Male Reproductive Physiology Flashcards
how is genetic sex determined?
by the sex chromosomes
when do the testes begin to develop in the males?
gestational weeks 6-7
when do the ovaries begin to develop in the females?
gestational week 9
how is phenotypic sex determined?
by the hormonal output of the gonads
what is puberty initiated by?
the pulsatile secretion of GnRH, which in turn drives the pulsatile secretion of FSH and LH
what does the pulsatile secretion of FSH and LH stimulate?
the secretion of the gonadal steroid hormones (testosterone and estradiol)
what happens when there are increased circulating levels of the sex steroid hormones?
they are responsible for the appearance of secondary sex characteristics at puberty
what are the two main functions of the testes?
spermatogenesis and the secretion of testosterone
what are the seminiferous tubules?
they are epithelium formed by the sertoli cells with interspersed germ cells
what is the composition of adult testis?
80% seminiferous tubules and 20% connective tissue interspersed with leydig cells
what is the function of leydig cells?
they synthesize and secrete testosterone
what are the androgens secreted by the testes?
testosterone, dihydrotestosterone (DHT), and androstenedione
what happens to most of the testosterone in the target tissues?
it is eventually converted into DHT
what do the testes lack and what does this mean?
the testes lack 21-beta hydroxylase and 11-beta hydroxylase; therefore, no glucocorticoids or mineralocorticoids are synthesized
what enzyme do the testes have and what is its purpose?
17-beta hydroxysteroid dehyrdogenase; it converts androstenedione to testosterone
what is the end product of steroid synthesis in the testes?
testosterone
how is testosterone concentrated in the lumen seminiferous tubules?
by binding to the androgen-binding protein (ABP)
in some tissues, DHT is the active androgen. What tissues are these?
prostate gland in the adult and the external male genitalia
what converts testosterone into DHT?
5-alpha reductase
what is most of the circulating testosterone bound to?
plasma proteins and albumin; plasma protein: sex-hormone-binding globulin SHBG
what does deficiency of 5-alpha-reductase lead to?
ambiguous external genitalia
where are estrogens found to have a high concentration in the male?
in the fluid of the seminiferous tubules
what is the putative source of the estrogen in the fluid of the seminiferous tubules?
the sertoli cells
how is testosterone converted to estradiol?
by the enzyme aromatase (CYP19)
what is one potential important role of the estrogen found in the fluid of the seminiferous tubules?
it has a potential important role in spermatogenesis
where are much larger amounts of estrogens formed from testosterone in other tissues of the body?
adipose tissue
what is the rate limiting step in the synthesis of testosterone?
the conversion of cholesterol to pregnenolone
what enzyme is responsible for the conversion of cholesterol into pregnenolone?
cytochrome P450 side-chain cleavage (P450SCC) enzyme
what is the primary endocrine cell of the testis?
leydig cell
where does synthesis and secretion of Testosterone occur?
in leydig cells
how do the leydig cells get cholesterol?
they can synthesize cholesterol de novo; they can also acquire it from the circulation, through LDL receptors and HDL receptors
how is free cholesterol generated within the leydig cells?
by a cholesterol hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL)
what is the action of HSL?
it converts cholesterol esters to free cholesterol for androgen production
how is cholesterol transferred within the mitochondrial membranes?
via the steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR)
what is another name for the P450SCC enzyme?
cholesterol desmolase
what stimulates the conversion of cholesterol to pregnenolone and regulates the overall rate of testosterone synthesis by the Leydig cell?
LH
how does LH promote pregnenolone synthesis (2 ways)?
it increases the affinity of the P450SCC enzyme for cholesterol or it will stimulate the synthesis of the P450SCC enzyme (long-term action)
60% of the circulating testosterone is what?
bound to sex-hormone binding globulin (SHBG)
38% of the circulating testosterone is what?
bound to albumin
2% of the circulating testosterone is what?
the free testosterone- which is the biologically important form
which form of testosterone influences the HPA axis?
the free testosterone
when does testosterone become present in the embryonic life?
at the 2nd month