Skip to main content

Structure of Human Sperm



The sperm or male gamete is a microscopic cell. It consists of four parts.
  • Head 
  • Neck
  • Middle Piece
  • Tail



HEAD
Human sperm has a flat and oval head. It has a large, compact nucleus and small acrosome at the tip of the nucleus. Acrosome is formed of Golgi apparatus. It contains hydrolytic enzymes. The nucleus contains haploid set of chromosomes. The head is covered by a fibrillar sheath. The nucleus consists of condensed DNA and basic proteins.

NECK
The neck is very short. It contains two centrioles – one proximal and one distal. The proximal centriole is towards nucleus and plays a key role in the first cleavage of the zygote. The distal centriole is towards tail and gives rise to axial filament of the sperm, which consists of 9 – sets of microtubules triplet arranged in ring.

MIDDLE PIECE
It is cylindrical. It contains many mitochondria coiled tightly around the axial filament, called mitochondrial spiral. The mitochondria provide energy for the movement of sperms in the female genital tract.

TAIL
The tail is long, slender, tapering and strengthed by axial filament.  It is formed of cytoplasm. The axial filament projects behind as end piece.

The entire sperm is enclosed by a plasma membrane. The sperm swims with the help of tail.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Female Reproductive System

The human female reproductive system consists of  Two   ovaries  Two fallopian tubes  Uterus,  Vagina,  External genitalia or vulva Female accessory glands. (1) OVARY There is a pair of ovaries present in the abdominal region. They are attached with abdominal walls by an ovarian ligament called mesovarium. Each ovary is almond shaped, 2-4 cm long, 1-3 cm wide and abort 1 cm thick. It is attached to pelvic wall and uterus by ovarian ligament. Functions of Ovary The ovaries are primary sex organs.  They produce female gamete-egg. They also produxce some female hormones like progesterone. Anatomy of ovary: Anatomically each ovary is formed of 3 parts: Germinal epithelium Tunica albuginea Ovarion stroma Germinal epithelium: It is the outermost layer of the ovary.It is formed of squamous epithelium and cuboidal epithelium. It forms oogonia in the foetus. Tunica albuniea:  It is presen...

Male Reproductive System

The male reproductive system of man is formed of the following parts: (1) Scrotum   (2) Testes  (3) Accessory ducts  (4) Glands  (5) External genitalia (1) SCROTUM: The testes are situated outside the abdominal cavity in a pouch called scrotum. It helps in maintaining the low temperature about 2 °  to 2.50 ° C  lower than   the body temperature. Hence it is a thermoregulator. Low temperature is necessary for the development of sperms. (2) TESTES : There is a pair of testes. Each testis is oval in shape.The size of the testis is (4.5*3*2.5)cms in length,width and thickness. They are pinkish in color. They are the primary sex organs in man. Each testis is attached to the scrotum by a thick band called gubernaculum.With the abdominal cavity the testes are connected by spermatic cord. The scrotum is attached to abdominal cavity by inguinal canal. Anotomy of Testis: Each testis is surrounded by the three ...

Menstrual Cycle

MENSTRUAL CYCLE The reproductive cycle of females is called the menstrual cycle. The first menstruation begins at puberty and is called menarche. This cycle is repeated at an average interval of 28 days. During this cycle various changes occur simultaneously in the ovary and the uterus. This cycle consists of four phases. Menstrual Phase or Bleeding Phase Follicular Phase (Proliferative Phase) Ovulatory Phase Luteal Phase or Secretary Phase Menstrual Phase or Bleeding Phase The cycle starts with the menstrual phase. This phase lasts for about 3 – 5 days. During this cycle bleeding occurs from the uterus of the females. The bleeding occurs due to breakdown of endometrial lining of the uterus and it’s blood vessels which form liquid that comes out through vagina. Menstruation occurs only if the fertilization does not occur. The decreased LH production causes degeneration of corpus luteum which results in degeneration of uterine endometrium and the cycle star...