Effects of Estradiol and Methoxychlor on Leydig Cell Regeneration in the Adult Rat Testis

Abstract

The objective of the present study is to determine whether methoxychlor (MXC) exposure in adulthood affects rat Leydig cell regeneration and to compare its effects with estradiol (E2). Adult 90-day-old male Sprague-Dawley rats received ethane dimethane sulfonate (EDS) to eliminate the adult Leydig cell population. Subsequently, rats were randomly assigned to four groups and gavaged with corn oil (control), 0.25 mg/kg E2 and 10 or 100 mg/kg MXC daily from days 5 to 30 post-EDS treatment. The results showed that MXC and E2 reduced serum testosterone levels on day 58 post-EDS treatment. qPCR showed Hsd17b3 mRNA levels were downregulated 7–15 fold by E2 and MXC, indicating that development of the new population of Leydig cells was arrested at the earlier stage. This observation was supported by the results of histochemical staining, which demonstrated that Leydig cells in MXC-treated testis on day 58 post-EDS treatment were mostly progenitor Leydig cells. However, Pdgfb mRNA levels were downregulated, while Lif transcript levels were increased by MXC. In contrast, E2 did not affect gene expression for these growth factors. In conclusion, our findings indicated that both MXC and E2 delayed rat Leydig cell regeneration in the EDS-treated model, presumably acting by different mechanisms.

Effects of Elevated β-Estradiol Levels on the Functional Morphology of the Testis - New Insights

“…Estradiol has been shown to play a role in proliferation, regulation of ion transport and regulation of apoptosis in Sertoli cells262728. In addition, estradiol is responsible for the inhibition of Leydig cell testosterone production and the blocking of Leydig cell regeneration2930. In the efferent ductules, estradiol is involved in the reabsorption of fluids, thus, affecting sperm concentration, motility and morphology31.…”

Hypoxia-Preconditioned Human Umbilical Cord Blood-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Mitigate Hypoglycemic Testicular Injury Induced by Insulin in Rats

“…Our study did not confirm these data as the majority of interstitial cells of hypoglycemic testis lacked the steroidogenic cell marker 17β-HSD3, suggesting that these cells did not produce testosterone. Surprisingly, similar heterogeneous populations of interstitial cells were demonstrated in mice testes injected estrogen [Chen et al, 2014].…”

Exposure to cadmium during gestation and lactation affects development and function of Leydig cells in male offspring

“…All samples were observed by Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (LSM 510 META, Carl Zeiss, Germany). Leydig cell numbers were calculated per 100 tubules …”