Anatomic.us > Reproductive System

Prostate Gland

It is smooth, rubbery, pliable and accessory gland of the male reproductive system. It resembles  inverted cone in shape. It is about the size of a chestnut. It is present in the lower part of pelvic cavity, just below the urinary bladder, behind the pubic bone and just in front of the rectum.

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Female Reproductive|Male Reproductive

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Prostate Gland


ANATOMY

It is firm in consistency due to the presence of dense fibromuscular stroma (in which glandular components are embedded). It is made up of 30 % muscular tissue and 70%  glandular tissues (the ducts of these glands open into the prostatic portion of urethra).The prostate gland surrounds the urethra, just before it enters the bladder (hence this portion of urethra is called prostatic urethra) so prostate is perforated by urethra and ejaculatory ducts (which pass obliquely downward and forward through the posterior part of the prostate and opens into prostatic urethra).

The male prostate gland has three lobes (a central lobe with one lobe on each side), an apex (directed downwards and is in contact with the fascia of urogenital diaphragm), a base (directed upwards and is continuous with the neck of the bladder), two capsules (true and false capsule), four supporting ligaments (2 medial puboprostatic ligaments and 2 lateral puboprostatic ligaments).

The prostate is divided into three zones;  a peripheral zone (it is cancer vulnerable), a central zone  and a periurethral transition zone (from which benign prostatic hyperplasia arises)

HISTOLOGY

It is a fibro muscular glandular organ. The stroma is of connective tissue (having elastic, collagen and smooth muscle fibers). The parenchyma consists of 30-50 compound tubuloacinar glands (the prostatic glands make most of this portion). In the lumen of some prostatic alveoli, small spherical bodies, known as prostatic concretions are observed.

BLOOD SUPPLY, NERVE SUPPLY AND LYMPHATIC DRAINAGE

The arterial supply is by the branches from internal pudendal, middle rectal and inferior vesical arteries.

The venous drainage is by venous plexus that drains into the hypogastric vein.

The nerve supply is by prostatic plexus (formed by the inferior hypogastric plexus)

The lymphatic drainage is chiefly into internal iliac and sacral lymph nodes and partly into the external iliac lymph nodes.

FUNCTION

Prostate gland secretes milky fluid that makes the major portion of the semen (tubes from the testes carry sperms which mixes with the fluid from the prostate and seminal vesicle to form the semen that is ejaculated by males during sexual activity), the fluid from prostate enriches the semen, help in regulation of sperm motility and makes it alkaline (which helps to lower the acidity of vagina to increase the lifespan of sperms in female tract for fertilization), as it surrounds the urethra, the muscle fibers of the prostate controls the lumen of prostatic urethra thus helping to control the flow of urine.

Some clinical aspects related to prostate:

Following are the common pathological conditions related to the male prostate gland:

  • Prostatitis i.e. inflammation/ irritation of prostate  (mostly in males under age 50)

  • Benign prostatic hyperplasia i.e. abnormal increase in the size of prostate gland (common in males over age 50)

  • Prostatic cancer (common in males over age 50)

 



ANATOMY

It is firm in consistency due to the presence of dense fibromuscular stroma (in which glandular components are embedded). It is made up of 30 % muscular tissue and 70%  glandular tissues (the ducts of these glands open into the prostatic portion of urethra).The prostate gland surrounds the urethra, just before it enters the bladder (hence this portion of urethra is called prostatic urethra) so prostate is perforated by urethra and ejaculatory ducts (which pass obliquely downward and forward through the posterior part of the prostate and opens into prostatic urethra).

The male prostate gland has three lobes (a central lobe with one lobe on each side), an apex (directed downwards and is in contact with the fascia of urogenital diaphragm), a base (directed upwards and is continuous with the neck of the bladder), two capsules (true and false capsule), four supporting ligaments (2 medial puboprostatic ligaments and 2 lateral puboprostatic ligaments).

The prostate is divided into three zones;  a peripheral zone (it is cancer vulnerable), a central zone  and a periurethral transition zone (from which benign prostatic hyperplasia arises)

HISTOLOGY

It is a fibro muscular glandular organ. The stroma is of connective tissue (having elastic, collagen and smooth muscle fibers). The parenchyma consists of 30-50 compound tubuloacinar glands (the prostatic glands make most of this portion). In the lumen of some prostatic alveoli, small spherical bodies, known as prostatic concretions are observed.

BLOOD SUPPLY, NERVE SUPPLY AND LYMPHATIC DRAINAGE

The arterial supply is by the branches from internal pudendal, middle rectal and inferior vesical arteries.

The venous drainage is by venous plexus that drains into the hypogastric vein.

The nerve supply is by prostatic plexus (formed by the inferior hypogastric plexus)

The lymphatic drainage is chiefly into internal iliac and sacral lymph nodes and partly into the external iliac lymph nodes.

FUNCTION

Prostate gland secretes milky fluid that makes the major portion of the semen (tubes from the testes carry sperms which mixes with the fluid from the prostate and seminal vesicle to form the semen that is ejaculated by males during sexual activity), the fluid from prostate enriches the semen, help in regulation of sperm motility and makes it alkaline (which helps to lower the acidity of vagina to increase the lifespan of sperms in female tract for fertilization), as it surrounds the urethra, the muscle fibers of the prostate controls the lumen of prostatic urethra thus helping to control the flow of urine.

Some clinical aspects related to prostate:

Following are the common pathological conditions related to the male prostate gland:

  • Prostatitis i.e. inflammation/ irritation of prostate  (mostly in males under age 50)

  • Benign prostatic hyperplasia i.e. abnormal increase in the size of prostate gland (common in males over age 50)

  • Prostatic cancer (common in males over age 50)

 

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