Is there a role for thyroid hormone on spermatogenesis?
Appropriate level of thyroid hormone is essential for normal development and metabolism in most vertebrate tissues and altered thyroid status impacts adversely on them. For many years the testis was regarded as a thyroid hormone unresponsive organ, but consistent evidence accumulated in the past two decades has definitively changed this classical view. Currently, the concept that thyroid hormone plays a critical role in testis development, in rats and other vertebrate species, is clearly established. Although the effects of thyroid hormone on Sertoli and Leydig cells in the immature testis are well described, its role on the adult organ remains controversial. In this review, we summarize and discuss the recent development on the thyroid hormone effects in immature and adult testes. Particularly, we have attempted to address the role of thyroid hormone in the regulation of spermatogenesis, emphasizing recent data that suggest its involvement in germ cells differentiation and survival.
Wagner
Marcia Santos
MS
Thyroid Section, Endocrine Division, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil. marciaswagner@gmail.com
Wajner
Simone Magagnin
SM
Maia
Ana Luiza
AL
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008954:Models, Biological; D051381:Rats; D013091:Spermatogenesis / Q000502:physiology*; D013737:Testis / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D013963:Thyroid Hormones / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
D013963:Thyroid Hormones