to expand, and the Veins get compressed due to the pressure, so not much blood gets drained from this area)
49
What mediates the lubrication stage?
1) The parasympathetic impulses stimulate the urethral gland and the bulbourethral gland to produce mucus 2) Mucus will then flow through the urethra and provide lubrication during the sexual act - FYI: Unsatisfactory lubrication leads to painful sensations and inhibits the sexual act
50
What stimulates the emission phase?
- When the sexual stimulus becomes intense, sympathetic impulses from the spinal cord travel to the genital organs via the hypogastric and pelvic splanchnic "plexus" to induce emission 1) The vas deferens contracts - sperm expelled in the urethra - the prostate and seminal vesicle contract - expulsion of fluid from both organs , forcing the sperm to move forward, which gets mixed with the mucus produced from the bulbourethral gland
51
What stimulates the ejaculation?
1) Filling the urethra with semen 2) Sympathetic signals are sent through the pudendal nerve to the sacral spinal cord 3) Rhythmic contractions of the genital organ, which increase the pressure in the erectile tissue and genital ducts 4) Ejaculation
52
What are the nerves responsible for the male act?
1) Erection: Parasympathetic impulses to the sacral spinal cord 2) Lubrication: Parasympathetic, which stimulates the urethral glands and the bulbourethral gland 3) Emission: Sympathetic then through the hypogastric and pelvic sympathetic "plexus" (FYI not pelvic nerve but the pelvic sympathetic plexus) 4) Ejaculation: Sympathetic signals sent through the pudendal nerve
53
What are the functions of the parasympathetic stimulation in regard to the sexual act?
1) Parasympathetic impulses are crucial for vasodilation and spinal cord reflexes 2) Provides impulses that stimulate the (urethral gland and the bulbourethral gland) to produce mucus
54
What is the nerve reflex that induces the emission phase?
The sympathetic impulses from the spinal cord that goes to the penis via the hypogastric and the pelvic sympathetic plexus

Y2S2-RENAL/REPRO-PHYSIOLOGY (9 decks)

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