Seminal Vesicle Epithelial Cells (SVEC)

The seminal vesicles are a pair of glands that are positioned below the urinary bladder and lateral to the vas deferens. Each vesicle consists of a single tube folded and coiled on itself, with occasional diverticula in its wall. Seminal vesicles are located within the pelvis. The seminal vesicles secrete a significant proportion of the fluid that ultimately becomes semen. The SV consists of three layers: the inner basal mucosal layer composed of simple cuboidal and pseudo-stratified columnar epithelial cells, the middle muscular layer formed by smooth muscle cells, and the outer layer made up of dense connective tissue. Seminal vesicle epithelial cells (SVEC) in culture not only retain several structural features representative of the tissue but also serve as a potential system for the study of androgen action.