The urethral or periurethral glands (also Littré glands after
Alexis Littré
Alexis Littre (17 July 1654 – 3 February 1726 in science, 1726) was a French people, French physician and anatomist born in Cordes (currently Cordes-Tolosannes in the Departments of France, department of Tarn-et-Garonne).
Biography
Littre stud ...
)
are
gland
In animals, a gland is a group of cells in an animal's body that synthesizes substances (such as hormones) for release into the bloodstream (endocrine gland) or into cavities inside the body or its outer surface (exocrine gland).
Structure
De ...
s that branch off the wall of the
urethra of mammals. The glands secrete
mucus and are most numerous in the section of the urethra that runs through the
penis. Urethral glands produce a
colloid
A colloid is a mixture in which one substance consisting of microscopically dispersed insoluble particles is suspended throughout another substance. Some definitions specify that the particles must be dispersed in a liquid, while others extend ...
secretion containing
glycosaminoglycans
Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) or mucopolysaccharides are long, linear polysaccharides consisting of repeating disaccharide units (i.e. two-sugar units). The repeating two-sugar unit consists of a uronic sugar and an amino sugar, except in the case ...
; this secretion protects the
epithelium
Epithelium or epithelial tissue is one of the four basic types of animal tissue, along with connective tissue, muscle tissue and nervous tissue. It is a thin, continuous, protective layer of compactly packed cells with a little intercellul ...
against
urine.
Human Microscopic Anatomy: An Atlas for Students of Medicine and Biology
By Radivoj V. Krstić, page 382
Untreated urethritis can lead to infection of the urethral glands, which can in turn result in impeding urethral strictures.
References
External links
Slide at uottawa.ca
Mammal male reproductive system
Male urethra
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