Differential effects of ionizing radiation and platinum-derivative chemotherapy on apoptotic pathways in testicular germ cells.

Purpose: The purpose here was to identify whether ionizing radiation and oxaliplatin triggered testicular germ cells apoptosis through different executionary pathways.

Materials And Methods: Adult male mice are treated with oxaliplatin (0.5 mg/kg, Ox) 4 h before being locally irradiated (0.

Expression of galectin-3 and its regulation in the testes.

Although spermatogenesis is a complex process under hormonal control, which includes mainly follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and androgens, little is known about the intra-testicular mediators of these hormones. In the present study, galectin-3 (Gal-3) expression has been identified in human, rat and porcine testes where it is under hormonal control. Gal-3 is present in Sertoli cells and appears to be absent in human and (probably) in rat germ cells.

Androgens and postmeiotic germ cells regulate claudin-11 expression in rat Sertoli cells.

In the present study we investigated whether fetal exposure to flutamide affected messenger and protein levels of claudin-11, a key Sertoli cell factor in the establishment of the hemotesticular barrier, at the time of two key events of postnatal testis development: 1) before puberty (postnatal d 14) during the establishment of the hemotesticular barrier, and 2) at the adult age (postnatal d 90) at the time of full spermatogenesis. The data obtained show that claudin-11 expression was inhibited in prepubertal rat testes exposed in utero to 2 and 10 mg/kg x d flutamide. However, in adult testes, the inhibition was observed only with 2, and not with 10, mg/kg x d of the antiandrogen.

Long-term apoptotic cell death process with increased expression and activation of caspase-3 and -6 in adult rat germ cells exposed in utero to flutamide.

Although it is established that in utero exposure to antiandrogenic compounds such as flutamide induces hypospermatogenesis in adult male rat offspring, the cellular and molecular mechanisms remain to be investigated. By using adult rats exposed in utero to flutamide (0.4, 2, 10 mg/kg.