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Penises as variable-volume hydrostatic skeletons.

Diane A Kelly1

  • 1Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA. dkelly@bio.umass.edu

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
|March 17, 2007
PubMed
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Mammalian penises, or corpus cavernosum, use collagen fibers to stiffen and expand during erection. This structure provides resistance to bending and other forces, aiding reproductive function.

Area of Science:

  • Reproductive Biology
  • Biomechanical Engineering
  • Mammalian Anatomy

Background:

  • Penises function as inflatable intromittent organs for sperm transfer.
  • Mammalian erectile tissue, the corpus cavernosum, has a unique hydroskeleton-like structure.
  • The corpus cavernosum is reinforced by an axial orthogonal fiber array.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the biomechanical properties of the mammalian corpus cavernosum.
  • To understand the role of collagen fiber arrangement in penile erection and function.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of the collagen fiber organization within the corpus cavernosum wall.
  • Examination of the mechanical changes in penile tissue during erection.

Main Results:

Related Experiment Videos

  • The corpus cavernosum wall features collagen fibers organized at 0 and 90 degrees to the penile axis.
  • Erection involves collagen fiber straightening, expanding the tunica albuginea and increasing stiffness.
  • This structural reinforcement enhances resistance to tensile, compressive, and bending forces.

Conclusions:

  • The axial orthogonal fiber arrangement in the corpus cavernosum is crucial for its mechanical behavior during erection.
  • This structural design enables the penis to become larger, stiffer, and more resistant to bending forces.
  • The findings elucidate the biomechanics underlying successful sperm transfer in mammals.