棉酚对鼠类生精细胞LDH-X活性的影响

本文测定了连续饲喂棉酚达6周的大鼠和小鼠的生精细胞的LDH-X活性。结果表明,棉酚能够明显地抑制大鼠成熟精子的LDH-X活性;而对睾丸LDH-X活性的抑制,与对照相比,无显著性差异。在小鼠中,未发现棉酚对成熟精子及睾丸生精细胞中的LDH-X活性产生具统计学意义的抑制作用。本文结合精子发生过程及LDH-X的特殊功能,对棉酚抗生育作用的可能机理进行了讨论。     

用收集睾丸网液方法研究棉酚对大鼠支持细胞分泌功能的影响

有关对支持细胞功能的研究也是有助于棉酚的抗生育原理的研究。本文通过测量支持细胞分泌量和分泌特异蛋白,即雄激素结合蛋白(ABP)的研究,探讨棉酚对支持细胞功能的影响。实验采用成年雄性Wistar大鼠,每日喂服醋酸棉酚30毫克/公斤体重,共喂服8周。通过收液量的测定证明棉酚降低了睾丸分泌液量(0.024±0.006克/克睾丸组织/小时-0.013±0.002克/克睾丸组织/小时,均为平均值±标准误)。本实验又采用平衡态的聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳法测得喂棉酚动物雄激素结合蛋白与[~3H]双氢睾丸酮的结合活性较对照组为高,并具有明显统计学差异。另外,实验所用的收液法,即由外睾丸网做插管收集睾丸液略不同于常规所用的收液方法.与Tuck等人(1970)所采用的收液法进行比较,本方法简单,收液量多,收液无血浆和组织间液成分的污染。     

棉酚引起大鼠体内锌、铁、锰浓度的改变

给大鼠长期(90天)灌服棉酚,肝铁水平明显升高,而肝锌水平是有所降低。然而这种现象在短期(例如一个月)服棉酚大鼠肝中看不出来,考虑到服棉酚大鼠食量减少,因此必须以限制饲料量(使相当于服棉酚大鼠的食量)的大鼠为对照,结果发现单纯限制饲料量的大鼠肝中铁与锌浓度比不限制食量的正常大鼠要高得多。而服棉酚大鼠肝的铁与锌浓度是从限食对照组的高水平上降下来的。这表明服棉酚后肝中铁与锌浓度是降低了。锰的情况不同于铁和锌,但服棉酚后肝锰浓度也有统计上显著的降低。这表明棉酚在体内与这三种微量元素的代谢有关。 虽然服棉酚后睾丸与附睾的铁与锌浓度变化情况大致与肝相似,但不能排除是精子减少或阙如所致。因此导致灭精是否与这些微量元素——特别是锌——有关, 尚待进一步研究。 相对的纯种Wistar大鼠比杂种大鼠对棉酚的耐受性要好一些。幼龄大鼠比成年大鼠对棉酚的耐受性则要好得多。 棉酚与铁的关系已有不少的研究,而棉酚与体内其它金属离子,特别是两价金属离子的关系,报道很少。作为螯合物,总免不了在适当条件下与两价金属离子络合。本文目的在于观察较长时期服用棉酚的大鼠体内锌和铁浓度有无改变,在有些情况下也测定了锰。所测定的材料包括肝脏、睾丸、附睾和肌肉等。之所以关心睾丸与附睾,     

口服醋酸棉酚前后人精子体外受精能力及精核转变的细胞学观察

本文报道口服醋酸棉酚对人精子体外受精能力、原核及染色体形成的影响。结果表明,在口服醋酸棉酚前的9名男性精子对金黄地鼠卵的穿透率平均为62%。每日口服20mg醋酸棉酚15天后,精子对卵的穿透率下降至47%,30天后下降至24%,50天后下降至8%。即口服醋酸棉酚50天后达到了不再具有生殖能力的精子穿透率阈值(10%)以下。原核及染色体形成的观察表明,即使口服醋酸棉酚50天后,仍可见有完整原核的形成,并未见有明显的染色体畸变。综述上列结果,似乎表明口服醋酸棉酚虽可影响人精子对去除透明带金黄地鼠卵的穿透率,而进入卵内的精子仍可形成原核及染色体。因此,仅从成熟精子的生理功能而论,口服醋酸棉酚期间它似乎并不产生可察觉的致畸效应,这与醋酸棉酚对体细胞并无致畸作用的报道相一致。     

