Effect of intra-testicular testosterone withdrawal on the expression of alpha-catenin in the adult rat testis.
- Author:
Ren-Dong ZHANG
1
;
Jin-Qi YIN
;
Yuan-Yu ZHAO
;
Yang GUO
;
Ya-Ping WANG
;
Zheng-Wei YANG
Author Information
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- MeSH: Animals; Immunohistochemistry; Leydig Cells; drug effects; metabolism; Male; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Testis; drug effects; metabolism; Testosterone; analogs & derivatives; pharmacology; alpha Catenin; biosynthesis
- From: National Journal of Andrology 2006;12(5):394-400
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
OBJECTIVETo study the expression of alpha-catenin in the rat testis after intra-testicular testosterone withdrawal induced by injection of testosterone undecanoate (TU).
METHODSTen adult male SD rats received vehicle (n = 5 ) or TU (19 mg/kg every 15 days, n = 5) for 130 days. Paraffin-embedded testicular sections were used for immunohistochemistry against a polyclonal anti-alpha-catenin antibody.
RESULTSIn the control, alpha-catenin was expressed in the acrosome of spermatids and the cytoplasm of Leydig cells and peritubular myoid cells. In the TU-treated rat testis, Leydig cells were atrophied and the expression of alpha-catenin was markedly decreased or absent, but there was no evident change in the immunostaining of spermatids or myoid cells.
CONCLUSIONIntra-testicular testosterone withdrawal-induced looser arrangement or sloughing of spermatogenic cells is not related to the adhesion molecule alpha-catenin. Alpha-catenin may be used as a cell identification marker for Leydig cells.
