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Evaluation of seminal vesicle characteristics by ultrasonography before and after ejaculation.

Twenty males underwent transrectal ultrasonography before and after ejaculation to examine possible alterations that could influence interpretation of seminal vesicle ultrasonography. The preejaculation length of 35 mm was significantly (p < 0.05) decreased to 30 mm after ejaculation. The mean width of the seminal vesicles was 13 mm before and 11 mm after ejaculation. The seminal vesicle volume was significantly diminished after ejaculation (p < 0.05). It therefore seems important to maintain a period of abstinence when evaluating the seminal vesicles by ultrasonography.

Adult↗

Characterization of the contractile activity of dopamine on the rat isolated seminal vesicle.

The mechanism of the contractile effect of dopamine (DA) on the rat isolated seminal vesicle was studied. Cocaine (10 microM/1 in the organ bath, 30 min before DA) and 6-OHDA (50 mg/kg i.v. 24 hr before removal of the seminal vesicle) almost completely prevented the contractile effect of DA. Drugs known to have an affinity for DA receptors or for alpha-adrenoceptors antagonized the contractile effect of DA, the rank order of potency being: prazosin greater than phentolamine greater than yohimbine greater than clonidine greater than sulpiride greater than apomorphine greater than haloperidol. The antagonism was in each case greater against DA than against noradrenaline (NA), used for comparison; selectivity for DA being highest in the case of prazosin and sulpiride. Taken together, these findings indicate that DA makes the rat seminal vesicle contract mostly by means of an indirect mechanism, binding presynaptic DA-receptors and, in part, presynaptic alpha-adrenoceptors as well; or, alternatively, binding presynaptic DA-receptors which have some links with alpha 2-adrenoceptors; the consequence being in either case the release of NA from sympathetic nerve endings.

Animals↗

Cystosarcoma phyllodes of the seminal vesicle.

BACKGROUND: We report here an extremely rare case of cystosarcoma phyllodes of the seminal vesicle. METHODS: A 65-year-old man presented with urinary hesitancy, frequency and constipation. Clinical examinations including two needle biopsies were performed, and the patient had undergone open surgery. RESULTS: The final pathological diagnosis was cystosarcoma phyllodes of the seminal vesicle. Seven months after the operation, a chest X-ray showed lung metastasis, and the patient died 11 months after the operation. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, only one case of cystosarcoma phyllodes of the seminal vesicle has been previously reported.

Aged↗

Potential involvement of kallikrein hK2 in the hydrolysis of the human seminal vesicle proteins after ejaculation.

We have recently demonstrated in liquefied human seminal plasma the presence of the novel kallikrein hK2 in association with protein C inhibitor (PCI) as a 75-kDa complex. In the present study, we showed that hK2, immediately after ejaculation, was recovered only in its free form but complex formation with PCI occurred rapidly thereafter and was completed within 10 minutes. That reaction required an enzymatically active kallikrein. In order to determine the patterns of hydrolysis of major seminal vesicle proteins, semenogelins and fibronectin were exposed to hK2 and to hK3 (prostate-specific antigen or PSA) and cleavage sequences were identified by N-terminal sequencing. Free hK2 was able to hydrolyze semenogelins and fibronectin in vitro. Most of cleavage sites were at the carboxyl-side of arginyl residues. Semenogelins were hydrolyzed to a similar extent by catalytic (and similar) concentration of either hK2 or PSA though no common cleavage sites was identified for both proteinases. Unlike semenogelins, fibronectin was hydrolyzed much more efficiently by hK2 than by PSA. These results show that hK2 is enzymatically active during a short period of time after ejaculation, that major seminal vesicle proteins can be the target of this proteolytic activity, and that hK2 and PSA have different substrate specificities.

Antibody Specificity↗

Prostaglandins and the rat seminal vesicle: effects of mating and adrenergic stimulation.

The concentrations of PGE, PGF, and 6-keto-PGF1 alpha were increased in rat seminal vesicle tissue following mating activity. Likewise, synthesis of PGE and PGF was stimulated by epinephrine (3 X 10(-7) to 3 X 10(-6) M) in tissues and media from in vitro incubations of intact rat seminal vesicles. The in vitro stimulation was inhibited by phentolamine, an alpha-adrenoreceptor blocking agent. Carbamylcholine (2 X 10(-6) M) and bradykinin (1 X 10(-6) M) had no effect on PGE or PGF synthesis, even though both compounds stimulated contractility of the rat seminal vesicle at these concentrations. These data suggest that mating and adrenergic stimulation increase prostaglandin synthesis in the rat seminal vesicle, probably through an alpha-adrenergically mediated mechanism.

