Repro Physiology

What is the main function of the Male Reproductive system?

to Manufacture and deliver spermatozoa

What does the Male reproductive system produce?

hormones and secretory products to contribute to the main function

What are the basic components of the Male reproductive system?

the scrotum, testis, excurrent duct system, spermatic cord, accessory sex glands, penis, muscles for protrusion, erection and ejaculation

What is the scrotum?

Two-lobed sac surrounding the testes

What is the function of the scrotum?

protects, supports, and controls temperature of testes

What are the four major layers of the scrotum?

Skin, tunica dartos, scrotal fascia, and parietal vaginal tunic

What does the skin of the scrotum have?

sweat glands and thermosensitive neurons

What is the parietal vaginal tunic also called?

the parietal tunica vaginalis

What do the sweat glands for?

facilitate cooling

What thermosensitive nervous/neurons do in the scrotal skin?

they regulate sweating and respiratory rate

What is the tunica dartos?

a smooth muscle layer that lies just beneath the scrotal skin

what does the tunica dartos do?

contracts to bring testes closer to the body and relaxes to allow testes to move further away from the body in response to scrotal skin temperature important for temperature regulation

How is the tunica dartos controlled?

by the sensory nervous / neurons in the skin

what does testosterone control in the tunica dartos?

contractile characteristics

what is the scrotal fascia?

sheets of fibrous connective tissue that connect and support other tissues

What is the parietal vaginal tunic?

layers of the peritoneum that defines the outermost boundary of the vaginal cavity in the male

What is the peritoneum?

a thin, semitransparent, connective tissue that line the abdominal cavity and surrounds most of the organs

what are the testes?

paired male gonads

What are the functions of the testes

produce spermatozoa, produce necessary reproductive hormones, produce fluid which sperm are suspended in the facilitate their removal from the testes

what is spermatozoa?

mature sperm cell; male gametes

what are the 3 major components for the testis?

Testicular capsule, Parenchyma, and mediastinum

what are the two components of the testicular capsule?

visceral vaginal tunic and tunica albuginea

What is the visceral vaginal tunic?

it is a layer of peritoneum

what is another name for visceral vaginal tunic?

tunica vaginalis

what is the tunica albuginea?

connective tissue and smooth muscle fibers

what does the tunica albuginea do?

rhythmic contractions facilitates movement of sperm

what are the two major compartments of the parenchyma?

the tubular compartment and the interstitial compartment

What is the tubular compartment?

seminiferous tubules and the cells and material inside them ( gametes, Sertoli cells)

What is the interstitial compartment?

houses blood vessels, connective tissue, lymphatics, nerves, and Leydig cells

What is the mediastinum?

connective tissue core

what does the mediastinum do?

houses rete tubules with denseness to keep tubules from collapsing

What are seminiferous tubules?

they are connected to the rete tubules

What are rete tubules?

tiny channels through which sperm are transported

What is the excurrent duct system?

continuous extragonadal duct system responsible for sperm transport from the testes to the pelvic urethra

what is included in the excurrent duct system?

efferent ducts, epididymal duct, ductus deferens

what are the efferent ducts

ducts that are derived from the mesonephric tubules and connect the rete tubules to the epididymal duct in the head of the epididymis

what is the rete tubules also called?

the rete testes

what is the Epididymis?

Structure attached to the tunica albuginea that contains a highly convoluted duct

what is the epididymal duct?

a single duct surrounded by smooth muscle that spans the epididymis

what is the functions of the epididymal duct?

sperm transport, spermatozoa maturation, concentration of spermatozoa, and storage reservoir

what are the three segments of the epididymis?

caput (head), corpus (body), cauda (tail)

what is the caput (head) for?

fluid resorption

what is the corpus (body) for?

undergoing maturation

what is the cauda (tail) for?

mature and being stored

what is the epididymis?

contractions of smooth muscle surrounding epididymal duct moves sperm into ductus deferens

what does high ejaculation frequency equal?

fewer sperm in ejaculate

what happens to sperm that spends a long time in the tail?

have a decreased quality

what are ductus deferens also called?

the vas deferens

what are ductus deferens responsible for?

for sperm transport

what do ductus deferens connect?

they connect the epididymal duct to the ampullae

what is the spermatic cord

extends form the inguinal ring to it attachment on the dorsal pole of the testis

what does the spermatic cord do?

suspend the testis and provides pathway for testicular vasculature, lymphatics and nerves

What does the spermatic cord houses?

Pampiniform plexus, cremaster muscle, and ductus deferens

what temperature does the pampiniform plexus have to keep the testes?

the testes must be kept 4 to 6 degrees C cooler than the body

what is the pampiniform plexus?

a major mechanism to cool the testes and is often equated to a car’s radiator