View source for Vas deferens

{{Short description|Part of the male reproductive system of many vertebrates}}
{{More citations needed|date=March 2013}}
{{Infobox anatomy
| Name = Vas deferens
| Latin = vas deferens ([[plural]]: vasa deferentia),<br />ductus deferens (plural: ductus deferentes)
| Image      = Gray1149.png
| Caption    = Vertical section of the [[testis]], to show<br />the arrangement of the ducts
| Precursor   = [[Mesonephric duct]]s
| System      =
| Artery      = [[Superior vesical artery]], [[artery of the ductus deferens]]
| Vein        =
| Nerve       =
| Lymph       = [[External iliac lymph nodes]], [[internal iliac lymph nodes]]
}}
[[File:3D Medical Animation Vas Deferens.jpg|alt=3D Medical Illustration showing vas deferens.|thumb|304x304px|3D medical illustration showing vas deferens.]]
The '''vas deferens''' ({{plural form}}: '''vasa deferentia'''), '''ductus deferens''' ({{plural form}}: '''ductūs deferentes'''), or '''sperm duct''' is part of the male [[reproductive system]] of many [[vertebrates]]. In mammals, spermatozoa are produced in the seminiferous tubules and flow into the epididymal duct. The end of the [[epididymis]] is connected to the vas deferens. The vas deferens ends with an opening into the ejaculatory duct at a point where the duct of the seminal vesicle also joins the ejaculatory duct.<ref name="2020-Sharma">{{cite journal |vauthors=Sharma S, Kumaran GK, Hanukoglu I |title=High-resolution imaging of the actin cytoskeleton and epithelial sodium channel, CFTR, and aquaporin-9 localization in the vas deferens |journal=Mol Reprod Dev |volume=87 |issue=2 |pages=305–319 |date=February 2020 |pmid=31950584 |doi=10.1002/mrd.23317 |url=}}</ref>
The vas deferens is a partially coiled tube which exits the abdominal cavity through the [[inguinal canal]].

==Etymology==
''Vas deferens'' is [[Latin]], meaning "carrying-away vessel" while ''ductus deferens'', also Latin, means "carrying-away duct".<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Pozor |first1=Malgorzata |title=Seminal Vesiculitis |journal=Comparative Veterinary Anatomy |date=2022 |pages=825–833 |doi=10.1016/B978-0-323-91015-6.00067-4|isbn=978-0-323-91015-6 |s2cid=245049526 }}</ref>

==Structure==
The human vas deferens measures 30–35&nbsp;cm in length, and 2–3&nbsp;mm in diameter.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |title=Gray's anatomy: the anatomical basis of clinical practice |date=2021 |others=Susan Standring |isbn=978-0-7020-7707-4 |edition=Forty-second |location=[New York] |oclc=1201341621}}</ref>{{Rp|page=1297}}  It is continuous proximally with the tail of the epididymis,<ref name=":2" />{{Rp|page=1296}} and exhibits a tortuous, convoluted initial/proximal section (which measures 2–3&nbsp;cm in length). Distally, it forms a dilated and tortuous segment termed the [[ampulla of vas deferens]] before ending<ref name=":2" />{{Rp|page=1297}} by uniting with a [[Ducts of the seminal vesicles|duct of the seminal vesicle]] to form the [[ejaculatory duct]].<ref name=Gonzales01>{{cite journal |last1=Gonzales |first1=GF |title=Function of seminal vesicles and their role on male fertility. |journal=Asian Journal of Andrology |date=December 2001 |volume=3 |issue=4 |pages=251–8 |pmid=11753468}}</ref>  Together they form part of the [[spermatic cord]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Liu|first=Longfei|title=Scrotoscopic Surgery|publisher=[[Academic Press]]|year=2019|isbn=978-0-12-815008-5|pages=1–8|chapter=Chapter 1 - Applied Anatomy of the Scrotum and its Contents|doi=10.1016/B978-0-12-815008-5.00001-7|s2cid=81721236 }}</ref>

===Blood supply===
The vasa deferentia are supplied with blood by accompanying arteries, the ([[Artery to the ductus deferens|arteries of vas deferens]]). These arteries normally arises from the [[Superior vesical artery|superior]] (sometimes [[Inferior vesical artery|inferior]]) [[vesical arteries]], a branch of the [[internal iliac arteries]].<ref>{{Gray's|inline=1|page=615}}</ref>

=== Innervation ===
The vas deferens receives innervation from an autonomic plexus of post-ganglionic sympathetic fibres derived from the [[inferior hypogastric plexus]].<ref name=":2" />{{Rp|page=1297}}