~(14)C-醋酸棉酚在大鼠体内的药物动力学研究——Ⅱ.在大鼠体内分布、排泄和代谢的动态的定量分析

1.大鼠口服标记棉酚后迅速通过粪、尿和呼气排出。粪排出量最多,占口服总剂量的83.5%;其次为呼气中的~(14)CO_2,占11.73%;尿中的含量最少,只占2.51%。经粪排出率最高,表明通过肝脏—胆汁—粪的代谢和排泄是排除体棉酚的主要途径和解毒过程。呼气中的CO_2是棉酚代谢过程中脱羰基作用的产物,这一过程也是体内棉酚解毒过程的一种方式。尿中排泄量低,可能与棉酚的非离子化态大分子结构不易通透肾小球而有利于肾小管的重吸收有关。2.大鼠一次口服标记棉酚20微居里/7.5毫克后,从体内排出总剂量的半量的时间(t(1/2))为2.5天,按排泄半量规律推算,从体内清除所需的时间约为服药后的第23天左右,与我们在第19天实测的体内残留率比例大体相符。3.分布于脏器组织中的标记棉酚的定量测定结果表明:胃、肠道内容物,胃、肠道组织和肝脏中的比活性最高,在服药后1天即到达它们的高峰强度水平。血液的活性在1天内亦到达高峰。但其比活性较上述脏器组织为低。心、肾、脾、肺、胰、膈肌和睾丸等主要脏器组织的比活性在服药后的初期较低。到第4天才达到它们各自的高峰水平。其中脾、肾、心的比活性较其他脏器为高,内分泌腺中的肾上腺、垂体和甲状腺的比活性亦较高。而神经系统中的丘脑下部、延脑和脊髓的比活性则均较低。各脏器的比活性随时间而递减下降,到第19天后均下降至微量水平。4.连续给药组脏器组织中的标记棉酚分布动态与上述一次给药组基本相同。连续每日服药2周后,所有组织均出现放射活性,其中脑组织的比活性最低,胃、肠道壁及其内容物以及肝的比活性最高。其次为脾、肺、心、肾、胰、膈肌和睾丸。这些主要脏器在连续服药3周后达到各自的比活性高峰水平。以后即逐渐下降。停药2周后均下降至微量水平。上述结果表明两个给药组的棉酚分布的变化动态基本一致,定质和定位的结果亦基本相符。5.棉酚的代谢:两个服药剂量组的胃、肠道组织,肝组织,胃、肠道内容物和粪中的游离棉酚(F)和结合棉酚(B)的比值,在服药后的初期均较小。以后随时间而逐渐递增。反映了棉酚在体内的早期代谢形式以结合棉酚为主,以后在脏器组织中通过氧化、分解或转化,游离棉酚及其代谢产物的比例增加,通过粪、尿和呼气(脱羰基后的CO_2)排出。     

棉酚对大鼠前列腺细胞增殖的影响

我们从体内及体外二个方面研究了棉酚对大鼠前列腺细胞的影响。在体内研究中,给成年SD大鼠口服棉酚对其前列腺作组织学观察;在体外研究中,将棉酚溶液直接加入培养系统中,对包括组织学结构、细胞生长速度、DNA合成状态及细胞分裂周期等多项指标进行分析。实验结果指出,在形态学上,经棉酚处理的大鼠前列腺的体积及重量均下降,与对照组有明显差异;二组前列腺的腺泡在组织学结构上也有明显不同:对照组前列腺的腺泡中充满突出的褶襞,由饱满的立柱形的上皮细胞构成这些褶襞及腺泡壁;而在实验组的腺泡中褶襞较少,构成褶襞及腺泡壁的为方形或扁方形的细胞。而腔内具有褶襞的腺泡总量实验组低于对照组约14%。根据体外实验的结果,可见随着棉酚浓度的增加,细胞增殖水平和DNA合成水平也相应下降,而呈剂量及时间的相关效应,其中10μg/ml的剂量能引起最大的抑制作用。根据对细胞分裂周期的分析,在棉酚组细胞进入S期的比例仅为全部细胞的31%,而对照组则为41%,这进一步说明了由于棉酚阻碍细胞进入S期从而抑制了细胞的增殖。     

