Establishment of an undifferential orchitis model in rats and changes of spermatogenic epithelium / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the changes of rat testicular spermatogenic epithelium stimulated by bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in vivo.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Twenty Wistar rats were divided into two groups: control group and experimental group. The control group was treated with pyrogen-free saline (1 ml/kg) and the experimental group was injected ip with saline containing LPS (1 mg/kg) once every two days. Two groups were operated after ten days in order to investigate the testicular pathological changes by HE staining and the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen( PCNA), alpha-catenin in spermatogenic epithelium by immunohistochemistry assay.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The testes of the experimental group showed inflammatory changes. The positive expression of PCNA in seminiferous epithelium was significantly lower than that of control group. The number of positive cells in every seminiferous, in which only spermatogonia were stained in experimental group were 59 +/- 5 and it showed significant decrease compared with the control (P < 0.01). Furthermore, the percentage of such seminiferous tubules was 0.673 +/- 0.054 and increased apparently (P < 0.01). The expression of alpha-catenin in testicular tissue of the experimental group declined (P < 0.01), and cellular positive granular light density was 0.150 +/- 0.014.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The ability of spermatogonium proliferation and the function of conglutination of cells under inflammatory condition of the testes declined, which may be one of the etiologies of male infertility.</p>

Progresses on macrophages of male reproductive tract / 中华男科学杂志

The review summarized the recent progress on macrophages of male reproductive tract and the action of macrophages on male reproductive physiology and pathology. The close correlation and effect between testicular macrophages and Leydig cells, Sertoli cells, germ cells, hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis were introduced, respectively. At the same time, it pointed out the changes of macrophages' morphology and function in immune orchitis, and their regulation on the development of orchitis. So the complex immune regulation network in testes and testicular macrophages playing an important role on spermatogenesis and the stableness of spermatogenetic microenvironment in testes were further illuminated, which can provide theoretical basis for clinic therapy.