Browsing by Subject "Steroidogenesis"

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    Histopathological evaluation of infertility: Lessons from laboratory rodents
    (Universidad de Murcia, Departamento de Biologia Celular e Histiologia, 2024) Ricken, Albert Markus; Hamed, Moses Agbomhere; Akhigbe, Roland Eghoghosoa
    Infertility is a growing challenge globally with emerging risk factors. There are effective laboratory tests to evaluate infertility in humans, nevertheless, some measures, especially histo-pathological evaluations, are invasive due to the pain inflicted when accessing the reproductive organs and obtaining samples; hence, their relevance may be limited in humans. However, these histopathological evaluations provide essential information on the etiopathogenesis of infertility and the likely mechanisms of action of potential therapeutic candidates. Also, non-invasive methods are available, such as the assay of testosterone in the blood and semen analysis, both of which are predictors of testicular functions. This review provides detailed information on the available histopathological investigations of infertility, such as qualitative and quantitative histopathological assessments of gonadal tissues, specific cell counts, and sperm morphology characterization, with a focus on the procedures, interpretation, and pathophysiological basis. Data from the literature revealed that histopathological examinations of the reproductive organs, as well as spermatozoa, are useful in understanding the pathogenesis of incident infertility. Histopathological evaluation may range from basic hematoxylin and eosin stains to some special stains. Also, histopathological findings (such as spermatogenic cells and planimetric variables, like seminiferous tubule diameter and theca cell and corpus luteum thickness) may be quantified and analyzed for comparison. Some skill is required for these investigations, which may be a limiting factor; however, they are important tools in translational medicine.
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    Morphology and functional responses of isolated inner adrenocortical cells of rats infuse with interleukin-B
    (Murcia : F. Hernández, 1992) Rebuffat, P.; Malendowicz, L.K.; Andreis, P.G.; Meneghelli, V.; Kasprzak, A.; Nussdorfer, G.G.
    The effects of the prolon Ye d infusion with interleukin-1B (IL-10) (20 pM.kg- .min- ') on the function and morphology of the isolated inner cells of the rat adrenal cortex were investigated. After 3 and 5 days of IL-1B infusion, the level of circulating ACTH was below the control level, while the plasma concentration of corticosterone was strikingly elevated. After 5 days of infusion, isolated inner adrenocortical cells showed an enhanced basal and ACTH-stimulated corticosterone secretion, and showed a conspicuous hypertrophy. The acute exposure to IL-1B 10" M did not affect the secretory activity of dispersed cell from either control or IL-lB-infused rats. These findings indicate that the prolonged exposure to high levels of circulating IL-lB, like those occurring during chronic inflammatory diseases, is able to enhance the growth and steroidogenic (glucocorticoid) capacity of the rat inner adrenocortical zones. Moreover, they suggest that the mechanism underlying this adrenocorticotrophic effect of IL-1B does not involve either a stimulation of the hypophyseal ACTH release or a direct stimulatory effect of monokine on adrenocortical cells. It is suggested that IL-1B may activate an intra-adrenal paracrine regulatory mechanism.