不同移植部位对成年大鼠睾丸间质细胞雄激素分泌功能的影响

目的:探索不同移植部位对移植的成年SD大鼠睾丸中睾丸间质细胞存活及雄激素分泌功能的影响。方法:将健康成年雄性SD大鼠随机分为对照组、假手术组、皮下组和肾包膜组。对照组大鼠不去势,其余大鼠于睾丸移植前1周行去势手术。对照组和假手术组去势后仅行背部皮肤切开,不进行睾丸移植;皮下组背部两侧各移植1/3个成年SD大鼠睾丸组织;肾包膜组每侧肾包膜下移植1/3个成年SD大鼠睾丸组织。4周后取材行HE和免疫组化染色,分析移植睾丸组织中睾丸间质细胞存活情况,ELISA法检测受体大鼠血清睾酮水平。结果:皮下组和肾包膜组移植物中难于见到完整的睾丸间质组织,但免疫组化染色发现大量HSD-17β1阳性细胞,对照组、皮下组和肾包膜组的HSD-17β1阳性细胞数分别为(24.33±4.30)、(9.83±4.05)和(12.67±2.81)个,对照组与皮下组相比差异具有统计学意义(p0.05);ELISA分析发现对照组、假手术组、皮下组和肾包膜组的血清睾酮浓度分别为(3.81±1.32)、(0.28±0.08)、(0.44±0.13)和(0.90±0.31)ng/m L,肾包膜组血清睾酮浓度高于假手术组(p0.01)和皮下组(p0.05),而皮下组血清睾酮水平高于假手术组,但两者差异无统计学意义(p0.05)。结论:移植的成年大鼠睾丸组织中的睾丸间质细胞可在受体肾包膜下或皮下存活,但肾包膜下移植可能更加有利于睾丸间质细胞存活和雄激素分泌。     

小檗碱的消炎镇痛作用

皮下注射小檗碱明显减少醋酸性小鼠扭体反应次数,半数有效量为3.5mg/kg,仅在皮下注射8mg/kg的大剂量时,对热板法实验表现出镇痛作用。口服60mg/kg 小檗碱明显抑制醋酸提高小鼠腹腔毛细血管通透性;皮下注射20和50mg/kg都显著抑制组胺提高大鼠皮肤毛细血管通透性。给小鼠皮下注射4和8mg/kg小檗碱显著抑制二甲苯引起耳壳肿胀;给大鼠皮下注射20和40mg/kg时显著抑制角叉菜胶引起的足跖肿胀,作用持续7小时以上。小檗碱的消炎镇痛作用随剂量增大而增加。     

棉酚抗生育作用的研究——Ⅳ.大白鼠长期服棉酚睾丸退化的观察

选用出生1月龄大白鼠按20毫克/公斤体重/日灌服棉酚,每周5次,连续1个月和2个月取材;性成熟大白鼠每天服棉酚5毫克/只,每周6次,给药3、4、6个月和停药1、2、3个月分别取材,睾丸称重后固定、制片作比较观察。实验结果表明,棉酚对幼龄大白鼠睾丸的发育没有影响,但使发育到变态后期的精子细胞受损伤,附睾中出现断头坏死的精子。长期服抗生育有效剂量棉酚的大白鼠中,有相当一部分出现不同程度的睾丸退化。退化通常在睾网附近最先出现,并和死精子在曲精细管中积聚相关连。第Ⅶ—Ⅷ期生精上皮退化的过程是自上皮游离缘18—19期精子细胞开始渐进地向基膜方向推进,直至上皮完全剥落或仅留以个别精原细胞和较多的媬育细胞。停服棉酚后恢复1—3个月的结果指出,已开始退化的睾丸在停药后有继续退化的趋势。严重退化的睾丸经停药3个月,虽然曲精细管排列较整齐,部分留有精原细胞的曲精细管中精原细胞显示增加数目并有B 型精原细胞,但尚未见进一步发展。对于睾丸退化可能与死精子在曲精细管内积聚有关,而不是由于棉酚对整个生精上皮的损伤问题进行了讨论。     

棉酚对大鼠肾脏γ-谷氨酰转肽酶动力学的影响

本文应用动力学分析观察了棉酚对大鼠肾脏γ-谷氨酰转肽酶(γ-GT)的抑制作用。实验结果证实了棉酚在体外是大鼠肾脏γ-GT的抑制剂,而且抑制常数远小于r-GT的天然抑制剂——马尿酸。在不同浓度的棉酚作用下,改变双底物浓度,测定其活力并应用Lineweaver-Burk双倒数作图法,测得棉酚在两种底物情况下,对γ-GT的抑制作用均呈非竞争性抑制。     