Animals↗

Seminal plasma proteins and the reaction of spermatozoa from intact boars and from boars without seminal vesicles to cooling.

Spermatozoa from intact boars and from boars without seminal vesicles were resuspected in diluent and cooled at different rates to 0 degrees C. Glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase and lactate dehydrogenase activities were greater in the diluents which had contained spermatozoa from intact boars than in those which contained spermatozoa from animals without seminal vesicles. The incubation of seminal plasma from an intact boar with spermatozoa from a vesiculectomized animal before cooling also increased the enzyme activity in the diluent. The factors responsible for this effect were associated with the basic protein fractions of boar seminal plasma, in particular the proteins with haemagglutinating activity which may have been adsorbed onto the spermatozoa. Spermatozoa were exposed to colloidal Fe(OH)2+ to determine by electron microscopy the charge on the surface of the plasma membrane of washed epididymal spermatozoa and ejaculated spermatozoa from intact and vesiculectomized boars. Epididymal spermatozoa bound the positively charged particles more readily than the ejaculated spermatozoa from the intact boars, due to the absence of membrane-bound protein.

Animals↗

Coexistence and cooperation between neuropeptide Y and norepinephrine in nerve fibers of guinea pig vas deferens and seminal vesicle.

Fluorescence immunocytochemistry of guinea pig vas deferens and seminal vesicle revealed dense networks of nerve fibers containing both neuropeptide Y (NPY) and dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (DBH), a marker for adrenergic neurons. The effects of norepinephrine (NE) and NPY on the smooth musculature of these organs were studied in vitro. NE inhibited the response to electrical nerve stimulation and increased the basic tension in the vas deferens and contracted the smooth muscle of the seminal vesicle, but had no effect on the contractile response to transmural stimulation in the latter organ. NPY had similar effects on the vas and vesicula, i.e. it inhibited the electrically induced contractions and had no effect on the basic tension. The results suggest a role for NPY as a transmitter that acts before the site of the neuromuscular junction to modulate the release of other transmitters from motor nerve fibers in the smooth musculature.

Animals↗

[Giant cyst of the seminal vesicle associated with ipsilateral renal agenesis].

Cyst of the seminal vesicles represent a rare but illustrative type of embryologic malformation whose etiology is associated with an abnormal development of the mesonephric or Wolffian duct. Frequently these malformations are associated with an abnormal development of the ipsilateral upper urinary tract. The initial evaluation of the majority of cases is performed with abdominal or transrectal ultrasound. Considering the possible need of other diagnostic procedures to confirm the diagnosis, ultrasonography is safe in the majority of cases. The treatment of these urologic malformations should be restricted to symptomatic cases and usually consists of vesiculectomy, with of without, removal of the displastic or histoplastic kidney. We present a case of a right mesonephric duct malformation with a giant seminal vesicle associated with ipsilateral kidney agenesis and severe oligozoospermia, that presented with sporadic episodes of hemospermia and urinary complaints.

Adult↗

Is glandular formation of nitric oxide a prerequisite for muscarinic secretion of fructose in the guinea-pig seminal vesicle?

The significance of nitric oxide (NO) formation in seminal secretion was studied in guinea-pig seminal vesicles. The nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity was estimated and reduced nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH)-diaphorase histochemistry was performed. Furthermore, cyclic guanosine 3,5-monophosphate (cGMP) concentration as well as fructose secretion from isolated vesicles was estimated. High Ca2+-dependent NOS activity as well as prominent glandular NADPH-diaphorase staining was found in the secretory epithelium. The NOS inhibitors N(G)-nitro L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) and N(G)-nitro L-arginine (L-NNA) inhibited carbachol-induced fructose secretion but the D-isomer to L-NAME had no effect. When L-arginine was administered together with L-NAME, no inhibitory effect on the carbachol-induced fructose secretion could be seen. Nerve-induced fructose secretion was also inhibited by L-NAME. The NO donor glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) increased the fructose secretion. Carbachol or GTN did not increase cGMP levels, nor was fructose secretion inhibited by a guanylate cyclase inhibitor (ODQ). Our results suggests that glandular NO production is a prerequisite for muscarinic fructose secretion in the seminal vesicle via a cGMP-independent pathway.

Animals↗

Metalloproteinase activities expressed during development and maturation of the rat prostatic complex and seminal vesicles.

