The Secretory Activity of the Seminal Vesicles in the Rat After Copulation

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Abstract
The secretory activity of the seminal vesicles in the male rat was studied, following a series of copulations, during which the vesicles were virtually emptied of their secretion. The rats were killed 0, 2, 4, 8, 16, 26 h and 3 days after the last copulation and the secretion was removed from the vesicles; protein content and amino acid incorporation was determined in the secretion and in the homogenates. It was found that most of the secretion is stored in the central lumen of the vesicles and only a small amount of protein is present in the cells. Following the emptying of the seminal vesicles, there was a continuous accumulation of secretion in the lumen and the vesicles were filled within less than one week. The rate of incorporation of amino acids into protein was not smaller in full vesicles as compared with empty ones. It is tentatively concluded that the seminal vesicles are continuously active in synthesizing and secreting protein, the secretion being either used during copulation or lost by spontaneous ejaculation.

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