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|date=2012
|accessdate=2022-10-07
}}</ref> 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. 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
}}</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">{{FleissP HodgesF VanHoweRS 1998}}</ref>
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:
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 a natural barrier to HIV-1 transmission by Langerhans cells