Effects of age and luteinizing hormone antiserum on human chorionic gonadotropin-stimulated testosterone secretion in young male rats

The steroidogenic capacity of young male rats of different ages was studied. Two days prior to sacrifice at 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 days of age, the rats in treatment groups were given intramuscularly either human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) at 20 I.U. twice daily/rat or luteinizing hormone (LH) antiserum (AS) at 0.25 ml twice daily/rat. Either saline or normal sheep serum (NSS) was given to control rats. The serum and testicular testosterone concentrations in the control rats averaged 0.85 +/- 0.03 ng/ml and 1.35 +/- 0.06 ng/mg testicular protein, respectively. At day-15 the serum and testicular testosterone concentrations in the HCG-treated rats had significantly increased to 9.30 +/- 0.85 ng/ml and 11.92 ng/mg of testicular protein, respectively. At the same age, the HCG-induced higher levels of serum and testicular testosterone concentrations were significantly reduced to 2.80 +/- 0.70 ng/ml and 6.02 +/- 1.00 ng/mg protein by concomitant administration of LH/AS and HCG. Our results suggest that the testosterone production in response to HCG stimulation is age-related. It was also determined that neutralization of circulating gonadotropin in LH/AS-treated rats decreased the sensitivity of Leydig cells to gonadotropin stimulation. This in vivo model should provide an excellent opportunity for the investigation of the testicular function in developing young males.     

Effects of an LHRH agonist on endocrine function, LHRH receptor and LH/hCG receptor in the pituitary-gonadal axis of male rats

The effects of an LHRH agonist (LHRHa), [D-Ser (tBu)]6 des-Gly-NH210) ethylamide, on endocrine function and the LHRH and LH/hCG receptors in the pituitary-gonadal axis were examined. The LHRHa was injected at 100 ng/100 g body weight into male rats once a day for 4 weeks and its effects were observed until 2 weeks after the end of treatment. Due to LHRHa treatment, the plasma LH concentration began to increase on day 3, reached a peak on day 7, and then decreased, although it remained above the control level during the treatment. The pituitary LH content decreased on day 1, reached a minimum (about 40% of the control) between days 3 and 7, and then was maintained at 60% of the control level until week 4. In contrast, the pituitary LHRH receptor concentration increased only on day 3, and the association constant (Ka) remained unchanged during the observation period. The testis weight and plasma testosterone concentration began to decrease on day 3, reached the minimum on day 7 and remained at this level until week 4, and their levels were not completely restored to normal 2 weeks after cessation of treatment. The testicular LH/hCG receptor concentration was decreased on day 1, and markedly decreased to 10-15% of the control value between day 7 and week 4, but the Ka value was slightly increased during the treatment. However, these values had completely recovered 2 weeks after the cessation of treatment. The testicular LHRH receptor concentration increased between days 1 and 7, returned to the control level in weeks 2 and 4, and then decreased 2 weeks after cessation of treatment. Its Ka value was reduced in weeks 2 and 4. These data suggest that the inhibitory effect of LHRHa on the gonad in male rats is not due to reduced pituitary LH release, but to changes in the number and Ka values of gonadal receptors for LH/hCG and LHRH.     

Pituitary and Leydig cell function in boars actively immunized against gonadotrophin-releasing hormone

Crossbred boars were (a) immunized against GnRH conjugated to human serum globulin (200 micrograms GnRH-hSG) in Freund's adjuvant at 12 weeks of age and boosted at weeks 18 and 20 (N = 10), (b) served as controls and received hSG only in adjuvant (N = 10), or castrated at weaning (N = 10). At 24 weeks of age (immediately before slaughter), the boars were challenged with saline or pig LH (1 microgram/10 kg body weight). After slaughter, fresh testicular fragments were incubated with pig LH (0.05 and 0.2 ng/2 ml medium) to assess the effects of immunization on Leydig cell function. Pituitary contents of LH and FSH, and testicular LH receptor content were also measured. The results indicated that plasma LH and testosterone concentrations, pituitary LH content, testicular LH receptor content, testis and sex accessory organ weights were significantly reduced in GnRH-immunized boars compared to hSG-adjuvant controls. However, plasma and pituitary FSH content were not affected by high antibody titres generated against GnRH. The testicular testosterone response to exogenous LH in vivo and in vitro was significantly reduced (P less than 0.05) in GnRH-immunized boars. These results indicate that active immunization against GnRH impairs pituitary and Leydig cell functions in boars.     