It is innervated by a variety of [[Free nerve ending|nerve ending]]s, although of the [[efferent nerve]]s the sympathetic innveration dominates.<ref name=Burnstock10/> [[Adrenergic nerve fibre|Adrenergic junctions]] (those which release [[noradrenaline]]) are found in the [[smooth muscle]] layers.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Mirabella|first1=Nicola|last2=Squillacioti|first2=Caterina|last3=Varricchio|first3=Ettore|last4=Genovese|first4=Angelo|last5=Paino|first5=Giuseppe|date=2003-05-01|title=Innervation of vas deferens and accessory male genital glands in the water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis): Neurochemical characteristics and relationships to the reproductive activity|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0093691X02012608|journal=Theriogenology|language=en|volume=59|issue=9|pages=1999–2016|doi=10.1016/S0093-691X(02)01260-8|pmid=12600736|issn=0093-691X|via=[[Elsevier]]|url-access=subscription}}</ref> [[Acetylcholine receptor|Cholinergic synapses]] and [[Vasoactive intestinal peptide receptor|vasoactive intestinal peptide synapses]] are found in the [[connective tissue]] of the [[Mucous membrane|mucosa]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Alm |first=Per |date=1982-07-01 |title=On the autonomic innervation of the human vas deferens |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0361923082901721 |journal=Brain Research Bulletin |language=en |publisher=[[Elsevier]] |volume=9 |issue=1–6 |pages=673–677 |doi=10.1016/0361-9230(82)90172-1 |issn=0361-9230 |pmid=6184134 |s2cid=4761228|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

=== Anatomical relations ===
Within the spermatic cord, the vas deferens is situated posterior (and parallel to) the vessels of the spermatic cord.<ref name=":2" />{{Rp|page=1297}}

The vas deferens traverses the inguinal canal to reach the [[pelvic cavity]]; it enters the pelvic cavity lateral to the [[inferior epigastric vessel]]s. At the deep inguinal ring, the vas deferens diverges from the testicular vessels to pass medially to reach the base of the prostate posteriorly.<ref name=":2" />{{Rp|page=1297}}

== Histology ==
The vas deferens consists of an external adventitial sheath containing blood vessels and nerves, a muscular middle layer composed of three layers of smooth muscle (with a circular muscle layer interposed between two longitudinal muscle layers), and an internal mucosal lining consisting of [[Pseudostratified columnar epithelium|pseudostratified]] columnar epithelium (which bears the non-motile [[stereocilia]]).<ref name="2020-Sharma" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Höfer |first1=D. |last2=Drenckhahn |first2=D. |date=May 1996 |title=Cytoskeletal differences between stereocilia of the human sperm passageway and microvilli/stereocilia in other locations |journal=The Anatomical Record |volume=245 |issue=1 |pages=57–64 |doi=10.1002/(SICI)1097-0185(199605)245:1<57::AID-AR10>3.0.CO;2-8 |issn=0003-276X |pmid=8731041|s2cid=7457415 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

The vas deferens has the greatest muscle-to-lumen ratio of any hollow organ.<ref name=":2" />{{Rp|page=1297}}

==Function==
During [[ejaculation]], the smooth muscle in the walls of the vas deferens contracts reflexively, thus propelling the sperm forward. This is also known as [[peristalsis]].<ref>{{Cite journal | doi=10.1113/jphysiol.2008.160440| pmid=18787034| pmc=2652144|title = Smooth muscle cell calcium activation mechanisms| journal=The Journal of Physiology| volume=586| issue=21| pages=5047–5061|year = 2008|last1 = Berridge|first1 = Michael J.}}</ref> The epithelial sodium channel [[ENaC]] is strongly expressed in smooth muscle cells of the vas deferens.<ref name="2020-Sharma"/> It has been suggested that ENaC functions as a mechanosensor in vascular smooth muscle cells that initiate pressure‐induced constriction known as the "myogenic response". Ion channels ENaC and CFTR, aquaporin of type AQP9 are localized on the apical border of the epithelia. Thus, these channels are involved concurrently in the regulation of fluid and electrolyte balance in the lumen of the vas deferens.<ref name="2020-Sharma" />

The sperm are transferred from each vas deferens into the urethra, partially mixing with secretions from the male [[accessory sex glands]] such as the [[seminal vesicle]]s, [[prostate gland]] and the [[bulbourethral gland]]s, which form the bulk of [[semen]].<ref name=Mann1954>{{Cite book |author=Mann, T |year=1954 |title=The Biochemistry of Semen |publisher=London: Methuen & Co; New York: John Wiley & Sons |url= https://archive.org/stream/biochemistryofse00mann#page/n5/mode/2up |access-date=November 9, 2013}}</ref>

