ABSTRACT
The mechanism of testicular descent in development of testis in embryonic period is very complex,and undescended testes(cryptorchidism) is a very common anomaly of the male genitalia.As it is close relatively with the later impaired fertility and cancer risk,involving reproduction,development,endocrinology and psychology,et al,the explorations of the mechanisms of testicular descent are continuing,and the studies on undescended testes such as the exact cause,pathogenesis,proper strategies for diagnosis and treatment are in progress.Along with some muddle becoming clear,the new puzzles often emerged.Perhaps this is getting closer to the truth.This paper is basically outlining the current research situation from the known and unknown aspects.
ABSTRACT
The mechanism of testicular descent in development of testis in embryonic period is very complex,and undescended testes(cryptorchidism) is a very common anomaly of the male genitalia.As it is close relatively with the later impaired fertility and cancer risk,involving reproduction,development,endocrinology and psychology,et al,the explorations of the mechanisms of testicular descent are continuing,and the studies on undescended testes such as the exact cause,pathogenesis,proper strategies for diagnosis and treatment are in progress.Along with some muddle becoming clear,the new puzzles often emerged.Perhaps this is getting closer to the truth.This paper is basically outlining the current research situation from the known and unknown aspects.
ABSTRACT
The gubernaculum testis, which has an important role to play in transinguinal testicular descent is richly supplied by the genitofemoral nerve through its scrotal attachment. The treatment of pregnant rats with antiandrogen disturbed normal testicular descent in their male offspring. The division of the genitofemoral nerve in neonatal rats also disturbed normal descent of testis. The spinal motonucleus of genitofemoral nerve showed sexual difference. Therefore the genitofemoral motonucleus might be altered morphologically by manipulation of neonatal androgen as the other motonuclei showing sexual difference. This experiment was designed to illustrate the morphological relationship between the androgens and the genitofemoral motonucleus by retrograde tracing method in rats. Preliminarily the genitofemoral motonucleus of normal male and female adults were compared. The effects of neonatal androgen on genitofemoral rnotonucleus were evaluated by observing the motonuclei of adults after bilateral orchiectomy in neonates and androgen compensation. The results are summarized as follows. 1. The genitofemoral motonuclei of males were similar to those of females in location, but the number and the size of their cells were larger than those of females. 2. The bilateral orchiectomy in neonates caused atrophy of the cremasteric muscle and decreased the size and the number of genitofemoral motonucleus cells in adults. 3. The neonatal compensation of the androgen after bilateral orchiectomy could not prevent atrophy of the cremaster muscle, but maintained the number and the size of the genitofemoral motonucleus cells in adult compared to control. 4. The compensatory effects of androgens on the cellular size of genitofemoral motonucleus were obvious in dihydrotestosterone rather than testosterone. From the above results, it is concluded that the genitofemoral motonucleus show sexual difference and is morphologically affected by neonatal androgens. Therefore there could be the process that androgens, especially dihydrotestosterone, affects genitofemoral motonucleus which affects testicular descent in rats.
Subject(s)
Adult , Animals , Female , Humans , Infant, Newborn , Male , Rats , Androgens , Atrophy , Compensation and Redress , Dihydrotestosterone , Orchiectomy , Testis , TestosteroneABSTRACT
We evaluated the effect of antiandrogens on both fetal and adult rats, noting especially the morphological changes in the gubernaculum and testicular descent. Two antiandrogens, flutamide and 5a-reductase inhibitor 4-methyl-4-aza-5-pregnane-3-one-20[s] carboxylate (4-MAPC) produce gross and histological changes in the gubernaculum, as well as having an effect on testicular descent. While the gubernacula of controls were like full water-drop at day 20 of gestation. the gubernacula of fetuses treated with flutamide were thin and elliptical and the gubernacula of fetuses treated with 4-MAPC were thin and elliptical or like small water-drop. The position of the gubernaculum was near the bladder neck and lower border of pelvic cavity, regardless of the antiandrogen treatment. But, the degree of invagination of gubernaculum into abdominal wall tended to be less in fetuses treated with either antiandrogen. The muscular layer of gubernaculum treated with either anti-androgen tended to be thinner than controls. In adult rats treated from embryo to adult with flutamide, atrophy of the sex accessory glands and hypospadias were occurred and the scrotums were bifid or undeveloped on one side which the testis remained in the abdomen. We feel that flutamide and 4-MAPC cannot interfere with trans-abdominal testicular descent, but can induce the morphological changes in gubernaculum with failure of the trans-inguinal testicular descent. Also, it would be suggested that the gubernaculum has not Wolffian duct like testosterone dependency shown in differentiation of epididymis, vas deferens and seminal vesicle, because of the presence of the effect of both flutamide and 4-MAPC on gubernaculum.
Subject(s)
Adult , Animals , Female , Humans , Male , Pregnancy , Rats , Abdomen , Abdominal Wall , Androgen Antagonists , Atrophy , Embryonic Structures , Epididymis , Fetus , Flutamide , Hypospadias , Neck , Scrotum , Seminal Vesicles , Testis , Testosterone , Urinary Bladder , Vas Deferens , Wolffian DuctsABSTRACT
Experimental cryptorchidism has been produced in young rats by administration of estrogen of various doses and time to study the changes in the Leydig cells. Attempt was made to determine the number of Leydig cells in the cryptorchid and normal control to compare the results obtained with one another. Atrophic changes of Leydig cells were more prominent in the cryptorchid than the descended one and proportionate to the degrees of descending. Leydig cells were scattered, not clustered and decreased in number as a atrophic changes. These results suggest a close relation between Leydig cell and the testicular descending.
Subject(s)
Animals , Male , Rats , Cryptorchidism , Estrogens , Leydig CellsABSTRACT
Plasma testosterone dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and estradiol were measured by radioimmunoassay in 12 patients with bilateral cryptorchidism, 13 patients with unilateral cryptorchidism and 15 normal subjects with the same age. The mean DHT level in bilateral cryptorchidism was much lower than that in the others (P