Department of Comparative Anatomy, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland.
Transplant Immunology, The Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX, USA.
Results Probl Cell Differ. 2024;74:137-157. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-65944-7_5.
Testicular macrophages are the principal immune cells in the testis. In addition to their classical immune roles, they regulate male hormone synthesis by Leydig cells, regeneration of Leydig cells, spermatogonia proliferation and differentiation, maintenance of testis-specific environment for sperm formation, and testis development. The juvenile and adult testes contain two distinct macrophage populations with unique tissue localization, genetic markers, morphology, and function. The interstitial macrophages are physically and functionally connected to Leydig cells, while the peritubular macrophages localize around the seminiferous tubules and are crucial for spermatogonia differentiation. Macrophages in the fetal testes regulate testis vasculature formation and clearance of mislocated cells. The origin of testicular macrophages is unclear. Some studies suggest their origin from the yolk sac and others from the bone marrow-derived monocytes. We discuss this issue at the end of this review article.
睾丸巨噬细胞是睾丸中的主要免疫细胞。除了它们的经典免疫作用外，它们还通过调节间质细胞中的雄性激素合成、间质细胞的再生、精原细胞的增殖和分化、维持精子形成的睾丸特异性环境以及睾丸发育来发挥作用。在幼年和成年睾丸中存在着两种具有独特组织定位、遗传标记、形态和功能的不同巨噬细胞群体。间质巨噬细胞在物理和功能上与间质细胞相连，而小管周巨噬细胞定位于生精小管周围，对精原细胞的分化至关重要。胎儿睾丸中的巨噬细胞调节睾丸血管形成和错位细胞的清除。睾丸巨噬细胞的起源尚不清楚。一些研究表明它们来源于卵黄囊，而另一些则来源于骨髓来源的单核细胞。我们在本文的结尾部分讨论了这个问题。
