Oxidative stress and phthalate-induced down-regulation of steroidogenesis in MA-10 Leydig cells.

Previous studies have shown that phthalate exposure can suppress steroidogenesis. However, the affected components of the steroidogenic pathway, and the mechanisms involved, remain uncertain. We show that incubating MA-10 Leydig cells with mono-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP) resulted in reductions in luteinizing hormone (LH)-stimulated cAMP and progesterone productions.

Identification, proliferation, and differentiation of adult Leydig stem cells.

Leydig cells, the testosterone-producing cells of the adult testis, rarely turn over. However, their elimination with ethane dimethanesulfonate (EDS) is followed by the appearance of new, fully functional adult Leydig cells. The cells that give rise to the new Leydig cells have not been well characterized, and little is known about the mechanism by which they are regulated.

Effect of glutathione redox state on Leydig cell susceptibility to acute oxidative stress.

The free radical, or oxidative stress, theory posits that imbalance in cells between prooxidants and antioxidants results in an altered redox state and, over time, an accumulation of oxidative damage. We hypothesized herein that cells with an increasingly prooxidant intracellular environment also might be particularly susceptible to acute oxidative stress. To test this hypothesis, MA-10 cells were used as a model because of their well-defined, measurable function, namely progesterone production.