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ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE

Electric Activity of the Testicular Tunica Albuginea During Ejaculation: A Canine Study

Ahmed Shafik^*,1, Olfat El Sibai and Ali A. Shafik^*

^* Department of Surgery and Experimental Research, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt; and Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Shebin El-Kom, Egypt

To whom requests for reprints should be addressed at ¹ Department of Surgery and Experimental Research, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, 2 Talaat Harb Street, Cairo 11121, Egypt. E-mail: shafik{at}ahmedshafik.com

We have shown in previous studies that electric waves at rest could be recorded from the testicle and originate from the tunica albuginea (TA) and not from the testicular tissue. In the current study, we investigated the hypothesis that the electric activity of the TA increases during ejaculation. Three electrodes were sutured to the TAs of 11 anesthetized male dogs. The slow waves were recorded at rest and on inducing ejaculation by an ejaculator applied to the glans penis. Basal electric waves were recorded from the testicle. Each wave consisted of a negative followed by a positive deflection with a mean frequency of 6.2 ± 1.3 cycles/min, an amplitude of 0.59 ± 0.06 mV, and a conduction velocity of 5.2 ± 0.8 cm/sec. These wave variables showed a significant intermittent increase (P < 0.05) at intervals of 0.6–1.0 secs and occurred simultaneously with the bouts of ejaculation. The increase remained for 0.8–1.2 secs at each ejaculation bout. The number of bouts of increased electric waves varied from 3 to 5. Apparently, the TA is not an inert covering to the testicle, but it seems to have a functional activity. Recording resting electric waves of the TA presumably denotes that the TA possesses a resting tone that appears to support the testicular tissue. During ejaculation, the increased electric activity of the TA, which coincides with semen spurt episodes, presumably denotes TA contraction. The intermittent TA contractions seem to assist in massaging the testicular secretions to the epididymis and the vas deferens and augment testicular circulation. The effect of pathologic conditions of the TA on ejaculation needs to be studied.

Key Words: slow waves • smooth muscle cells • testicular circulation • Cajal cells