Seminal exosomal miR-210-3p as a potential marker of Sertoli cell damage in Varicocele.

Background: Varicocoele-associated stressors, such as hypoxia and heat, can damage cell function and viability, and some exosomal biomarkers released from impaired cells may reflect the cell status in testis.

Objectives: To find if seminal exosomal microRNAs can reflect the Sertoli cell function in varicocoele.

Materials And Methods: Experimental left varicocoele rat model was established (n = 24), and patients with different grades of varicocoele (n = 104) were enrolled.

Lipophagy Contributes to Testosterone Biosynthesis in Male Rat Leydig Cells.

In recent years, autophagy was found to regulate lipid metabolism through a process termed lipophagy. Lipophagy modulates the degradation of cholesteryl esters to free cholesterol (FC), which is the substrate of testosterone biosynthesis. However, the role of lipophagy in testosterone production is unknown.