ABSTRACT
During the past decades, a large body of information concerning the effects of endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) on animals and humans has been accumulated. EDCs are of synthetic or natural origin and certain groups are known to disrupt the action of androgens and to impair the development of the male reproductive tract and external genitalia. The present overview describes the effects of the different classes of EDCs, such as pesticides, phthalates, dioxins, and phytoestrogens, including newly synthesized resveratrol analogs on steroidogenesis in Leydig cells. The potential impact of these compounds on androgen production by Leydig cells during fetal development and in the adult age is discussed. In addition, the possible role of EDCs in connection with the increasing frequency of abnormalities in reproductive development in animals and humans is discussed.
Subject(s)
Endocrine Disruptors , Endocrine System/drug effects , Environmental Pollutants , Hormone Antagonists/pharmacology , Leydig Cells/physiology , Adult , Animals , Endocrine Disruptors/adverse effects , Endocrine System/embryology , Endocrine System/physiology , Environmental Pollutants/toxicity , Hormones/physiology , Humans , Male , Reproduction/drug effects , Sexual Maturation/drug effectsABSTRACT
Sex steroids are crucial regulators of sexual differentiation and the proper development of secondary sex characteristics and patterns of sexual behavior. Since Leydig cells are the primary major producers of these steroid hormones, maintenance of the normal functions of these cells determines the reproductive capacity and fertility of males. The present minireview discusses recent findings concerning endocrine and paracrine regulation of the proliferation, differentiation and involution of human Leydig cells. The physiology and function of the two distinct fetal and adult populations of human Leydig cells are described, with particular focus on the paracrine environment that triggers their differentiation and functional maturation. The roles of established and more recently discovered paracrine regulators of this maturation, including insulin-like factor 3, platelet-derived growth factor-alpha, desert hedgehog, ghrelin and leptin are considered. A brief description of the origin, ontogenesis and functional markers of human fetal and adult Leydig cells is presented.
