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Biologic Markers in Reproductive Toxicology (1989) / Chapter Skim
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6. Biologic Markers of Accessory Sex Organ Structure and Function
Pages 77-82

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From page 77...
... Species vary in the presence, size, and structure of the male accessory sex organs, 77 but the organs share some important characteristics: they all contain secretory epithelium that is magnified greatly by villous infoldings or a compound tubuloalveolar structure, and they all depend on androgen for differentiation, growth, and secretory function (Coffey, 1986~. Little is known about the function of these organs beyond their obvious secretion of fluids that mix with sperm at ejaculation.
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From page 78...
... Therefore, we include animal datafrequently obtained from the dog, whose prostate has many similarities with the human prostate. The dog is a particularly valuable animal model, because it has no seminal vesicles or bulbourethral glands, and prostatic secretion therefore constitutes more than 95% of its seminal plasma.
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From page 79...
... FUNCTIONAL MARKERS Accessory sex organs secrete fluids that are emitted into the urethra and later ejaculated or otherwise excreted. The average human ejaculate contains approximately 3 ml; 1% of the volume is spermatozoa and 99% is seminal fluid derived from accessory sex organ secretions (Coffey, 1986)
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From page 80...
... More specific information regarding accessory sex organ secretory function can be derived by measuring the concentrations of specific endogenous chemicals in seminal fluid. It is beyond the scope of this report to review exhaustively the 100 or more endogenously produced chemicals that appear in mammalian seminal plasma, and the reader is referred to the reviews by Coffey ( 1986)
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From page 81...
... Those findings suggest that macromolecules secreted into seminal plasma have characteristics that make them desirable biologic markers of exposure to or effect of toxic chemicals. First, individual accessory sex organs synthesize and secrete specific macromolecules into seminal fluid.
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Key Terms

  • sex organ
  • sex organs
  • seminal fluid
  • seminal plasma
  • organ secretions

  • seminal vesicles
  • biologic markers
  • organ function
  • human prostate
  • human seminal

  • bulbourethral glands
  • male accessory
  • seminal vesicular
  • specific chemicals
  • experimental animals

  • specific information
  • secretory function
  • vesicular protein
  • prostatic secretion
  • rat seminal

  • human ejaculate
  • vas deferens
  • individual human
  • human accessory
  • volumetric measurement

  • chemical composition
  • individual accessory
  • chemical makeup
  • constitute biologic
  • organs synthesize


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