The objective of this study was to characterize proteinase activities expressed during development and maturation of the prostate gland and seminal vesicles of the rat by using gelatin-and casein-containing SDS polyacrylamide gel zymography. The prostatic complexes of 2- and 10-day-old animals and the individual lobes of the prostate (ventral, dorsolateral, and anterior [coagulating gland]) and the seminal vesicles of 15-day-old animals expressed prominent gelatinolytic activities of approximately 64, 71, and 76 kDa. These activities had properties of metalloproteinases; i.e., they were stimulated by Ca2+ and inhibited by EDTA and EGTA. They were greatly diminished by 52 days of age (immediately postpuberty) and were not detected in the dorsal lobe of the adult. Less active gelatinolytic proteinases with molecular masses of approximately 34 and 43 kDa were expressed in the developing prostatic complexes and individual lobes and seminal vesicles, but they were not detected in postpubertal animals. Weak gelatinolytic activities of 82, 85, and 89 kDa were found in the prostatic complexes; these activities were greatly diminished in all prostate lobes with sexual maturation but were expressed in the seminal vesicles at all ages. A large-molecular-mass Ca(2+)-independent proteinase of 130 kDa or greater was first detected in the dorsolateral prostate at 21 days of age. This activity was expressed in both the lateral and dorsal lobes of the adult but was greater in the lateral lobe. Proteinase activities of about 22 and 26 kDa that were not stimulated by Ca2+ were detected in the ventral prostate at 15 days of age by means of both gelatin and casein gels.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aging↗

Leiomyoma of the seminal vesicle.

We report on a 69 year-old patient with a leiomyoma of the seminal vesicle who presented with dysuria and pollakiuria. The rectal examination revealed a large, hard mass in an area corresponding to the seminal vesicle. The prostate was suspicious of malignancy, but transrectal needle biopsy specimens were negative. We managed the patient by prostatovesiculectomy. The pathological findings and the immunohistochemical staining pattern of smooth muscle with antibodies against beta-actin and desmin confirmed the diagnosis of a leiomyoma of the left seminal vesicle. To our knowledge, this kind of tumour is exceedingly rare, with only a few cases reported in the literature.

Aged↗

[The value of seminal vesicle sonography in transrectal ultrasonic examination of the prostate].

During the course of four and a half years, transrectal sonography was performed in 724 men; in each case the seminal vesicles and prostate were evaluated. In 149 examinations, changes were found in the seminal vesicles and in 143 of these, the sonographic finding suggested that the changes were due to prostatic disease. In 95 histologically proven prostatic carcinomas, infiltration of the seminal vesicles could be demonstrated. In three patients there was an empyema and in three others a malformation of the seminal vesicles. Prostatic sonography is essential for accurate diagnosis of the basic abnormality.

Adult↗

Morphology of the ventral lobe of the prostate and seminal vesicles in an ethanol-drinking strain of rats (UChA and UChB).

Chronic alcoholism alters reproduction and therefore may be responsible for alterations of prostate and seminal vesicles, which are the subject of this analysis in UCh ethanol-drinking rats. The prostate and seminal vesicles of 20 animals were submitted to macroscopic, light microscopy, electron microscopy and morphometric analysis. The UCh rats showed atrophy of the epithelium and reduction of the weight of the prostate and seminal vesicle, liver hypertrophy and fat infiltration and alterations of the hypothalamus-pituitary axis. Ethanol induces changes in the weight and in the epithelium of prostate and seminal vesicles and hypothalamus-pituitary axis of UCh rats.

Alcoholism↗

Pneumadin in the ventral prostate and seminal vesicles of estradiol-treated rats: RIA and immunocytochemical studies.

Pneumadin (PNM) is a decapeptide (the rat peptide: Tyr-Gly-Glu-Pro-Lys-Leu-Asp-Ala-Gly-Val-NH2) isolated from mammalian lungs. Human and rat PNM differ only by substitution of one amino acid--Tyr/Ala. PNM evokes an antidiuretic effect via a potent stimulation of arginine-vasopressin (AVP) release. By means of recently established, highly specific RIA method, high concentration of PNM had been found in the rat ventral prostate. Castration resulted in a profound drop in PNM concentration, an effect prevented by testosterone replacement. The present studies were aimed at investigating the effect of prolonged estradiol administration on PNM concentration, content and localization in the prostate and seminal vesicles of the rat. Depo estradiol (estradiolum valerianicum) administration to adult male rats resulted in a notable atrophy of ventral prostate and seminal vesicles. During the entire experiment (till day 30 after administration), PNM concentration in ventral prostate was similar to that seen in intact animals, while peptide content per gland was markedly lowered. PNM immunostaining was observed in prostate epithelium of estradiol-treated rats and its localization resembled that observed in intact animals. Nearly 40 times lower PNM concentration than in ventral prostate was found in seminal vesicles. In contrast to prostate, on days 20 and 30 of estradiol treatment PNM concentration in seminal vesicles was higher than in intact rats. However, due to profound seminal vesicle atrophy, PNM content per entire gland was notably lowered in estradiol-injected rats. By immunocytochemistry, PNM-immunoreactive substances were not found in seminal vesicles of either intact or estradiol-administered rats. High PNM concentration in the rat prostate suggests its important role in the function of the gland.

