HISTOLOGY LAB

MALE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM

OBJECTIVES

1. Describe the histological organization of the organs and structures of the male reproductive system:
A. Testes
B. Intratesticular Ducts
C. Excretory Genital Ducts
D. Accessory Genital Ducts
E. Penis
2. Distinguish the cells found in the seminiferous tubule:
A. Stages of Sperm Development (Spermatogenesis)
B. Supporting Cells
3. Determine the endocrine and exocrine part of the testes
4. Correlate a common clinical condition affecting the male reproductive organs

11. TESTES
 CAPSULE
- Dense irregular connective tissue
- Called the TUNICA ALBUGINEA TESTIS
LAYERS OF TUNICA ALBUGINEA
1. Tunica Vasculosa
- Innermost and closest to the testis
- Composed of connective tissue and blood vessels
2. Tunica Albuginea
- Main and middle layer of the capsule
- Thickened posterior wall: Mediastinum Testis
o Sends septae to divide the testis into about 250 testicular lobes
3. Tunica Vaginalis
- Outermost layer of the capsule
- Has two layers:
o Visceral layer
- Overlies the tunica albuginea
o Parietal layer
- Lines the scrotal cavity
- The thin space between the layers (not visible) contains small amount of fluid
o Prevents friction between the scrotum and testis
- Composed of seminiferous tubules
o Rounded structures in parenchyma
o About 1 to 4 tubules per lobule, separated by interstitial tissues
- LE: Special type of stratified epithelium (germinal or spermatogenic epithelium)
- The intervening interstitial tissue contains:
o Sparse connective tissues
o Leydig cells
o Fenestrated capillaries
o Fibroblasts
o Lymphatics

CELLS THAT COMPRISE THE TESTICULAR EPITHELIUM

1. Sertoli cell / sustentacular cells
- Tall columnar cells
- Few in number
- Can be identified by their elongated nuclei and prominent nucleoli
- Cells rest on the basement membrane surrounding the seminiferous tubules
- Extend through the full thickness of the epithelium
2. Spermatogenic cells
a. Spermatogonium (A and B)
- Basophilic cytoplasm
- Rest on the basement membrane
- Cells are small and spherical on ovoid in shape
- A (the stem cell)
- Has oval dense nuclei (dense chromatin) than B with spherical pale nuclei
b. Primary spermatocyte
- Largest cells
- Large round nuclei show a distinctive chromatin pattern
- Cells lie above the spermatogonia
- Undergoes the first meiotic division

TRANSCRIBERS Andrada, Bernardo, Del Rosario, Encarnacion EDITOR Ralph Dantes 1 of 15

 c. Secondary spermatocytes
- Cells are smaller than primary spermatocytes
- Hardly identified in the seminiferous tubules
- Immediately undergoes the 2nd meiotic division
d. Spermatids
- Round and small cell that occupies the area closest to the lumen
- Haploid cells
e. Spermatozoa
- Elongated cell with a long tail
- An enlarged ovoid head containing the nucleus
- Found within the lumen of the tubule
OTHER CELLS OF THE TESTIS
1. Interstitial cells
- Located in between the seminiferous tubules 2. Myoid cells
- Consist mostly of eosinophilic cells - Flattened epithelial cells at the innermost layer of
- Leydig cells the fibrous basement membrane
 Chief source of testosterone in
males

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 2. EPIDIDYMIS AND TESTIS
INTRATESTICULAR DUCTS
1. Tubuli recti / straight tubule
- Connects the seminiferous tubules to the rete testis
- LE: Sertoli cells proximal to simple cuboidal distal Mediastinum
2. Rete testis testis
- Interconnected channels; connects tubuli recti to Ductuli efferentes
- LE: Simple cuboidal epithelium with microvilli and single cilia
3. Ductuli efferentes
- LE: alternating simple cuboidal non-ciliated cells and simple columnar ciliated
- giving rise to a “scalloped / festooned-appearance”
- convey the sperm cells to the epididymis

Editor: Mostly makikita itong mga structures

near or sa mismong mediastinum testis. Kaya
ginamit nila doc na terms “Epididymis and Testis”
kasi mediastinum testis yung junction ng
epididymis at testis kung saan makikita itong mga
structures. Naaalala niyo yung “hilum”? Yung
parang saan nagcoconverge mga vessels like sa
lungs or kidneys? Parang ganoon yung
mediastinum ng testis. Extension ng tunica
albuginea ang mediastinum testis. Dense
irregular connective tissue

