Subcutaneous Leydig Stem Cell Autograft: A Promising Strategy to Increase Serum Testosterone.

ABSTRACT: Exogenous testosterone therapy can be used to treat testosterone deficiency; however, it has several adverse effects including infertility due to negative feedback on the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. Leydig stem cell (LSC) transplantation could provide a new strategy for treating testosterone deficiency, but clinical translatability of injecting stem cells inside the testis is not feasible. Here, we explore the feasibility of subcutaneously autografting LSCs in combination with Sertoli and myoid cells to increase testosterone. We also studied whether the grafted LSCs can be regulated by the HPG axis and the molecular mechanism behind this regulation. LSCs were isolated from the testes of 12-week-old C57BL/6 mice, and subcutaneously autografted in combination with Sertoli cell

SUBMITTER: Arora H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6312442 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature