Stern J E, Gardner S, Quirk D, Wira C R
Maternal and Child Health, Dartmouth Medical School, Lebanon, NH 03756.
J Reprod Immunol. 1992 Jun;22(1):73-85. doi: 10.1016/0165-0378(92)90007-q.
Immunoglobulin A (IgA) is present at mucosal sites of the body which are exposed to the external environment. In this study we evaluated the levels of IgA and its transport protein secretory component (SC) in organs of the male reproductive tract of both intact and castrate-hormone-treated rats. Our goals were to determine whether these proteins are present in the male reproductive tract and whether sex hormones can influence the amounts of IgA and SC in selected organs. We found that in intact animals, IgA was present in the prostate, epididymis, vas deferens and testis and that SC levels in the prostate were 22-fold greater than in these same organs. Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and/or estradiol, when administered to castrate animals, dramatically increased the levels of prostatic SC. In contrast, the levels of IgA were only minimally affected. DHT administration also resulted in a significant increase in SC found in the seminal vesicles. These studies demonstrate that IgA and SC are present in the male reproductive tract of the rat. Further, they show that androgens and estrogens act at selected sites in the male reproductive tract to play an important role in maintaining SC levels and thereby suggest that these hormones influence the movement of IgA from tissues into secretions.
免疫球蛋白A（IgA）存在于人体暴露于外部环境的黏膜部位。在本研究中，我们评估了完整大鼠和去势激素处理大鼠雄性生殖道各器官中IgA及其转运蛋白分泌成分（SC）的水平。我们的目标是确定这些蛋白质是否存在于雄性生殖道中，以及性激素是否会影响所选器官中IgA和SC的含量。我们发现，在完整动物中，IgA存在于前列腺、附睾、输精管和睾丸中，且前列腺中的SC水平比这些相同器官中的高22倍。当给去势动物注射双氢睾酮（DHT）和/或雌二醇时，前列腺SC水平显著升高。相比之下，IgA水平仅受到轻微影响。给予DHT还导致精囊中SC显著增加。这些研究表明，IgA和SC存在于大鼠雄性生殖道中。此外，它们表明雄激素和雌激素在雄性生殖道的特定部位起作用，在维持SC水平方面发挥重要作用，从而表明这些激素影响IgA从组织向分泌物的转运。