==Clinical significance==
Damage to the vas deferens during [[Inguinal hernia surgery|inguinal hernia repair]] may cause infertility.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Schwartz's Principles of Surgery |edition=11th |publication-date=2019 |page=1620}}</ref>

===Contraception===
A [[vasectomy]] is a method of [[contraception]] in which the vasa deferentia are permanently cut. In some cases, it can be reversed. A modern variation, [[vas-occlusive contraception]], involves injecting an obstructive material into the ductus to block the flow of sperm.<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1002/14651858.CD003991.pub4 |pmid=24683020 |title=Vasectomy occlusion techniques for male sterilization |journal=Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews |issue=3 |article-number=CD003991 |year=2014 |last1=Cook |first1=Lynley A |last2=Van Vliet |first2=Huib AAM |last3=Lopez |first3=Laureen M |last4=Pun |first4=Asha |last5=Gallo |first5=Maria F |volume=2014 |pmc=7173716 }}</ref>

===Disease===
The vas deferens may be obstructed, or it may be completely absent in a condition known as [[congenital absence of the vas deferens]] (CAVD, a potential feature of [[cystic fibrosis]]), causing [[male infertility]]. Acquired obstructions can occur due to infections. To treat these causes of male infertility, sperm can be harvested by [[testicular sperm extraction]] (TESE) or microsurgical epididymal sperm aspiration (MESA).<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Schroeder-Printzen |first1=I. |title=Microsurgical epididymal sperm aspiration: aspirate analysis and straws available after cryopreservation in patients with non-reconstructable obstructive azoospermia |journal=Human Reproduction |date=1 December 2000 |volume=15 |issue=12 |pages=2531–2535 |doi=10.1093/humrep/15.12.2531|pmid=11098022 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

==Uses in pharmacology and physiology==
The vas deferens has a dense sympathetic innervation,<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Sjöstrand|first1=N.O.|title=The adrenergic innervation of the vas deferens and the accessory male genital organs|journal=Acta Physiologica Scandinavica|date=1965|volume=257|page=S1–82|url=https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/citations/AD0626660}}</ref> making it a useful system for studying sympathetic nerve function and for studying drugs that modify neurotransmission.<ref name=Burnstock10>{{Cite journal
 | pmid = 20074819
| year = 2010
| last1 = Burnstock
| first1 = G
| title = Vas deferens--a model used to establish sympathetic cotransmission
| journal = Trends in Pharmacological Sciences
| volume = 31
| issue = 3
| pages = 131–9
| last2 = Verkhratsky
| first2 = A
| doi = 10.1016/j.tips.2009.12.002
}}</ref>

It has been used:
* as a bioassay for the discovery of [[enkephalin]]s, the endogenous opiates.<ref>{{Cite journal
 | pmid = 1207728
| year = 1975
| last1 = Hughes
| first1 = J
| title = Identification of two related pentapeptides from the brain with potent opiate agonist activity
| journal = Nature
| volume = 258
| issue = 5536
| pages = 577–80
| last2 = Smith
| first2 = T. W.
| last3 = Kosterlitz
| first3 = H. W.
| last4 = Fothergill
| first4 = L. A.
| last5 = Morgan
| first5 = B. A.
| last6 = Morris
| first6 = H. R.
 | doi=10.1038/258577a0
| bibcode = 1975Natur.258..577H
| s2cid = 95411
}}</ref>
* to demonstrate quantal transmission from sympathetic nerve terminals.<ref>{{Cite journal
 | pmid = 2882426
| year = 1987
| last1 = Brock
| first1 = J. A.
| title = Relationship between the nerve action potential and transmitter release from sympathetic postganglionic nerve terminals
| journal = Nature
| volume = 326
| issue = 6113
| pages = 605–7
| last2 = Cunnane
| first2 = T. C.
| doi = 10.1038/326605a0
| bibcode = 1987Natur.326..605B
| s2cid = 4303337
}}</ref>
* as the first direct measure of free Ca<sup>2+</sup> concentration in a postganglionic nerve terminal.<ref>{{Cite journal
 | pmid = 9279805
| year = 1997
| last1 = Brain
| first1 = K. L.
| title = Calcium in sympathetic varicosities of mouse vas deferens during facilitation, augmentation and autoinhibition
| journal = The Journal of Physiology
| volume = 502
| pages = 521–36
| last2 = Bennett
| first2 = M. R.
| pmc = 1159525
 | issue=3
 | doi=10.1111/j.1469-7793.1997.521bj.x
}}</ref>
* to develop an optical method for monitoring packeted transmission (similar to [[quantal transmission]]).<ref>{{Cite journal
 | pmid = 12068045
| year = 2002
| last1 = Brain
| first1 = K. L.
| title = Intermittent ATP release from nerve terminals elicits focal smooth muscle Ca2+ transients in mouse vas deferens
| journal = The Journal of Physiology
| volume = 541
| issue = Pt 3
| pages = 849–62
| last2 = Jackson
| first2 = V. M.
| last3 = Trout
| first3 = S. J.
| last4 = Cunnane
| first4 = T. C.
| pmc = 2290369
 | doi=10.1113/jphysiol.2002.019612
}}</ref>