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 Seminiferous Tubules

Ductuli Efferentes

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 3. EPIDIDYMIS
1. Mucosa
- Thrown into folds
- LE: Pseudostratified columnar epithelium with stereocilia
- Composed of two cells:
- Columnar principal cell with stereocilia and small round stem
- Basal cell
2. Muscularis layer
- Smooth muscle cells
- Increases in thickness towards the tail end of the epididymis clumps of spermatozoa are seen at the lumen

Clumps of
spermatozoa in the
lumen

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 4. VAS / DUCTUS DEFERENS
- Prominent thick muscular wall
- Ends in a widening, the ampulla, as it connects to the duct of the seminal vessel and form the ejaculatory duct
1. Mucosa (M)
- LE: Pseudostratified columnar epithelium with sparse stereocilia, with small basal cells
- LP: Thin loose connective tissue
2. Muscularis propria
- Thick with three layers of smooth muscle:
 Inner longitudinal layer
 Middle circular layer
 Outer longitudinal layer
3. Adventitia
- Loose connective tissue with neurovascular bundles

L-SM

C-SM

L-SM

M – MUCOSA; L-SM – LONGITUDINAL SMOOTH MUSCLE; C-SM – CIRCULAR SMOOTH MUSCLE; A - ADVENTITIA

Editor: Sa actual slide sa

lab (left upper), hindi
distinct yung pagkakaiba
ng orientation ng layers. I-
review niyo ulit itsura ng
smooth muscle kapag
cross at longitudinal
section

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 5. SEMINAL VESICLE
- Enclosed by a connective tissue capsule
1. Mucosa
- Thrown into branching and anastomosing (10, 20 and 30) folds
- Giving a honeycomb appearance to the mucosa
- LE:
- Simple or pseudostratified columnar epithelium
- Height varies with secretory phase of the epithelium
- LP: Elastic fibers
2. Muscular layer
- Inner circular and outer longitudinal smooth muscle
3. Adventitia
- Dense irregular connective tissue

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 Editor: Wala sa lab manual ang bulbourethral glands and wala tayong slides sa lab
pero sinama ko na lang. May skeletal muscle siya kasi embedded siya sa
urogenital diaphragm. I-review niyo itsura ng serous at mucus glands ha. U.nlikely
itanong pero para safe lang

Compound tubuloacinar glands

Fibroelastic capsule
LE: Simple Columnar Epithelium

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 6. PROSTATE GLAND
 Enclosed by a fibro-elastic capsule
 Branched tubule
- Alveolar glands within a fibromuscular stroma
- Contains smooth muscles that are randomly dispersed in the stroma
 LE of the glands
- Simple columnar to pseudostratified columnar epithelium
THREE ZONES
1. Transition zone
- 5% of the gland
- Surrounds the upper urethra
- Contains the periurethral mucosal glands
2. Central zone
- 25%
- Contains the periurethral submucosal glands with longer ducts
3. Peripheral zone
- 70%
- Contains the main glands with even longer ducts
- The glands may be distended or collapsed
- In order males, eosinophilic precipitates are seen in the lumen and may later have deposits of glycoprotein and keratan
sulfate (prostatic concretions or corpora amylacea)

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 7. PENIS
 Composed of three erectile bodies covered by a thick dense irregular connective tissue, the tunica albuginea
o Two dorsal corpora cavernosa bodies
o One ventral corpus spongiosum in which the central structure is the spongy urethra
 Erectile bodies
- Contain numerous irregularly shaped spaces lined with endothelium
- Spaces
- Surrounded by a thin layer of smooth muscle that forms trabeculae that interconnect with each other forming the
cavernous spaces

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 CLONAL NATURE OF SPERMATOGENESIS

A subpopulation called type A spermatogonia act as stem cells, dividing to produce new stem cells and other type A spermatogonia that
undergo transit amplification as pro- genitor cells. Mitosis in these cells occurs with incomplete cytokinesis, leaving the cytoplasm of most
or all of these cells connected by cytoplasmic bridges. Type A spermatogonia divide mitotically two or three more times, then differentiate
as type B spermatogonia that undergo a final round of mitosis to form the cells that then enter meiosis and become primary spermatocytes
(only two are shown), still interconnected.

The intercellular bridges persist during the first and second meiotic divisions, but they are lost as the haploid spermatids differentiate into
sperm (spermiogenesis) and shed excess cytoplasm as residual bodies. The interconnections of the cells allow free cytoplasmic
communication among the cells and help coordinate their progress through meiosis and spermiogenesis.

REFERENCES
 Laboratory slides
 histologyguide.com
 Laboratory manual

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