Steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) protein is a rate-limiting protein, which is essential for transporting cholesterol into the mitochondria for steroidogenesis. StAR protein could be a marker for steroidogenic tissues. In this study, we investigated StAR protein levels in sex-cord stromal tumors (SCSTs) including 31 adult granulosa cell tumors, 3 juvenile granulosa cell tumors, 10 fibrothec...

Background: This study was conducted to investigate the effect of inducing hypothyroidism by propyl-2-thiouracyl (PTU) on lambs testicular histomorphology and plasma testosterone concentration. Materials and Methods: Eighteen Lori-Bakhtari male lambs were divided to 3 groups (n=6) and each received one of the treatments as Control (C: 0 mg PTU/kg BW), Low (L: 10 mg PTU/kg BW) and High (H: 20 mg...

BACKGROUND Astragalus membranaceus (AM) is a Chinese traditional herb which has been reported to have broad positive effects on many diseases, including hepatitis, heart disease, diabetes and skin disease. AM can promote cell proliferation, increase the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and inhibit apoptosis by regulating the transcription of proto-oncog...

A 38-year-old man with a complaint of male infertility due to azoospermia was found to have bilateral Leydig cell tumors. The tumors were synchronous, not clearly palpable and not diagnostic by ultrasonography. The serum level of estradiol was remarkably increased, and that of testosterone was above the normal upper limit. Tumors of 0.8 cm in diameter were detected by scrotal exploration, and f...

Citation: Chen X, Ge F, Liu J, Bao S, Chen Y, Li D, Li Y, Huang T, Chen X, Zhu Q, Lian Q and Ge R-S (2018) Diverged Effects of Piperine on Testicular Development: Stimulating Leydig Cell Development but Inhibiting Spermatogenesis in Rats. Front. Pharmacol. 9:244. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2018.00244 Diverged Effects of Piperine on Testicular Development: Stimulating Leydig Cell Development but Inhibit...

Endocannabinoids control male reproduction acting at central and local level via cannabinoid receptors. The cannabinoid receptor CB1 has been characterized in the testis, in somatic and germ cells of mammalian and non-mammalian animal models, and its activity related to Leydig cell differentiation, steroidogenesis, spermiogenesis, sperm quality, and maturation. In this short review, we provide ...

Leydig cell tumor (LCT) is a rare tumor of the male testicular interstitium. This article provides an overview of the major pathologic manifestations of LCT of the testis; patient characteristics; clinical, radiologic, and laboratory features; prognosis; and management. LCTs of the testis are frequently hormonally active, leading to either feminizing or virilizing syndromes. The tumor is usuall...

Glucocorticoids directly regulate testosterone production in Leydig cells through a glucocorticoid receptor (GR)-mediated repression of the genes that encode testosterone biosynthetic enzymes. The extent of this action is determined by the numbers of GR within the Leydig cell, the intracellular concentration of glucocorticoid, and 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11betaHSD) activities that ...

It is well known that estrogens and estrogen-like endocrine disruptors can suppress steroidogenic gene expression, attenuate androgen production and decrease differentiation of adult Leydig cell lineage. However, there is no information about the possible link between the potency of Leydig cells to produce androgens and their sensitivity to estrogenic stimuli. Thus, the present study explored t...

Postnatal development of Leydig cells can be divided into three distinct stages of differentiation: initially they exist as mesenchymal-like progenitors (PLC) by day 21; subsequently, as immature Leydig cells (ILC) by day 35, they acquire steroidogenic organelle structure and enzyme activities but metabolize most of the testosterone they produce; finally, as adult Leydig cells (ALC) by day 90 t...