睾丸间质干细胞分化和移植

睾丸间质细胞是男性体内合成雄激素的主要细胞,胚胎发育期中肾胚的间质细胞及生精小管周成纤维样细胞可能是睾丸间质细胞的干细胞。在胚胎期间质干细胞分化为胎儿型间质细胞;出生后间质干细胞经间质祖细胞、未成熟间质细胞分化为成熟间质细胞。老年期间质细胞数量可能不变,但雄激素合成下降。间充质干细胞及脂肪干细胞等干细胞经诱导可分化为分泌雄激素的睾丸间质细胞,因此,间质干细胞移植可望成为治疗男性性腺功能不全和中老年雄激素缺乏的创新方法,本文对睾丸间质干细胞的分化及移植方面研究进行综述。

Differentiation and transplantation of testicular Leydig stem cell

Testicular Leydig cells are main cells which synthesize testosterone in male. Mesonephric stromal cells and fibroblast-like cells around seminiferous tubules are the stem Leydig cells ( SLCs ) during fetal development. In mammalian, the fetal Leydig cells ( FLCs ) are differentiated from SLCs at fetal stage. The neonate SLCs differentiated to the adult Leydig cells ( ALCs) via progenitor Leydig cells ( PLCs) , immature Leydig cells ( ILCs) . Testosterone production in Leydig cells decreases along with aging, while total number of Leydig cell may not changed. It was reported that marrow stromal cells ( MSCs) and adipose-derived stem cells, as well as some other stem cells, could be in vitro induced to differentiate to SLC with the function of testosterone production. SLCs transplantation could be a new method for clinical treatment of male hypogonadism and andropouse. The differentiation of SLCs and transplantation are reviewed in this paper.