MALE REPRO LECTURE

• The major function of the male reproductive system is to produce offspring together with the female reproductive system.
• The end goal of the male reproductive system is to produce sex cells or gametes for people to procreate and test on the genetic materials from one generation to the next.
• Meiosis is the formation of sex cells.
• Fertilization is when a sperm cell and an oocyte meet, forming a fetus.
• The male reproductive system consists of testes, system of ducts, accessory sex glands, and supporting structures.
• Testes are a pair of testicles that produce the sperm and secrete hormones.
• The system of ducts transport, store, and assist in the maturation of sperm.
• Accessory sex glands secrete most of the liquid portion of semen.
• The penis contains the urethra, a passageway for ejaculation of semen and excretion of urine.
• Reproductive organs are adapted for producing new individuals and passing on genetic material from one generation to the next.
• External genitalia includes the scrotum, penis, and urethra.
• The scrotum is a pouch that supports the testes and contains the urethra, a passageway for ejaculation of semen and excretion of urine.
• The testes produce sperm and the male sex hormone testosterone.
• The ducts transport, store, and assist in the maturation of sperm.
• The accessory sex glands secrete most of the liquid portion of semen.
• If no neutralization occurs, the sperm will be killed and will render it inactive.
• At the fifth minute mark, the semen will be clotted and later, after the fifteenth to twentieth mark, it will become fluid again.
• If the bulbourethral gland or Cowper’s gland is absent, there will be an infection in males.
• Acid phosphatase is a substance found in prostatic fluid that serves as an antibiotic that destroys the bacteria.
• The bulbourethral gland or Cowper’s gland may help decrease the number of naturally occurring bacteria in the semen and when it passes through the lower female reproductive tract.
• Citric acid is very important in surface antigen for the detection of prostatic carcinoma.
• The prostate gland is a single, doughnut-sized gland about the size of a golf ball that secretes a milky, slightly acidic fluid (pH about 6.5) that contains several substances: citric acid, PSA, and seminal plasmin.
• Semen is a mixture of sperm and seminal fluid that provides the fluid in which sperm are transported, supplies nutrients, and neutralizes the acidity of the male urethra and the vagina.
• The scrotum contains the testes, septum, skin, and a layer of loose connective tissue.
• The dartos muscle layer contracts in cold temperatures, causing the skin of the scrotum to become firm and wrinkled, reducing the overall size of the scrotum.
• The cremaster muscle is a voluntary muscle that surrounds the testes so that they are pulled closer to the body, raising their temperature.
• Sperm cells are very heat sensitive and must develop at a temperature slightly less than normal body temperature.
• The testes are located outside the body cavity in the scrotum where the temperature is lower.
• Sperm production requires at least 2 to 3 centigrade degrees Celsius below the core body temperature.
• Lowering the body temperature is maintained within the scrotum because it is outside the pelvic cavity.
• For normal sperm production to occur, it must be maintained in the temperature within the limits of 2 to 3 centigrade Celsius lower.
• In response to cold temperatures, the cremaster and dartos muscles will contract.
• The tunica albuginea is internal to the tunica vaginalis and extends inward, forming a septa that divides the testis into a series of internal compartments called lobules.
• Spermatozoa, or sperm cells, are the mature cells at the end of the seminiferous tubules.
• The layers of progressively more mature cells in the seminiferous tubules are: primary spermatocyte (2n), secondary spermatocyte (n), spermatid (n), and sperm cell or spermatozoon (n).
• The tunica vaginalis is derived from the peritoneum and can cause a collection of serous fluid in the tunica vaginalis or hydrocele, which is usually not required but may need others to consult a physician.
• The testes are paired oval glands, each about 5 cm long and 2.5 cm in diameter, and weighing 10-15 grams each.
• Sertoli cells serve as a blood-testes barrier, preventing substances from reaching the sperm cell and protecting it from injury.
• The functions of the testes include supporting and protecting developing spermatogenic cells in several ways, nourishing spermatocytes, spermatids, and sperm, phagocytizing excess spermatid cytoplasm, controlling movements of spermatogenic cells, producing fluid for sperm transport, secreting the hormone inhibin, regulating the effects of testosterone and FSH, and supporting the functions of Sertoli cells.
• Spermatogenesis occurs in the testes and consists of Meiosis I, Meiosis II, and Spermiogenesis, resulting in the formation of 4 haploid sperm cells from a primary spermatocyte.