MALE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM

ORGANS OF THE MALE REPRODUCTIVE

SYSTEM
LEARNING OBJECTIVES

● Describe the location, structure, and

functions of the organs of the male
reproductive system.
● Discuss the process of spermatogenesis in
the testes.
● Describe the functional anatomy of mature
sperm

HOW DOES THE MALE REPRODUCTIVE

External Male Reproductive Structures
SYSTEM FUNCTION?
- Most of the male reproductive system is located
- The entire male reproductive system is
dependent on hormones.
- The external parts of the male reproductive
- The primary hormones involved in the
functioning of the male reproductive system are
follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing
hormone (LH) and testosterone.
o FSH and LH are produced by the pituitary
gland.
o FSH is necessary for sperm production
(spermatogenesis).
o LH stimulates the production of
testosterone, which is necessary to
continue the process of spermatogenesis.
o Testosterone is also important in the
development of male characteristics,
including muscle mass and strength, fat
distribution, bone mass and sex drive.
FUNCTIONS OF MALE REPRODUCTIVE
SYSTEM
1. The testes produce sperm and the male sex
hormone testosterone.
2. The ducts transport, store, and assist in
maturation of sperm.
3. The accessory sex glands secrete most of
the liquid portion of semen.
4. The penis contains the urethra, a
passageway for ejaculation of semen and
excretion of urine.
outside of your abdominal cavity or pelvis.
system include the penis, the scrotum and the
testicles.
PENIS
- The penis is the male organ for sexual
intercourse. It has three parts:
1. The root: This is the part of the penis that
attaches to the wall of your abdomen.
2. The body or shaft: Shaped like a tube or
cylinder, the body of the penis is made up of
three internal chambers. Inside these
chambers there’s a special, sponge-like
erectile tissue that contains thousands of
large spaces that fill with blood when you’re
sexually aroused. As the penis fills with
blood, it becomes rigid and erect, which
allows for penetration during sex. The skin of
the penis is loose and elastic, allowing for
changes in penis size during an erection.
3. The glans: This is the cone-shaped end of
the penis. This is also called as the head of
the penis, it is covered with a loose layer of
skin called foreskin. This skin is sometimes
removed in a procedure called circumcision.
 Scrotum
- The scrotum is the loose pouch-like sac
of skin that hangs behind the penis. It
holds the testicles (also called testes), as
well as many nerves and blood vessels.
- The scrotum protects your testes, as well
as providing a sort of climate control
system.
TESTICLE (TESTIS)
- The testes are oval organs measuring
about 5cm long and 2.5cm in diameter
that lie in the scrotum, secured at either
end by a structure called the spermatic
cord.
- The testes develop near the kidneys, in
the posterior portion of the abdomen,
and they usually begin their descent
into the scrotum through the inguinal
canals.
- It is responsible for making
testosterone, and for producing sperm.
Within the testes are coiled masses of
tubes called seminiferous tubules.
EPIDIDYMIS
- The epididymis is a long, coiled tube
that rests on the backside of each
testicle.
- It carries and stores sperm cells that
are created in the testes.
- It’s also the job of the epididymis to
bring the sperm to maturity — the
sperm that emerge from the testes are
immature and incapable of fertilization.
Internal Male Reproductive Structure
- You have several internal organs also
called accessory organs. These organs
include:
VAS DEFERENS
- The vas deferens is a long, muscular
tube that travels from the epididymis
into the pelvic cavity, to just behind the
bladder.
- The vas deferens transports mature
sperm to the urethra in preparation for
ejaculation.
EJACULATORY DUCTS
- These ducts are formed by the fusion of
the vas deferens and the seminal
vesicles. The ejaculatory ducts empty
into the urethra.
URETHRA
- The urethra is the tube that carries urine
from the bladder to outside of your body.
In males, it has the additional function of
expelling (ejaculating) semen when you
reach orgasm. When the penis is erect
during sex, the flow of urine is blocked
from the urethra, allowing only semen to
be ejaculated at orgasm.
SEMINAL VESICLES
- The seminal vesicles are sac-like
pouches that attach to the vas deferens
near the base of the bladder.
- The seminal vesicles make a sugar-rich
fluid (fructose) that provides sperm with a
source of energy and helps with the
sperms’ ability to move (motility). The
fluid of the seminal vesicles makes up
most of the volume of your ejaculatory
fluid, or ejaculate.
PROSTATE GLAND
- The prostate gland is a walnut-sized
structure that’s located below the urinary
bladder in front of the rectum.
 - The prostate gland contributes additional
fluid to the ejaculate. Prostate fluids also
help to nourish the sperm.
BULBOURETHRAL GLAND
- Also known as the Cowper’s glands, are
pea-sized structures located on the
sides of the urethra, just below the
prostate gland.
- These glands produce a clear, slippery
fluid that empties directly into the
urethra. This fluid serves to lubricate the
