Preputial glands are
exocrine glands in the
prepuce in front of the penis. They occur in many
mammals
A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three middle e ...
, including
canids,
mice
A mouse (: mice) is a small rodent. Characteristically, mice are known to have a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (''Mus musculus' ...
,
s,
rhinoceros
A rhinoceros ( ; ; ; : rhinoceros or rhinoceroses), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant taxon, extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates (perissodactyls) in the family (biology), famil ...
es, and
even-toed ungulates and produce
pheromone
A pheromone () is a secreted or excreted chemical factor that triggers a social response in members of the same species. Pheromones are chemicals capable of acting like hormones outside the body of the secreting individual, to affect the behavio ...
s. The preputial glands of female animals are sometimes called clitoral glands.
Male
canid
Canidae (; from Latin, ''canis'', "dog") is a family (biology), biological family of caniform carnivorans, constituting a clade. A member of this family is also called a canid (). The family includes three subfamily, subfamilies: the Caninae, a ...
s
scent-mark their territories with urine and preputial gland secretions.
The preputial glands of male musk deer produce strong-smelling
deer musk which is of economic importance, as it is used in
perfume
Perfume (, ) is a mixture of fragrance, fragrant essential oils or aroma compounds (fragrances), Fixative (perfumery), fixatives and solvents, usually in liquid form, used to give the human body, animals, food, objects, and living-spaces an agre ...
s.
Human homologues
There is debate about whether humans have functional
homologues to preputial glands. Preputial glands were first noted by
Edward Tyson and in 1694, fully described by
William Cowper who named them Tyson's glands after Tyson.
They are modified
sebaceous gland
A sebaceous gland or oil gland is a microscopic exocrine gland in the skin that opens into a hair follicle to secrete an oily or waxy matter, called sebum, which lubricates the hair and skin of mammals. In humans, sebaceous glands occur in ...
s located around the
corona and inner surface of the
prepuce of the
human penis
In Human body, human anatomy, the penis (; : penises or penes; from the Latin ''pēnis'', initially 'tail') is an external sex organ (intromittent organ) through which males urination, urinate and ejaculation, ejaculate, as Penis, on other anim ...
. They are believed to be most frequently found in the balanopreputial
sulcus.
Their secretion may be one of the components of
smegma.
Some, including Satya Parkash,
dispute their existence.
While humans may not have true anatomical equivalents, the term may sometimes be used for tiny whitish yellow bumps occasionally found on the
glans corona. The proper name for these structures is
pearly penile papules (or hirsutoid papillomas). According to detractors, they are not glands, but mere thickenings of the skin and are not involved in the formation of smegma.
See also
*
List of specialized glands within the human integumentary system
References
{{Authority control
Sexual anatomy
Glands