Efferent ducts
Encyclopedia
The efferent ducts connect the rete testis
with the initial section of the epididymis
.
There are two basic designs for efferent ductule structure:
The ductuli are unilaminar and composed of columnar ciliated and non-ciliated (absorptive) cells. The ciliated cells serve to stir the luminal fluids, possibly to help ensure homogeneous absorption of water from the fluid produced by the testis, which results in an increase in the concentration of luminal sperm. The epithelium is surrounded by a band of smooth muscle
that helps to propel the sperm toward the epididymis.
Rete testis
Rete testis is an anastomosing network of delicate tubules located in the hilum of the testicle that carries sperm from the seminiferous tubules to the vasa efferentia....
with the initial section of the epididymis
Epididymis
The epididymis is part of the male reproductive system and is present in all male amniotes. It is a narrow, tightly-coiled tube connecting the efferent ducts from the rear of each testicle to its vas deferens. A similar, but probably non-homologous, structure is found in cartilaginous...
.
There are two basic designs for efferent ductule structure:
- a) multiple entries into the epididymis, as seen in most large mammals. In humanHumanHumans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
s and other large mammalMammalMammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
s, there are approximately 15-20 efferent ducts, which also occupy nearly one third of the head of the epididymis. - b) single entry, as seen in most small animals such as rodentRodentRodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
s, whereby the 3-6 ductules merge into a single small ductule prior to entering the epididymis.
The ductuli are unilaminar and composed of columnar ciliated and non-ciliated (absorptive) cells. The ciliated cells serve to stir the luminal fluids, possibly to help ensure homogeneous absorption of water from the fluid produced by the testis, which results in an increase in the concentration of luminal sperm. The epithelium is surrounded by a band of smooth muscle
Smooth muscle
Smooth muscle is an involuntary non-striated muscle. It is divided into two sub-groups; the single-unit and multiunit smooth muscle. Within single-unit smooth muscle tissues, the autonomic nervous system innervates a single cell within a sheet or bundle and the action potential is propagated by...
that helps to propel the sperm toward the epididymis.