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Petrozzi A, Pallotti F, Pelloni M, Anzuini A, Radicioni AF, Lenzi A, Paoli D, Lombardo F. Inhibin B: are modified ranges needed for orchiectomised testicular cancer patients? Asian J Androl 2020; 21:332-336. [PMID: 30531061 PMCID: PMC6628744 DOI: 10.4103/aja.aja_93_18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Inhibin B is a gonadal hormone that downregulates the pituitary production of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). In recent years, inhibin B has proved to be an excellent marker of spermatogenesis and even a predictive factor for the recovery of fertility in patients undergoing orchiectomy and antineoplastic treatments. We propose to study inhibin B levels in orchiectomised testicular cancer patients, in order to identify a minimum value representative of normal semen quality. This retrospective study evaluates hormonal and semen parameters of 290 normozoospermic patients attending the Laboratory of Seminology - Sperm Bank “Loredana Gandini” (Rome, Italy) for cryopreservation of seminal fluid following a diagnosis of testicular cancer (TC group) and 117 healthy, normozoospermic men as a control group (CTR group). The percentile distribution of gonadotropin and inhibin B values in the TC and CTR groups was analyzed. There was a statistically significant difference between the two groups in the levels of all hormones (P ≤ 0.001) and in all semen parameters (P < 0.05). About 20% of TC patients revealed inhibin B levels below the 5th percentile of CTR group, despite normozoospermia, and 31.4% had normal spermatogenesis in the presence of FSH values >95th percentile of CTR group. Orchiectomised patients for testicular cancer presented inhibin B levels lower than healthy patients, despite normozoospermia. Our study revealed the poor sensitivity of the current inhibin B reference range when applied to monorchidic patients, suggesting the need to establish more representative ranges to enable more appropriate counseling in relation to the patient's new endocrine condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Petrozzi
- Laboratory of Seminology, Sperm Bank "Loredana Gandini", Department of Experimental Medicine, Medical Pathophysiology Section, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome 00161, Italy
| | - Francesco Pallotti
- Laboratory of Seminology, Sperm Bank "Loredana Gandini", Department of Experimental Medicine, Medical Pathophysiology Section, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome 00161, Italy
| | - Marianna Pelloni
- Laboratory of Seminology, Sperm Bank "Loredana Gandini", Department of Experimental Medicine, Medical Pathophysiology Section, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome 00161, Italy
| | - Antonella Anzuini
- Hormone Laboratory, Department of Experimental Medicine, Medical Pathophysiology Section, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome 00161, Italy
| | - Antonio Francesco Radicioni
- Hormone Laboratory, Department of Experimental Medicine, Medical Pathophysiology Section, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome 00161, Italy
| | - Andrea Lenzi
- Laboratory of Seminology, Sperm Bank "Loredana Gandini", Department of Experimental Medicine, Medical Pathophysiology Section, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome 00161, Italy
| | - Donatella Paoli
- Laboratory of Seminology, Sperm Bank "Loredana Gandini", Department of Experimental Medicine, Medical Pathophysiology Section, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome 00161, Italy
| | - Francesco Lombardo
- Laboratory of Seminology, Sperm Bank "Loredana Gandini", Department of Experimental Medicine, Medical Pathophysiology Section, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome 00161, Italy
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Rato L, Socorro S, Cavaco JEB, Oliveira PF. Tubular Fluid Secretion in the Seminiferous Epithelium: Ion Transporters and Aquaporins in Sertoli Cells. J Membr Biol 2010; 236:215-24. [DOI: 10.1007/s00232-010-9294-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2010] [Accepted: 07/20/2010] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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Andersson AM, Müller J, Skakkebaek NE. Different roles of prepubertal and postpubertal germ cells and Sertoli cells in the regulation of serum inhibin B levels. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1998; 83:4451-8. [PMID: 9851793 DOI: 10.1210/jcem.83.12.5360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
