Synonyms
Prostate function
Introduction
The main purpose of our prostate is the production (synthesis) of a thin, milk-like and slightly acidic (pH 6.4 – 6.8) liquid, the prostate secretion. In adult men, it makes up about 60-70 percent by volume of the total ejaculate (ejaculation)! significant amounts of it are only produced from sexual maturity (puberty), at the same time a strong growth of the gland takes place.
Both of these processes are the responsibility of the hormone metabolism of the maturing man, especially an increase of the “testosterone” level in the blood. The fluid of the prostate gland contains a wide variety of chemical compounds, in particular numerous members of the protein family, which in nature make possible an incredible variety of organisms. Here are the most important ones: “Spermine” is responsible for the chemical stability of the genetic material (DNA), which is in the heads of the spermatozoa.
The sole biological task of the entire reproductive system with all its organs and duct systems is to ensure that the genetic material is passed on to a female egg cell. In this respect, the protective substance spermine has an almost sovereign function for the body! The “acid prostate phosphatase” (PAP) belongs to a subclass of proteins (the enzymes) and is a substance with a regulatory effect.
Its role in the life processes of healthy people (physiology) is rather subordinate and largely unclear. However, it is known that an increase in blood PAP does not bode well for the health of your prostate. Another protein, prostate specific antigen (PSA), reduces the viscosity of the sperm.
Without substances such as PSA, the result would be thicker sperm that would be more difficult to expel and reduce the likelihood of reaching the female fallopian tubes (tuba uterina, salpinx). Just as with PAP, an increase in PSA in the blood indicates a pathological process in the prostate. Many health organizations recommend that every man over the age of 45 know his PSA blood level to prevent serious diseases!
With a “total PSA” (c-PSA) of less than 4 ng/ml you are on the rather safe side, increases can (not necessarily) indicate disease. However, as it is in nature, you can also get prostate cancer without having a high PSA level, but this is unlikely. Besides this function, the prostate gland is involved in the metabolism of the hormone “testosterone“.
It converts it into a more active form, “dihydrotestosterone” (DHT). This conversion (reduction) is carried out by the enzyme “5-alpha-reductase”, which is only found in the prostate. DHT is urgently related to pathological growth of the prostate gland (see below).
Many drugs therefore try to reduce the activity of this enzyme, they are “5-alpha-reductase inhibitors” like “dutasteride”, “epristeride” and “finasteride”. Finally, the muscles of the prostate maintain a certain order in its environment. This is because two initially independent pathways, the urinary tract and the seminal tract, cross in the prostate.
Urine does not belong in the prostate gland or in the injection tubules, sperm has no place in the bladder! The problem with this story is that both fluids (urine and sperm) do not know what is good for them. They simply behave like any other fluid on our planet that is forced into a pipe system and follow the prevailing pressure gradient.
So their course is always from the place of higher pressure to the place of lower pressure. When urinating (micturition), the muscles of the bladder build up pressure and press the urine into the urethra. If the muscles of the prostate gland were not now closing all other paths, urine could leave its intended path. On the other hand, the prostate muscles help to close the path to the bladder when a man ejaculates. So it behaves like a traffic light at the crossing of the male fluid pathways!
