Accessory sex glands Flashcards
Describe the basic functions of accessory sex glands and seminal plasma
Fx - produce seminal plasma
How many accessory sex glands, list them
4 Ampullae Vesicular glands (aka seminal vesicles) Prostate gland Bulbourethal glands (Cowper’s glands)
Growth and fc driven by male hormones (androgens)
What is seminal plasma
Non-cellular part of an ejaculate
Produced by accessory sex glands
Seminal plasma chemical composition
buffering ions Citric acid Sugars Proteins ( several hundred) Hormones Cytokines ( inflammatory and anti inflammatory)
Seminal plasma functions
very long time for vehicle transport Now know semen coagulation Sperm support ( as sperm are very active) Regulating sperm maturation Female immune priming Other things coming
Does seminal plasma matter
No exposure to seminal plasma the sperm is still 100% fertile.
So it is not required for fertility, but may play important roles
getting sperm to site of fertilisation
Promoting success of pregnancy
Driving epigenetic (non-coding changes in offspring
List 5 potential roles the seminal plasma plays in the female reproductive tract
Cervix, phagocytic clearance
Ovary, induction of ovulation, corpus lute development, progesterone production
Oviduct, sperm storage, embryo development
Uterus, leukocyte recruitment, endometrial receptivity, immune tolerance, embryo implantation
Uterus draining lymph nodes, immune activation, expansion of regulatory T cell pool
Ampulla lx
Thickening of the mucosa around vas deferens before heading into the urethra
Vesicular glands
Aka seminal vesicles
Paired on either side of the urethra often contributing a large volume to ejaculate
The prostate gland
A single gland which can be either discrete or disseminate along the urethra
Between bladder and urethra, embedded in smooth muscle
Bulbourethral glands
Aka Cowper’s gland
Dense, fibrous paired glands which produce a very viscous secretions
from a stallion
the white dots are the bulbourethral gland opening while the large opening are the vesicular gland opening
Why is there various in ASG
Variation in
Volume
Fraction sperm rich, sperm poor
Viscosity/coagulation ( eg rat coagulation blocks female reproductive tract
Cattle ASG
All 4 glands presen
Large lobulated vesicular glands
Relatively small bulbourethral glands
Ram ASG
All 4 gland present- but relatively small
No discrete prostate only diffuse prostate
Slightly larger bulbourethral glands
Stallion ASG
All 4 gland present
Very large, smooth vesicular glands
Very large prostate
Large bulbourethral glands
Boar ASG
Large lobulated vesicular glands
Very large bulbourethral glands —> very viscous ejaculation
No ampullae
Dog ASG
Very large prostate
No vesicular glands or bulbourethral glands
Cat ASG
Large prostate
No ampullae or vesicular glands
comparative of all glands list all the differences
Carnivores no vesicular gland Only dog no bulbourethral gland Ampullae is boar and cat doesn’t have All have prostate gland Bull, ram and stallion have all glands
