Seminal vesicle

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Seminal vesicle

The seminal vesicles (glandulae vesiculosae) are a pair of simple tubular glands posteroinferior to the urinary bladder

Urinary bladder

In anatomy, the urinary bladder is a solid, muscle, and distensible organ that sits on the pelvic floor in mammals. It is the organ that collects urine excreted by the kidneys prior to disposal by urination....
of males.

seminal gland spreads approximately 5 cm, though the full length of seminal vesicle is approximately 10 cm, but it is curled up inside of the gland's structure. Each gland forms as an outpocketing of the wall of ampulla

Ampulla

An ampulla was, in Ancient Rome, a "small nearly globular flask or bottle, with two handles" . The word is used of these in archaeology, and of later, often handle-less flasks for holy water or holy oil in the Middle Ages, often bought as souvenirs of pilgrimages....
of each vas deferens

Vas deferens

The vas deferens , also called ductus deferens, is part of the male anatomy of some species; they transport sperm from the epididymis in anticipation of ejaculation....
.

The excretory duct of seminal gland

Excretory duct of seminal gland

Each seminal vesicle consists of a single tube, coiled upon itself, and giving off several irregular cecal diverticula; the separate coils, as well as the diverticula, are connected together by fibrous tissue....
opens into the vas deferens as it enters the prostate gland.

seminal vesicles secrete a significant proportion of the fluid that ultimately becomes semen

Semen

Semen is an organic fluid, also known as seminal fluid, that usually contains spermatozoon....
.

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Encyclopedia

The seminal vesicles (glandulae vesiculosae) are a pair of simple tubular glands posteroinferior to the urinary bladder

Urinary bladder

Anatomy

Each seminal gland spreads approximately 5 cm, though the full length of seminal vesicle is approximately 10 cm, but it is curled up inside of the gland's structure. Each gland forms as an outpocketing of the wall of ampulla

Ampulla

Vas deferens

Excretory duct of seminal gland

Function

The seminal vesicles secrete a significant proportion of the fluid that ultimately becomes semen

Semen

Semen is an organic fluid, also known as seminal fluid, that usually contains spermatozoon....
. Lipofuscin granules from dead epithelial cells give the secretion its yellowish color. About 60% of the seminal fluid in humans originates from the seminal vesicles, but is not expelled in the first ejaculate fractions which are dominated by spermatozoa and zinc rich prostatic fluid

Prostate

The prostate is a compound tubuloalveolar exocrine gland of the male mammalian reproductive system. Females do not have a prostate gland, although females do have tiny paraurethral Skene's glands connected to the distal third of the urethra in the prevaginal space that are homologous to the prostate....
. In vitro studies have shown that sperm

Sperm

The term sperm is derived from the Greek word sperma and refers to the male reproductive Cell . In the types of sexual reproduction known as anisogamy and oogamy, there is a marked difference in the size of the gametes with the smaller one being termed the "male" or sperm cell....
expelled together with seminal vesicular fluid show poor motility and survival, and the sperm chromatin is less protected. Therefore the exact physiological importance of seminal vesicular fluid is not clear. It has been speculated that it is a developmental rest, still seen among some rodents where the last part of the ejaculate form a spermicidal plug which reduces the chances for sperm from a later arriving male to proceed to the oocyte.

The thick secretions contain protein

Protein

Proteins are organic compounds made of amino acids arranged in a linear chain and joined together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of adjacent amino acid Residue ....
s, enzyme

Enzyme

Enzymes are biomolecules that catalysis chemical reactions. Almost all enzymes are proteins. In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process are called Substrate , and the enzyme converts them into different molecules, the products....
s, fructose

Fructose

Fructose is a simple Reducing sugar sugar found in many foods and is one of the three important dietary monosaccharides along with glucose and galactose....
, mucus

Mucus

In vertebrates, mucus is a slippery secretion produced by, and covering, mucous membranes. It is a viscous colloid containing antiseptic enzymes and immunoglobulins that serves to protect Epithelium in the respiratory,...
, vitamin C

Vitamin C

Vitamin C or ascorbic acid is an essential nutrient for humans, a large number of simian species, a small number of other mammalian species , a few species of birds, and some fish....
, flavin

Flavin

Flavin is the common name for a group of organic compounds based on pteridine, formed by the Heterocycle isoalloxazine. The biochemical source is the vitamin riboflavin....
s, phosphorylcholine

Phosphorylcholine

BackgroundPhosphorylcholine is a zwitterionic phospholipid found on the outer surface of red blood cell membranes . In the field of Interventional Cardiology, Phosphorylcholine is used as a synthetic polymer based coating, applied to drug-eluting stents, to prevent the occurrence of coronary artery restenosis....
and prostaglandin

Prostaglandin

A prostaglandin is any member of a group of lipid compounds that are derived enzymatically from fatty acids and have important functions in the animal body....
s. The high fructose concentrations provide nutrient energy for the spermatozoa when stored in semen in the laboratory. Spermatozoa ejaculated in the vagina are not likely to have contact with the seminal vesicular fluid but transfer directly from the prostatic fluid into the cervical mucus as the first step on their travel through the female reproductive system. The fluid is expelled under sympathetic

Sympathetic nervous system

The Sympathetic Nervous System is a branch of the autonomic nervous system along with the enteric nervous system and parasympathetic nervous system....
contraction of the muscularis muscle coat.

Histology

Histologically, the seminal vesicles are notable for their tortuous pathways, diverticula, pseudo-stratified columnar epithelium

Epithelium

In biology and medicine, epithelium is a Biological tissue composed of cell s that line the cavities and surfaces of structures throughout the body....
and cuboidal cells along the basal layer.

The height of these columnar cells, and therefore activity, is dependent upon testosterone

Testosterone

Testosterone is a steroid hormone from the androgen group. In mammals, testosterone is primarily secreted in the testis of males and the ovaries of females, although small amounts are also secreted by the adrenal glands....
levels in the blood.

The lumen is large and stores the fluid secretions (but not spermatozoa) between ejaculation

Ejaculation

Ejaculation is the ejecting of semen from the penis, and is usually accompanied by orgasm. It is usually the result of sexual stimulation. Rarely, it is due to prostatic disease....
s.

From inside to out, the layers are:

Mucosa - arranged into convoluted folds, significantly increasing surface area
Muscular - well-developed layer composed of an inner circular and outer longitudinal layer of smooth muscle
Smooth muscle

Smooth muscle is a type of non-striated muscle, found within the tunica media layer of large and small arteries and veins, the urinary bladder, uterus, male and female reproductive tracts, gastrointestinal tract, respiratory tract, the ciliary muscle, and iris of the eye....
Connective tissue
Connective tissue

Connective tissue is a form of fibrous biological tissue.It is one of the four types of tissue in traditional classifications .Collagen is the main protein of connective tissue in animals and the most abundant protein in mammals, making up about 25% of the total protein content....

Additional images

External links

- "Male Reproductive System: prostate, seminal vesicle"