==Other animals==
Most vertebrates have some form of duct to transfer the sperm from the [[testis|testes]] to the [[urethra]]. In [[cartilaginous fish]] and [[amphibian]]s, sperm are carried through the '''archinephric duct''', which also partially helps to transport urine from the kidneys. In [[teleost]]s, there is a distinct sperm duct, separate from the [[ureter]]s, and often called the vas deferens, although probably not truly [[homology (biology)|homologous]] with that in humans.<ref name=VB>{{cite book |author=Romer, Alfred Sherwood|author2=Parsons, Thomas S.|year=1977 |title=The Vertebrate Body |publisher=Holt-Saunders International |location= Philadelphia, PA|pages= 393–395|isbn= 978-0-03-910284-5}}</ref> The vas deferens loops over the ureter in [[placental mammal]]s, but not in [[Marsupial|marsupial mammals]].<ref name="Tyndale-Biscoe2005">{{cite book|author=C. Hugh Tyndale-Biscoe|title=Life of Marsupials|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KqtlPZJ9y8EC&q=%22vas+deferens%22|year=2005|publisher=Csiro Publishing|isbn=978-0-643-06257-3}}</ref><ref name="ArmatiDickman2006">{{cite book|author1=Patricia J. Armati|author2=Chris R. Dickman|author3=Ian D. Hume|title=Marsupials|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x3S5v971Nk0C&q=%22vas+deferens%22|date=17 August 2006|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-139-45742-2}}</ref>

In cartilaginous fishes, the part of the archinephric duct closest to the testis is coiled up to form an [[epididymis]]. Below this are a number of small glands secreting components of the seminal fluid. The final portion of the duct also receives ducts from the kidneys in most species.<ref name=VB/>

In [[amniote]]s ([[mammal]]s, [[bird]]s, and [[reptile]]s), the [[archinephric duct]] has become a true vas deferens, and is used only for conducting sperm, never urine. As in cartilaginous fish, the upper part of the duct forms the epididymis. In many species, the vas deferens ends in a small sac for storing sperm.<ref name=VB/>

The only vertebrates to lack any structure resembling a vas deferens are the primitive [[jawless fish]]es, which release sperm directly into the body cavity, and then into the surrounding water through a simple opening in the body wall.<ref name=VB/>

==Additional images==
<gallery>
File:Illu repdt male.jpg|Male reproductive system.
File:Gray402.png|Coronal section of pelvis, showing arrangement of fasciae. Viewed from behind.
File:Gray547.png|The relations of the femoral and abdominal inguinal rings, seen from within the abdomen. Right side.
File:Gray1146.png|The spermatic cord in the inguinal canal.
File:Gray1152.png|Fundus of the bladder with the vesiculae seminales.
File:Gray1156.png|Vertical section of bladder, penis, and urethra.
File:Gray1160.png|Prostate with seminal vesicles and seminal ducts, viewed from in front and above.
File:Illu quiz prostate01.jpg|Prostate
File:Vas deferens.jpg|Microscopic cross section.
File:Testis, spermatic vessels and vas deferens 2.jpg|Testis, spermatic vessels and vas deferens
File:Slide2UMR.JPG|A deep dissection showing the vas deferens.
</gallery>

== See also ==
{{Anatomy-terms}}
* [[Intra vas device]]
* [[Excretory duct of seminal gland]]
* Vas deferens in the [[reproductive system of gastropods]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{SUNYAnatomyLabs|36|07|03|01}}—"Inguinal Region, Scrotum and Testes: Layers of the Spermatic Cord"
* {{SUNYAnatomyLabs|44|02|03|01}}—"The Male Pelvis: Distribution of the Peritoneum in the Male Pelvis"
* {{MedicalMnemonics|2424|319||}} {{dead link|date=November 2015}}
* {{ViennaCrossSection|pelvis/pelvis-e12-15}}
* {{NormanAnatomy|inguinalregion}} ({{NormanAnatomyFig|testes}})

{{Male reproductive system}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Human male reproductive system]]
[[Category:Mammal male reproductive system]]
[[Category:Scrotum]]
[[Category:Sex organs]]