Question

Describe the male reproductive system of human. Draw a labelled diagram.

Answer 1

• The male reproductive system is located in the pelvic region. It includes a pair of testes along with accessory ducts, glands and the external genitalia.
  
• The tests are situated outside the abdominal cavity within a pouch called scrotum. The scrotum helps in maintaining the low temperature of the testes (2–2.5 °C lower than the normal internal body temperature) necessary for spermatogenesis.
  
• The testis is covered by a dense covering. Each testis has about 250 compartments called testicular lobules.
  
• Each lobule contains one to three highly coiled seminiferous tubules in which sperms are produced.
  
• Each seminiferous tubule is lined on its inside by two types of cells called male germ cells (spermatogonia) and Sertoli cells.
  
• The male germ cells undergo meiotic divisions finally leading to sperm formation, while Sertoli cells provide nutrition to the germ cells.
  
• The regions outside the seminiferous tubules called interstitial spaces contain small blood vessels and interstitial cells or Leydig cells. Leydig cells synthesize and secrete testicular hormones called androgens
  
• The male sex accessory ducts include rete testis, vasa efferentia, epididymis and vas deferens.
• The seminiferous tubules of the testis open into the vasa efferentia through rete testis.
  
• The vasa efferentia leave the testis and open into epididymis located along the posterior surface of each testis.
  
• The epididymis leads to vas deferens that ascends to the abdomen and loops over the urinary bladder. It receives a duct from seminal vesicle and opens into the urethra as the ejaculatory duct. These ducts store and transport the sperms from the testis to the outside through urethra. The urethra originates from the urinary bladder and extends through the penis to its external opening called urethral meatus.
• The male accessory glands include paired seminal vesicles, prostate and paired bulbourethral glands. Secretions of these glands constitute the seminal plasma which is rich in fructose, calcium and certain enzymes. The secretions of bulbourethral glands also help in the lubrication of the penis.