Petersen Cecilia, Soder Olle
Paediatric Endocrinology Unit, Department of Woman and Child Health, Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Horm Res. 2006;66(4):153-61. doi: 10.1159/000094142. Epub 2006 Jun 23.
The somatic Sertoli cell plays an essential role in embryonic determination of male somatic sex and in spermatogenesis during adult life. One individual Sertoli cell supplies a clone of developing germ cells with nutrients and growth factors and it is well established that the number of Sertoli cells present is closely correlated to both testicular size and sperm output. Sertoli cells continue to proliferate and differentiate until the beginning of puberty, when they cease dividing and start nursing the germ cells. At this point in time, the future capacity of the testis for sperm production has thus been determined. Prior to puberty the Sertoli cells are immature and differ considerably with respect to morphology and biochemical activity from the mature cell. The several investigations that have focused on hormonal and paracrine regulation of the functions of the mature cell are reviewed here, but the mechanisms underlying the maturation and general maintenance of well-functioning Sertoli cells remain obscure. An alarming decline in male reproductive health has been observed in several Western countries during recent decades. Disturbance of Sertoli cell differentiation is thought to be involved in the pathogenesis of both a poor sperm count and testicular cancer. It is speculated that environmental agents that disrupt the estrogenic/androgenic balance in the testis may play a role in this connection.
体细胞性支持细胞在胚胎期男性体细胞性别的决定以及成年期精子发生过程中发挥着至关重要的作用。单个支持细胞为发育中的生殖细胞克隆提供营养物质和生长因子，并且已经明确，支持细胞的数量与睾丸大小和精子产量密切相关。支持细胞持续增殖和分化，直至青春期开始，此时它们停止分裂并开始滋养生殖细胞。此时，睾丸未来的精子生成能力便已确定。青春期前，支持细胞不成熟，在形态和生化活性方面与成熟细胞有很大差异。本文综述了多项聚焦于成熟细胞功能的激素和旁分泌调节的研究，但支持细胞成熟及维持良好功能的潜在机制仍不清楚。近几十年来，在几个西方国家观察到男性生殖健康出现惊人下降。支持细胞分化紊乱被认为与精子数量少和睾丸癌的发病机制有关。据推测，扰乱睾丸中雌激素/雄激素平衡的环境因素可能在此方面发挥作用。
