Mesonephric duct
Urogenital sinus of female humanembryo of eight and a half to nine weeks old
Details
Carnegie stage	11
Days	28
Precursor	Intermediate mesoderm
Gives rise to	Vasa deferentia,seminal vesicles,epididymides,Gartner's duct
Identifiers
Latin	ductus mesonephricus; ductus Wolffi
MeSH	D014928
TE	duct_by_E5.6.2.0.0.0.4 E5.6.2.0.0.0.4
Anatomical terminology [edit on Wikidata]

Themesonephric duct, also known as theWolffian duct,archinephric duct,Leydig's duct ornephric duct, is a pairedorgan that develops in the early stages ofembryonic development in humans and other mammals. It is an important structure that plays a critical role in the formation ofmale reproductive organs. The duct is named afterCaspar Friedrich Wolff, a Germanphysiologist andembryologist who first described it in 1759.^[1]

During embryonic development, the mesonephric ducts form as a part of theurogenital system.^[2]

The mesonephric duct connects the primitive kidney, themesonephros, to thecloaca. It also serves as theprimordium for maleurogenital structures including theepididymides,vasa deferentia, andseminal vesicles.

In both males and females, the mesonephric ducts develop into thetrigone of urinary bladder, a part of the bladder wall, but the sexes differentiate in other ways during development of theurinary andreproductive organs.

In amale, they develop into a system of connected organs between theefferent ducts of thetestis and the prostate, namely theepididymis, thevas deferens, and theseminal vesicle. Theprostate forms from theurogenital sinus and the efferent ducts form from themesonephric tubules.

For this, it is critical that the ducts are exposed totestosterone duringembryogenesis. Testosterone binds to and activatesandrogen receptor, affecting intracellular signals and modifying the expression of numerous genes.^[3]

In the mature male, the function of this system is to store and maturesperm, and provide accessorysemen fluid.The mesonephric duct (precursor of the male reproductive system) forms around the 3-4th week of pregnancy, present before the paramesonephric duct (precursor of the female reproductive system).

In thefemale, with the absence ofanti-Müllerian hormone secretion by theSertoli cells and subsequent Müllerianapoptosis, the mesonephric ducts regress, although inclusions may persist. The vestigialepoophoron arises from these ducts. Also, lateral to the wall of the vagina, aGartner's duct could develop as a remnant.

It is named afterCaspar Friedrich Wolff who described themesonephros and its ducts in hisdissertation in 1759.^[1]

• 
  Diagram of a transverse section, showing the mode of formation of the amnion in the chick
• 
  Reconstruction of a human embryo of 17 mm
• 
  Cloaca of human embryo from twenty-five to twenty-seven days old
• 
  Tail end of human embryo thirty-two to thirty-three days old
• 
  Tail end of human embryo; from eight and a half to nine weeks old

• Fetal genital development
• List of homologues of the human reproductive system
• Masculinization
• Müllerian duct
• Sexual differentiation

• How the Body Works / Sex Development / Sexual Differentiation / Duct Differentiation -The Hospital for Sick Children (GTA - Toronto, Ontario, Canada)

• Embryology of urogenital system

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata