title: Immunohistochemical localization of inhibin-alpha in the testes of normal men and in men with testicular disorders.
abstract: Testicular biopsies from normal men and from men with testicular disorders were examined by immunohistochemistry for the presence of the inhibin-alpha subunit using two different antisera. Immunoreactive inhibin-alpha (irI-alpha) was found in Leydig cells in normal, oligospermic, and azoospermic men and in men with Klinefelter's syndrome, and it was also found in a Leydig cell tumour. hCG-treatment apparently increased the amount of immunoreactive inhibin-alpha, particularly in Leydig cells. Sertoli cells also contained irI-alpha but the staining intensity was considerably stronger in testes with impaired spermatogenesis or Sertoli-cell-only syndrome than in normal testes. It is suggested that the serum concentration of irI-alpha and inhibin in humans may, in a complex way, be related to both Leydig and Sertoli cell function, and that the relative contribution from these cells may change in cases of testicular malfunction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bergh
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cajander
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007265:Inhibins / Q000378:metabolism*; D007985:Leydig Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D012708:Sertoli Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D013733:Testicular Diseases / Q000378:metabolism*; D013737:Testis / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D007265:Inhibins