Animals↗

Adenylyl cyclase stimulation by VIP in rat seminal vesicle membranes.

Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) stimulated adenylyl cyclase activity in membranes from rat seminal vesicle. GTP potentiated the stimulatory effect of VIP so that it was routinely included at 10 microM. The stimulation of adenylyl cyclase by VIP was time and temperature dependent. The response was linear with time up to 15 min at 30 degrees C. Half-maximal adenylyl cyclase activation (in the presence of 10 microM GTP) was achieved at 3.0 nM VIP. The enzyme activity increased about 150% with respect to basal values at the maximal VIP concentration tested (1 microM). The relative potency of peptides upon stimulation of adenylyl cyclase activity was: VIP greater than helodermin greater than peptide histidine isoleucinamide greater than rat growth hormone-releasing factor. Other agents like GTP (0.1 mM), GppNHp (0.1 mM), forskolin (0.1 mM) and sodium fluoride (10 mM) increased the adenylyl cyclase activity 1.8-, 4.4-, 6.7- and 2.4-fold, respectively. Taken together, the presence of VIP in nerve terminals innervating the seminal vesicle of rats and the existence of VIP receptors coupled to adenylyl cyclase strongly suggest a physiological role for this neuropeptide in the modulation of seminal vesicle cell function.

Adenylyl Cyclases↗

Diagnosis and management of seminal vesicle cysts associated with ipsilateral renal agenesis: a pooled analysis of 52 cases.

OBJECTIVE: Seminal vesicle cysts combined with ipsilateral renal agenesis represent a rare urological anomaly. We searched the literature to review the clinical presentation, diagnosis and therapeutic treatment options of this anomaly. METHODS: A pooled analysis was performed of 52 cases of seminal vesicle cysts combined with ipsilateral renal agenesis, including our own observation. The evaluation included: patient age at diagnosis, race, laterality (R/L), presence of ureteral remnant in the cyst, presenting symptoms, diagnostic examinations, treatment and outcome. RESULTS: The mean age at diagnosis was 30.2 years. The majority presented in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th decade of their lives. Only 2 patients (4%) were of African origin, all others were Caucasians. The distribution R:L was 2:1. Ureteral remnants were present in 14 patients (27%). The most common symptoms were: dysuria (37%), frequency (33%), perineal pain (29%), epididymitis (27%), pain following ejaculation (21%) and scrotal pain (13%). Infertility was found in 9 patients (17%). The cyst was palpable by digital rectal examination in 79%. All patients underwent intravenous urography, and 88% underwent cystoscopy. Other frequently performed investigations are: ultrasonography (27%), CT scanning (27%), vasovesiculography (46%) and urethrocystography (23%). The final treatment was open surgery in 74%, aspiration in 6%, transurethral deroofing of the cyst in 6% and spontaneous rupture in 4%. In 6% no treatment was given and in 4% the treatment is unknown. All patients were free of symptoms after open exploration. The success rates after transurethral deroofing and aspiration were 75 and 30% respectively. CONCLUSION: Seminal vesicle cysts combined with ipsilateral renal agenesis are a rare urological anomaly, occurring in men in the 2nd to 4th decade of their life. They present with symptoms of bladder irritation and obstruction and with pain in the perineum and scrotum. Epididymitis is frequently found. The diagnostic work-up consists of a digital rectal examination, transrectal and abdominal ultrasonography, CT scan and a cystoscopy. Open surgery and transurethral deroofing of the cyst give excellent results (100 and 75% cure respectively). Aspiration of the cyst should only be used for diagnostic purposes.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗

Isolation of cells from rat seminal vesicles and epididymis and their use in studying androgen action.

Cells isolated enzymically from seminal vesicles and epididymides of normal and castrated rats were shown by electron microscopy to be intact and representative of the tissue. The cells synthesize and secrete tissue-specific proteins. Short-term incorporation of [3H]uridine and [35S]methionine was measured to determine the effects of castration on RNA and protein synthesis. Epididymal cells and tissue incorporated uridine at similar rates which were unaltered by castration. Similarly castration failed to diminish uridine incorporation by seminal vesicle cells and tissue. Therefore, androgens may principally control RNA degradation. A similar situation pertained to methionine incorporation by epididymal cells and tissue so here too control may be via protein degradation. In contrast, castration greatly decreased methionine incorporation by seminal vesicle tissue but not by isolated cells. Isolated cells were more active than in tissue, particularly those from castrated rats, and may be released from stromal-epithelial interactions and controls.

Androgens↗