urethra and to neutralize any acidity that
may be present due to residual drops of
urine in the urethra.
SPERMATOGENESIS
- In humans, spermatogenesis takes 65–75 days.
It begins with the spermatogonia, which
contain the diploid (2n) number of
chromosomes.
- It is a complex, temporal event whereby
primitive, totipotent stem cells divide to either
renew them or produce daughter cells that are
transformed into a specialized testicular
spermatozoon.
- It involves both mitotic and meiotic divisions and
extensive cellular remodeling.
SPERMATOGONIA
- Spermatogonia lie directly on the basement
membrane, followed by primary spermatocytes,
secondary spermatocytes, and spermatids as
they progress toward the tubule lumen.
- The tight junction barrier supports
spermatogonia and early spermatocytes within
the basal compartment and all subsequent germ
cells within the adluminal compartment.
Spermatogonia can be categorized into three
types:
1. Dark Type A- spermatogonia are stem cells
of the seminiferous tubules that have an
intensely stained dark ovoid nucleus
containing fine granular chromatin. These
cells divide by mitosis to generate Dark Type
A and Pale Type A spermatogonia.
2. Pale type A- Pale Type A spermatogonia
have pale staining and fine granular
chromatin in the ovoid nucleus.
3. Type B- Type B spermatogonia are
characterized by large clumps of condensed
chromatin under the nuclear membrane of
an ovoid nucleus.
SPERMATOCYTOGENESIS
- Spermatocytogenesis consists of the meiotic
phase in which primary spermatocytes undergo
meiosis I and meiosis II to give rise to haploid
spermatids.
- This takes place in the basal compartment.
MITOSIS
- Mitosis involves the proliferation and
maintenance of spermatogonia. It is a precise,
well-orchestrated sequence of events in which
the genetic material (chromosomes) is
duplicated, with breakdown of the nuclear
envelope and formation of two daughter cells as
a result of equal division of the chromosomes
and cytoplasm DNA is organized into loop
domains on which specific regulatory proteins
interact.
 MEIOSIS
- The meiotic phase involves primary
spermatocytes until spermatids are formed, and
during this process, chromosome pairing,
crossover, and genetic exchange take place
until a new genome is determined.
- Meiosis consists of two successive divisions to
yield four haploid spermatids from one diploid
primary spermatocyte. After the first meiotic
division (reduction division), each daughter cell
contains one partner of the homologous
chromosome pair, and they are called
secondary spermatocytes (2n).
SPERMIOGENESIS
- Spermiogenesis is the process of differentiation
of the spermatids into spermatozoa with fully
compacted chromatin.
SPERMIATION
- A mature spermatid frees itself from the Sertoli
cell and enters the lumen of the tubule as a
spermatozoon.
MATURE SPERM
- Each day about 300 million sperm complete the
process of spermatogenesis.
- A sperm is about 60 μm long and contains
several structures that are highly adapted for
reaching and penetrating a secondary oocyte.
HEAD
- The flattened, pointed head of the sperm is
about 4–5 μm long.
- It contains a nucleus with 23 highly condensed
chromosomes.
ACROSOME
- A caplike vesicle filled with enzymes that help a
sperm to penetrate a secondary oocyte to bring
about fertilization.
- Covers the anterior two-thirds of the nucleus.
- Among the enzymes are hyaluronidase and
proteases.
TAIL
- The sperm tail arises at the spermatid stage.
During spermatogenesis, the centriole is
differentiated into neck, midpiece, principal
piece, and endpiece.
NECK -The neck is the constricted region just
behind the head that contains centrioles. This forms
a junction between the head and tail. It is fragile,
and a common abnormality is the presence of a
decapitated spermatozoon.
MIDPIECE -The middle piece contains
mitochondria arranged in a spiral, which provide the
energy (ATP) for locomotion of sperm to the site of
fertilization and for sperm metabolism.
PRINCIPAL PIECE -longest portion of the tail
ENDPIECE- is the terminal, tapering portion of the
tail. Once ejaculated, most sperm do not survive
more than 48 hours within the female reproductive
tract.
 CONCLUSION

The testis is an immune privileged site. The

blood–testis barrier provides a microenvironment
for spermatogenesis to occur. The seminiferous
tubules are the site of sperm production. The
process of differentiation of a spermatogonium into
a spermatid is known as spermatogenesis. It
involves both mitotic and meiotic proliferation as
well as extensive cell remodeling. In humans, the
process of spermatogenesis starts at puberty and
continues throughout life.

Spermatogenesis produces genetic material

necessary for the replication of the species. Meiosis
assures genetic diversity. Sperm production is a
continuous and not a pulsatile process.
Spermatozoa are highly specialized cells that do
not grow or divide. The spermatogenic process is
maintained by different intrinsic and extrinsic
influences. Spermatozoa have to undergo a series
of cellular or physiological changes such as
capacitation and acrosome reaction before they can
fertilize.

Members Contribution
Bantog, Maria Lila Reporter
Baoidang, Mercy PPT
Barcelona, Marielle Reporter
Basilang, Josefa
Bautista, Lyka Handout