Principles of Pathophysiology of Infertility Assessment and Treatment*
Asim Kurjak in Ultrasound and Infertility, 2020
Mumps orchitis at puberty may be responsible for 30% of males with disturbances in the spermatogenetic process. Azoospermia may be found in males who have undergone operative correction of bladder neck with uretheral reimplantation during childhood and in patients who were treated by chemotherapy and radiation for malignant diseases. Cases of testicular failure secondary to endocrinopathies like hypopituitarism due to a tumor or focal infection are of primary important to be diagnosed since they can benefit from the application of hormonal therapy. Defective sperm transport may be due to some mechanical block anywhere from the rete testis to the ejaculatory duct. The obstruction of the male reproductive tract may be caused by congenital malformation, postinfection (gonorrhea, tuberculosis), or surgery. Infection of seminal vesicles and the prostate may alter the quality, volume, and pH of the seminal fluid, which serves as a vehicle and provides protective and nutritive elements for spermatozoa. Varicocele of the spermatic veins, usually unilateral, is associated with decreased sperm count and lower sperm motility. Testicular biopsy from infertile patients with varicocele shows bilateral abnormalities characterized by hypoplasia of germinal cells and the presence of immature forms in the lumen of the seminiferous tubules.
Anatomy and physiology
Suzanne Everett in Handbook of Contraception and Sexual Health, 2020
The seminal vesicles, prostate gland and bulbourethral glands are all accessory sex glands which provide sperm with transport medium and nutrients (Table 3.1). The seminal vesicles – These are secretory glands found in the base of the prostate gland and provide the transport medium for sperm. The fluid is alkaline and contains fructose, prostaglandins, ascorbic acid and globulins.The prostate gland – is found in the neck of the bladder in an adult; it is 3 cm in diameter and contains mucosal glands. Prostatic secretions are thin and milky and contain enzymes which include acid phosphatase, acid hydrolase, protease, fibrinolysin and calcium and citrates. Prostate secretions are important for stimulating sperm motility and for neutralising vaginal acidity.The bulbourethral glands – these secrete mucus to provide lubrication during ejaculation; they are found between the prostate and the penis.
Influence of Seminal Plasma Components on Sperm Motility
Claude Gagnon in Controls of Sperm Motility, 2020
Human seminal plasma is made of different secretory fluids originating from the following organs: seminal vesicles, prostate, epididymides, testes, Cowper’s glands, and Littre’s glands.1 These fluids are ejaculated in a specific time sequence. First, the secretions from the Cowper’s and Littre’s glands are emitted to prepare the urethra for the subsequent passage of the sperm suspension. This is followed by secretions from the prostate, the latter part of which is being mixed with this sperm suspension in epididymal-testicular fluids. The last fluids to be emitted are those from the seminal vesicles. Whereas the latter part of the ejaculated seminal vesicle fluids is essentially uncontaminated, the first part is mixed with the epididymal-testicular fluids, prostatic fluids, and spermatozoa.12
Effect of Dietary Methylseleninic Acid and Se-Methylselenocysteine on Carcinogen-Induced, Androgen-Promoted Prostate Carcinogenesis in Rats
Published in Nutrition and Cancer, 2022
Maarten C. Bosland, Michael J. Schlicht, Yibin Deng, Junxuan Lü
In the long-term carcinogenesis experiment, a complete necropsy was performed on every animal and all tumor-like lesions or masses were collected, including nodules on liver and lung. Any grossly visible lesions on the prostate-seminal vesicle complex were recorded. The prostate-seminal vesicle complex was removed en bloc with urethra and urinary bladder attached. All collected tissues were fixed in neutral buffered formalin, in some experiments followed by placement in 70% ethanol. After at least one week fixation, the prostate complex was dissected as follows: the ventral lobes were removed and placed in a cassette; the seminal vesicle/anterior prostate was sectioned off and placed in a cassette with the anterior prostate side down; the bladder which was used as landmark was then cut off but the urethra was left in place; the remaining dorsolateral prostate complex was cut midway at a coronal plane at a right angle to the urethra and each half was placed in a cassette with the cut face down. All tissues were then processed and embedded in a histological grade paraffin wax, and 4–5 micron sections were prepared and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. We have shown previously that to detect small lesions in the rat prostate (<5 mm diameter), six step sections at 250–300 micron intervals yield a maximal lesion incidence (29). Histologic criteria used to identify accessory sex gland lesions have been described previously (14, 29).
Development, evaluation, pharmacokinetic and biodistribution estimation of resveratrol-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles for prostate cancer targeting
Published in Journal of Microencapsulation, 2022
Alok Nath Sharma, Prabhat Kumar Upadhyay, Hitesh Kumar Dewangan
When cells in the body begin to grow out of control, called as cancer. Cancer cells can develop in practically any part of the body and spread to other parts of the body. When cells in the prostate gland begin to grow out of control, prostate cancer develops. The prostate gland is only found in men. It produces some of the fluid found in sperm (Ostrom et al.2014). The prostate is located beneath the bladder (a hollow organ that stores urine) and in front of the rectum (the last part of the intestines). Seminal vesicles, located just behind the prostate, produce the majority of the fluid for semen. The urethra, the tube that transports urine and sperm out of the body through the penis, runs through the prostate’s core. Older males and non-Hispanic Black men are more prone to acquire prostate cancer. Men aged 65 and up account for about 6 out of every 10 instances. It is a diverse disease, with incidence rates ranging from 6.3 to 83.4 per 100,000 individuals around the world (Wang et al.2012).
Protein markers of spermatogenesis and their potential use in the management of azoospermia
Published in Expert Review of Proteomics, 2021
Sophia Costa Araujo, Ricardo Pimenta Bertolla
Some blood biomarkers such as follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), inhibin B, and anti-Mullerian hormone have been suggested, yet studies performed showed a relatively low sensitivity and specificity [25–27]. Proteins are highly promising biomarkers. Still, it is not possible to use blood as a biological material since specific components of the testis are not found in the blood due to the blood-testicular barrier [9–11,28]. Seminal plasma is a fluid from the testis, epididymis, prostate, and seminal vesicles. It is characterized as a complex fluid that has a high protein concentration of on average 35 to 55 mg/mL, which makes it a rich and an accessible source for protein identification [25–27,29,30]. Emerging proteomic technologies have the potential to discover biomarkers for the noninvasive diagnosis of some urological disorders and the causes of male infertility. They could potentially provide the differentiation between OA and NOA, and between the histopathological subtypes of NOA, as well as predicting the results of sperm retrieval by surgical techniques [9,31–38].
Related Knowledge Centers
- Bladder
- Epithelium
- Peritoneum
- Semen
- Ejaculation
- Rectum
- Ejaculatory Duct
- Vas Deferens
- Vesiculodeferential Artery
- Sexually Transmitted Infection