词条 | testis |
释义 | testis anatomy plural testes, also called testicle ![]() In the embryo, the testes originate in the lower body cavity near the kidneys. They migrate to their position within the scrotum (q.v.) in about the seventh or eighth month of development in the unborn child. Descent is controlled by the androgen testosterone. The production of testosterone by the fetal testes is stimulated by chorionic gonadatropin, a hormone secreted by the placenta. Testosterone secretion ceases a few weeks after birth, and the cells within the testes remain undeveloped during early childhood; during adolescence, gonadotropic hormones from the pituitary gland at the base of the brain stimulate the development of tissue, so that it becomes capable of producing sperm and androgens. The seminiferous tubules, in which the sperm are produced, comprise about 90 percent of the testicular mass. In the young male, the tubules are simple and composed of undeveloped sperm-producing cells (spermatogonia) and the Sertoli cells. In the older male, the tubules become branched, and spermatogonia are changed into the fertile sperm cells after a series of transformations called spermatogenesis (q.v.). The Sertoli cells found in both young and adult males mechanically support and protect the spermatogonia. Cells known as interstitial cells, or Leydig cells, located beneath the tunica albuginea, in the septal walls, and between the seminiferous tubules, are thought to secrete androgens. The Leydig cells are irregularly shaped and commonly have more than one nucleus. Frequently they contain fat droplets, pigment granules, and crystalline structures; the Leydig cells vary greatly in number and appearance among the various animal species. They are surrounded by numerous blood and lymphatic vessels, as well as by nerve fibres. The secretion of androgens is controlled by the pituitary hormones. In animals that breed seasonally, such as sheep and goats, the testes regress completely during the nonbreeding season and the spermatogonia return to the state found in the young, sexually immature males. Frequently in these animals the testes are drawn back into the body cavity except in the breeding season, when they again descend and mature; this process is known as recrudescence. |
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