Huhtaniemi I
Department of Physiology, University of Turku, Finland.
Eur J Endocrinol. 1994 Jan;130(1):25-31. doi: 10.1530/eje.0.1300025.
The fetal testis is a special organ endocrinologically and not at all like a smaller version of the adult testis. Unlike the quiescent fetal ovary, its hormone production is very active. Besides testosterone it produces a special 'fetal gonadal hormone', the anti-Müllerian hormone. These two hormones together play a key role in the induction and regulation of male sexual differentiation. To meet these functional requirements the fetal testis has many unique features, especially as regards luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone action, which discriminate it from the respective functions of the adult testis. In this article, some enigmatic features of fetal testicular endocrine function are concentrated on in an attempt to identify the most important questions for further research.
胎儿睾丸在内分泌方面是一个特殊器官，与成年睾丸的缩小版完全不同。与静止的胎儿卵巢不同，其激素分泌非常活跃。除了睾酮，它还产生一种特殊的“胎儿性腺激素”——抗苗勒管激素。这两种激素共同在男性性分化的诱导和调节中起关键作用。为满足这些功能需求，胎儿睾丸具有许多独特特征，尤其是在促黄体生成素和促卵泡生成素的作用方面，这使其与成年睾丸的相应功能有所区别。本文集中探讨胎儿睾丸内分泌功能的一些神秘特征，试图找出进一步研究的最重要问题。
