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'''{{FULLPAGENAME}}''' is the term applied to the space on the [[intact]] [[penis]] between the [[prepuce]] and the [[glans penis]].<ref>{{REFweb

}}</ref> The preputial sac may also be called the '''sub-preputial space'''or '''preputial cavity'''. [[Circumcised]] men do not have a preputial sac.

==Description==When boys are born, the preputial sac is sealed shut by a [[synechia]] called the ''balanopreputial lamina'',<ref name="deibart1933">{{REFjournal |last=Deibart |init=GA |title=The separation of the prepuce in the human penis |journal=Anat Rec |date=1933 |volume=57 |issue= |pages=387-99 |url=http://www.cirp.org/library/anatomy/deibert/ |quote= |DOI=https://doi.org/10.1002/ar.1090570409 |accessdate=2023-05-23}}</ref> so it cannot be [[Infection| infected]]. The preputial sac will remain closed for a variable number of years.  The preputial sac is lined with [[mucosa]] as is appropriate for an internal organwhere moisture is present.<ref name="cold-taylor1999">{{ColdCJ TaylorJR 1999}}</ref> [[Urine]] and other sources of moisture are not harmful to it. The [[glans penis]] (head of the [[penis]]) is covered and protected from friction and abrasion by the [[foreskin]] while it is in the preputial sac, so it does not accumulate [[keratin]], and maintains its [[Foreskin sensitivity| natural sensitivity]].

Moistness is maintained by [[transudation]]. Parkash et al. (1973) reported that epithelial debris [exfoliated skin or mucosa] accumulates in the preputial sac and forms [[smegma]].<ref name="parkash1873">{{REFjournal

}}</ref>, a natural, normal, benign, healthy, and beneficial product of the body, which will collect harmlessly in the preputial sac.

Wetness in the preputial sac is normal and associated with having a longer [[foreskin| prepuce]].<ref name="ofarrell2008">{{REFjournal |last=O'Farrell |first= |init=N |author-link= |last2=Chung |first2= |init2=CK |author2-link= |last3=Weiss |first3=Helen |init3= |author3-link= |etal=no |title=Foreskin length in uncircumcised men is associated with subpreputial wetness |trans-title= |language= |journal= Int J STD AIDS. |location= |date=2008-12 |season= |volume=19 |issue=23 |pages=821-3 |url= |archived= |quote= |pubmedID=19050212 |pubmedCID= |DOI=10.1258/ijsa.2008.008106 |accessdate=2022-10-07}}</ref> Parkash et al. (1982) studied the wetness to learn its source. The authors concluded "that the space is kept moist and also clean in those with preputial stenosis, by the secretions of the prostate, supplemented by the seminal secretion of the mucin content of the secretion of the urethral glands."<ref name="parkash1982">{{REFjournal

}}</ref> The preputial sac may also receive [[pre-ejaculate]]. The authors further reported that the wetness is rich in lytic material.<ref name="parkash1982" /> Lytic material causes lysis or a breakdown of organismspathogen cell walls.<ref>{{REFweb

}}</ref> Wetness Moistness also may be maintained by [[transudation]].<ref name="cold-taylor1999" /> The sac may vary from very slightly moist to wet. A longer [[prepuce]] helps to keep out contaminants and pathogens.<ref name="fleiss1998">{{FleissP HodgesF VanHoweRS 1998}}</ref> Lakshmanan & Parkash (1980) described the muscle fibers in the [[prepuce]] (known as the [[dartos]]), which contract to keep the prepuce snugly close to the [[glans penis]].<ref>{{REFjournal |last=Lakshmanan |first= |init=S |author-link= |last2=Parkash |first2= |init2=S |author2-link= |etal=no |title=Human prepuce: some aspects of structure and function |trans-title= |language= |journal=Indian J Surg |location= |date=1980 |volume=44 |issue= |article= |page= |pages=134-7 |url=http://www.cirp.org/library/anatomy/lakshmanan/ |archived= |quote= |pubmedID= |pubmedCID= |DOI= |accessdate=}}</ref> The muscle fibers form a whorl at the tip to keep the tip of the [[foreskin]] and keep the preputial sac closed against the outside world and contamination.<ref name="fleiss1998" /> Cold & Taylor (1999) described a healthy [[microbiome]] that lives within the preputial sac.<ref name="cold-taylor1999" /> They also reported that Langerhans cells are found in the mucosa of the preputial sac. [[Langerhans cells]] are part of the immunological defenses of the [[penis]].  De Witte et al. (2007) reported that Langerhans cells produce a substance named ''langerin''. The langerin offers protection against HIV infection:{{Citation |Title=Langerin is associated a natural barrier to HIV-1 transmission by Langerhans cells |Text=Langerin prevents HIV-1 transmission by LCs. HIV-1 captured by Langerin was internalized into Birbeck granules and degraded. Langerin inhibited LC infection and this mechanism kept LCs refractory to HIV-1 transmission; inhibition of Langerin allowed LC infection and subsequent HIV-1 transmission. Notably, LCs also inhibited T-cell infection by viral clearance through Langerin. Thus Langerin is a natural barrier to HIV-1 infection, and strategies to combat infection must enhance, preserve or, at the very least, not interfere with having Langerin expression and function. |Author= |Source= |ref=<ref>{{DeWitte etal 2007}}</ref>}}=== Foreskin fragrance ===The [[foreskin]] produces [[pheromone| pheromones]] that are likely to be present in the preputial sac.<ref name="fleiss1998" /> Some [[foreskinned]] men report a longer prepucepleasant musky fragrance<ref name="vocabulary2024">{{REFweb |url=https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/musky |title=Musky |last= |first= |init= |publisher=vocabulary.com |date= |accessdate=2024-04-26}}</ref> from their [[penis]]. Musk is produced by deer to create sexual arousal.<ref name="vocabulary2024" /> The fragrance, when it occurs, is emitted from the preputial sac. The fragrance may contain stimulating pheromones and is variously characterized. A few find it offensive, but others find it attractive, pleasing, exciting, stimulating, or arousing.<ref name="vocabulary2024" />

[[Category:TermEducation]]