ABSTRACT
The prostate develops during the 12th week of embryonic life under the influence of androgenic hormones produced by the fetal testis. The rudimentary ducts of the prostate originate from solid, endodermal outgrowths of urogenital sinus epithelium. The epithelial buds induce the proliferation and differentiation of the nearby mesenchyme into smooth muscle cells and collagen producing fibroblasts. The posterior urethra consists of two separate segments of approximately equal length, proximal and distal. The proximal portion, called the preprostatic segment, gives rise to the urethral glands. The primordia of the central zone are also found in the female in whom they later give rise to the paraurethral glands. The peripheral zone derives entirely from that portion of the urogenital sinus which is present only in the male. The glandular epithelium in the prostate is tall columnar, cuboidal, or even squamous, depending on the secretory activity of the individual cells and the size of the acinus.