Changes in testicular hCG binding and Leydig cell function in rats throughout life

The age dependence of Leydig cell function was investigated in rats from prepuberty (15 days) to senescence (39 months). Serum LH, serum and testicular testosterone were measured by radioimmunoassay. The binding capacity and affinity of LH/hCG receptors were determined by a radioligand receptor assay (hCG/Leydig cells) using 125I-hCG labelled by the lactoperoxidase method. Separation of bound and free 125I and simultaneous concentrations of 125I-hCG was achieved by vacuum ultrafiltration. The biochemical integrity of 125I-hCG tracer was ascertained by various chromatographic procedures. The highest hCG-finding and highest serum LH levels were found during puberty. Serum and testicular testosterone concentrations, however, were maximal in early adulthood. From this period onwards to late senescence hCG-binding changed only slightly, while serum LH and testosterone levels decreased significantly towards late senescence. The study shows that, although hCG binding to the Leydig cell changes characteristically during development, it is minimally affected by aging and cannot therefore be responsible for the reduced androgen biosynthesis in senescence.     

Testosterone response of cryptorchid and hypophysectomized rats to human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) stimulation

The testosterone responses to a single injection of hCG (100 i.u.) in hypophysectomized (hypox.), cryptorchid or sham-operated rats were followed over a 5-day period. In sham-operated rats, hCG induced a biphasic rise in serum testosterone, peaks being observed at 2 and 72 h. Reduced testis weights, elevated FSH and LH levels and reduced serum testosterone levels were found after 4 weeks of cryptorchidism, but hCG stimulation resulted in a normal 2 h peak in serum testosterone. However, the secondary rise at 72 h in cryptorchid rats was significantly lower than sham-operated rats. Reduced testis weight and undetectable serum FSH and LH levels together with decreased testosterone levels were found 4 weeks after hypophysectomy. Serum testosterone levels rose 2 h after hCG in comparison to hypox. controls but this peak was significantly reduced compared with sham-operated rats. The second rise in serum testosterone began on day 2, peaking on day 4 at levels comparable to that seen in sham-operated rats after hCG. The in vitro basal and hCG stimulated secretion of testosterone by cryptorchid testes was greater than that secreted by normal rat testes (518.0 +/- 45.9 and 3337.6 +/- 304.1 pmol per testis per 4 h compared with 223.6 +/- 24.9 and 1312.9 +/- 141.4 pmol per testis per 4 h for normal rat testes). In cryptorchid animals a single injection of 100 i.u. hCG resulted in a pattern of in vitro refractoriness similar to normal rats, lasting from 12 h to 2 days, during which testosterone secretion was reduced to near basal levels. The in vitro basal and hCG-stimulated secretion of testosterone by hypox. rat testes was severely diminished compared with normal rat testes. The temporal pattern of in vitro secretion of testosterone from hypox. rat testes mimicked the in vivo serum testosterone pattern seen in these animals. This study demonstrates important differences in the in vivo and in vitro testosterone response to hCG after testicular damage.     

Interspecies differences in testicular LH receptors and in vitro testosterone production among rodents

Testes from rats, mice and hamsters were incubated for 4 h with 0, 3.125 or 12.5 mIU hCG/ml. The LH receptor concentration in incubated testes of rats and mice was higher than that observed in hamsters. Testosterone levels in incubation media were significantly different among species (mice greater than rats greater than hamsters). During the incubation, hCG caused an increase in testosterone levels in all three species, but produced no significant changes in LH receptor concentration. Furthermore, a correlation between LH receptor concentration and testosterone only in hamsters is observed. The efficiency of the LH receptor-steroidogenesis interaction was estimated from the ratio of testosterone levels to receptor concentration under basal conditions and was found to differ among species (mice greater than hamster greater than rats). The levels of PGE and PGF in incubation media were higher in mice than in rats or hamsters, and hCG did not alter prostaglandin levels in any of the species. The present results indicate that acute in vitro hCG stimulation of testosterone synthesis does not involve appreciable changes in testicular LH receptor levels.     