To elucidate the role of germ cells in the regulation of inhibin B secretion, serum inhibin B levels in prepubertal boys and adult men whom had a concurrent testicular biopsy showing either normal or impaired testicular function were compared. In addition, by immunohistochemistry the cellular localization of the two subunits of inhibin B (alpha and betaB) were examined in adult testicular tissue with normal spermatogenesis, spermatogenic arrest, or Sertoli cell only tubules (SCO) as well as in normal testicular tissue from an infant and a prepubertal boy. Adult men with testicular biopsy showing normal spermatogenesis (n=8) or spermatogenic arrest (n=5) had median inhibin B levels of 148 pg/mL (range, 37-463 pg/mL) and 68 pg/mL (range, 29-186 pg/mL), respectively, corresponding to normal or near-normal levels of our reference population (165 and 31-443 pg/mL; n=358). Men with SCO (n=9) had undetectable or barely detectable (n=1) serum levels of inhibin B. In contrast to adults, prepubertal boys with SCO (n=12) all had measurable serum inhibin B levels that corresponded to our previously determined normal range in healthy prepubertal boys (n=114). However, in postpubertal samples from the same SCO boys, inhibin B levels were undetectable as in the adult SCO men. Intense inhibin alpha-subunit immunostaining was evident in Sertoli cells in both prepubertal and adult testes. In the prepubertal testis, positive immunostaining for the betaB-subunit was observed in Sertoli cells. In the adult testis, intense immunostaining for the betaB-subunit was evident in germ cells from the pachytene spermatocyte to early spermatid stages and to a lesser degree in Leydig cells, but not in Sertoli cells or other stages of germ cells. Thus, surprisingly, in adult men the two subunits constituting inhibin B were expressed by different cell types. We speculate that during puberty Sertoli cell maturation induces a change in inhibin subunit expression. Thus, immature Sertoli cells express both alpha and betaB inhibin subunits, whereas fully differentiated Sertoli cells only express the alpha-subunit. The correlation in adult men between serum inhibin B levels and spermatogenesis may be due to the fact that inhibin B in adult men is possibly a joint product of Sertoli cells and germ cells, including the stages from pachytene spermatocytes to early spermatids.
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Affiliation(s)
- A M Andersson
- Department of Growth and Reproduction, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
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Drescher B, Lauke H, Hartmann M, Davidoff MS, Zumkeller W. Immunohistochemical pattern of insulin-like growth factor (IGF) I, IGF II and IGF binding proteins 1 to 6 in carcinoma in situ of the testis. Mol Pathol 1997; 50:298-303. [PMID: 9536279 PMCID: PMC379663 DOI: 10.1136/mp.50.6.298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
AIM To study the immunohistochemical localisation of insulin-like growth factor (IGF) I, IGF II, and IGF binding proteins 1-6 in intratubular germ cell neoplasia in the vicinity of solid germ cell tumours of the testis. METHODS Testes were obtained from 13 patients (20-35 years old) who had undergone orchidectomy for treatment of a solid germ cell tumour. Tumour cells were verified histologically by their distinctive morphology and by visualisation of placental alkaline phosphatase immunoreactivity. RESULTS The majority of carcinoma in situ (CIS) cells were immunopositive for IGF I, whereas no CIS cells stained for IGF II. Of all the IGF binding proteins investigated, CIS cells showed intense immunoreactivity for IGF binding protein 5 and lower expression of all other IGF binding proteins. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that the action of IGF binding protein 5 in CIS cells may modulate the activity of IGF I. This may be related to a proliferative advantage that could facilitate tumour development.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Drescher
- Department of Anatomy, University Hospital Eppendorf, Germany
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Gnessi L, Fabbri A, Spera G. Gonadal peptides as mediators of development and functional control of the testis: an integrated system with hormones and local environment. Endocr Rev 1997; 18:541-609. [PMID: 9267764 DOI: 10.1210/edrv.18.4.0310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- L Gnessi
- Dipartimento di Fisiopatologia Medica, Università di Roma La Sapienza, Italy
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Abstract
The adult human Sertoli cells produced lactate, estradiol-17beta, transferrin and inhibin; germ cells modulate synthesis of these compounds. In order to study the functional features of human Sertoli cells in vitro, the aim of this study was to measure the lactic dehydrogenase (LDH), gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and creatine kinase activities (CK) in primary cultures of Sertoli cells prepared from young men (mean age: 29 years, n = 11). Five LDH isozymes have been found in Sertoli cells, the main fractions being the LDH3 and LDH4; each of them represented 30% of the total LDH activity. Furthermore, CK and ALP activities were measured in Sertoli cells. It is of note that the Sertoli cell ALP activity was 50% lower than that of germ cells. Whatever the Sertoli cell parameter measured herein, there is a great variability between patients and FSH (dbc AMP, as well as retinol, insulin, testosterone) is poorly effective in improving these enzymatic activities in vitro. We have confirmed that GGT was exclusively present in Sertoli cells and thus may be considered as a specific marker. LDH is involved in Sertoli cell glucose transformation and thus provided energetic substrates for germ cells. In contrast, the roles of CK and ALP remains to be clarified. In conclusion, we have demonstrated the existence of several enzymes namely LDH, GGT, ALP and CK in Sertoli cells prepared from adult human testis.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Carreau
- Laboratoire de Biochimie, CHU Côte de Nacre, Caen, France
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