Lipopolysaccharide, latex beads and residual bodies are potent activators of Sertoli cell interleukin-1 alpha production.

Several recent studies indicate that interleukin-1 (IL-1) may be one of the major regulators of spermatogenesis. In the present work, the effects of various agents on rat Sertoli cell IL-1 production were investigated in vitro at different ages. In control cultures the IL-1 production by Sertoli cells from immature rats (20 days) was barely detectable; it markedly increased with the advancing age of the donors (35 and 45 days). Lipopolysaccharide and latex beads, two inducers of monocyte-macrophage IL-1 production, were able to stimulate the release of IL-1 by Sertoli cells at all ages studied; a decrease in the relative response to these inducers was noted as the age of the Sertoli cell donors increased. Under all the experimental conditions tested it appeared that the IL-1 produced was IL-1 alpha, not IL-1 beta. Whereas pachytene spermatocytes and early spermatids had no effect on IL-1 alpha production, residual bodies/cytoplasts from elongated spermatids dramatically stimulated Sertoli cell IL-1 production. In addition, FSH had no effect on IL-1 alpha levels. It is concluded that Sertoli cell IL-1 secretion can be stimulated in vitro by well known monocyte-macrophage activators. Furthermore, Sertoli cell IL-1 production is most probably crucially dependent on the phagocytosis of residual bodies in vivo.