Effect of gossypol on testicular blood flow and testosterone production in rats

Rats were treated with highly purified gossypol acetic acid at doses of 15 or 30 mg/kg day-1 for 6 weeks to produce an effect on spermatogenesis as shown by reduced sperm motility and increased sperm malformation rates. The treated rats did not differ from the controls in the body weight growth curves and reproductive organ weights. When stimulated with hCG, testicular blood flow was increased in the low dose group; the testosterone concentrations in peripheral and testicular venous blood were also increased to a greater extent than those of the control group. No difference was found between the high dose and control groups in testicular blood flow or testosterone concentrations. The morphology of the Leydig cells was apparently normal, although some degenerative changes in the germinal epithelium were observed in the high dose group. Therefore, there is no evidence in our experiment to show any anti-androgenic effect following 6-week treatment of gossypol in rats, even at the dose of 30 mg/kg day-1.     

Temporal changes in rat Leydig cell function after the induction of bilateral cryptorchidism

Adult rats were made bilaterally cryptorchid and studied at intervals of 3, 7, 14 or 21 days to study temporal changes in Leydig cell function. Serum FSH and LH levels were measured and the cross-sectional area of the Leydig cells assessed by morphometry. The function of the Leydig cells was judged by the binding of 125I-labelled hCG to testicular tissue in vitro and the testosterone response of the testis to hCG stimulation in vitro. By 3 days after cryptorchidism, the binding of labelled hCG to testicular tissue was significantly decreased compared to that of controls, but the testes were able to respond to hCG stimulation in vitro. At 7, 14 and 21 days after cryptorchidism, an enhanced testosterone response was observed and the size of the Leydig cells was significantly greater than that of the controls, which indicated increased secretory activity by the cryptorchid testis. Although serum FSH levels were significantly elevated after 3 days of cryptorchidism, serum LH levels did not rise until 7 days, thereby suggesting that the loss of receptors is unlikely to result from down-regulation by LH. The reduced testosterone response of the cryptorchid testis in vivo to low doses of hCG and the enhanced response at high doses are probably related to the reduced blood flow to the cryptorchid testis and the decreased sensitivity of the Leydig cells induced by LH/hCG receptor loss.     

Effect of uni- and bilateral cryptorchidism on testicular inhibin and testosterone secretion in rats

The effect of uni- and bilateral cryptorchidism on testicular inhibin and testosterone secretion and their relationships to gonadotropins were studied in rats. Mature Wistar male rats weighing approximately 300 g were made either uni- or bilaterally cryptorchid. Testicular inhibin and testosterone content and plasma levels of LH and FSH were examined 2 weeks later. A similar remarkable decrease in testicular inhibin content was found in uni- and bilaterally cryptorchid testes. On the other hand, the testicular testosterone content was significantly decreased only in unilaterally cryptorchid testis with an inverse increase in the contralateral testis. Plasma testosterone levels were normal and plasma LH and FSH increased significantly in both of the cryptorchid groups. These results showed that cryptorchidism impairs both Sertoli and Leydig cell functions. While testosterone production was compensated by increased LH for 2 weeks, neither inhibin secretion nor storage changed in cryptorchid or contralateral testes during the same period.     

Testosterone restores testicular inhibin content in cryptorchid rats

The effects of testosterone administration on testicular inhibin content and histology were studied in bilaterally cryptorchid rats, in which a marked decrease in testicular inhibin content had been observed. Mature male Wistar rats weighing approximately 300 g were made bilaterally cryptorchid by placing the testes in the abdominal cavity. Testosterone in oil, 0.1, 1.0 or 10 mg, was given i.m. each week. Testicular inhibin and testosterone content, histology and plasma LH, FSH and testosterone were studied 2 weeks later. Abnormally decreased testicular inhibin in cryptorchidism was restored toward normal by testosterone in a dose dependent manner in 2 weeks after surgery. Sertoli cell structure also recovered toward normal with increasing amount of testosterone. Decreased testicular testosterone content and Leydig cell atrophy were observed with suppressed plasma LH and FSH after testosterone. These results showed that the increased plasma concentration of testosterone had a stimulatory effect on the Sertoli cell function in cryptorchidism, in which compensated Leydig cell failure was demonstrated.