Testicular mast cell heterogeneity in idiopathic male infertility.

OBJECTIVE

To determine if the mast cell subclass changes in diseased testes.

DESIGN

Retrospective.

SETTING

University hospital urology clinic and anatomy laboratory.

PATIENTS, PARTICIPANTS: Fourteen normal men and 50 patients with idiopathic male infertility.

INTERVENTIONS

Histochemical techniques to identify proteoglycans of mast cells were applied to the obtained testicular biopsy specimens.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

The numbers of the heparin containing mast cell and the chondroitin sulfate containing mast cell were measured with light microscopy.

RESULTS

The total number of mast cells and the ratio of chondoroitin sulfate containing mast cells were significantly increased in the testes from patients with idiopathic male infertility.

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that mast cells may play a certain role in the etiology of idiopathic male infertility.