VM8054 Veterinary Histology

Example: Efferent Ducts

Author: Dr. Thomas Caceci
The efferent ducts lead from the rete testis to the epididymis. Sperm moving through them aren't yet motile.

Even though they're morphologically normal, the sperm's capacity for independent movement hasn't yet developed. The efferent ducts therefore have a ciliated epithelium to help propel the sperm through. This epithelium is of different height in different parts of the ducts, and so in cross section, as you see it here, it has a peculiar "scalloped" appearance.The cilia are mainly on the taller cells of this columnar epithelium. It's worth noting that these are true cilia, i.e., they have an axonemal core and are capable of movement.


The efferent ducts are derived from pre-existing structures in the embryo, specifically from the drainage ducts of the mesonephros, the "middle kidney." Not all of the mesonephric ducts get used, however. Some of them never get connected to the developing gonads and for the most part degenerate with the rest of the mesonephros. But remnants may remain, and you can see some of them in this image, alongside the "successful" ones that metamorphosed into efferent ducts. These abberant ducts are vestiges of a long vanished mesopnephros and have no functional significance. You may or may not see them in your particular preparation.

Dog reproductive tract; H&E stain, paraffin section, 100x and 40x

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