Foresta C, Varotto A
Third Chair of Medical Pathology, University of Padua, Italy.
Fertil Steril. 1994 May;61(5):941-8. doi: 10.1016/s0015-0282(16)56710-7.
To investigate the immunolocalization of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in normal and pathological human testis by immunocytochemical technique.
Cytologic specimens were obtained by bilateral fine needle aspiration (FNA) of the testis and stained in May Grünwald-Giemsa for the cytologic analysis; immunolocalization of EGFR was analyzed on duplicate slides from each testis using two anti-EGFR monoclonal antibodies and peroxidase-antiperoxidase technique.
Infertility center of an academic unit.
A total of 42 infertile patients, affected by various testicular diseases. The control group was made up of 10 normal sperm patients with autoimmune infertility and cytologic picture of normal spermatogenesis.
Exogenous FSH was administered 75 IU IM on alternate days for 3 months on 16 of the infertile patients who showed oligospermia and normal FSH plasma levels. Semen analysis and testicular FNA (and after cytologic and immunocytochemical studies) were repeated at 3 months of treatment.
Luteinizing hormone and FSH plasma levels were determined by RIA methods; qualitative and quantitative parameters for the cytologic evaluation are reported in our previous works.
The cytologic analysis permitted identification of seven classes of infertile subjects, characterized by different cytologic pictures. Epidermal growth factor receptor immunostaining evidenced weak positivity on Sertoli and germ cells (with the exception of spermatozoa) in the presence of normal germ line and normal FSH plasma levels and strongly intense positivity in the presence of serious hypospermatogenesis, spermatogonial or spermatocytic arrest, and Sertoli cell-only syndrome. These conditions were characterized by higher FSH plasma levels than normal controls. All of the subjects who received exogenous FSH, with moderate hypospermatogenesis or spermatidic arrest, showed on Sertoli and germ cells a weak EGFR immunostaining before the treatment and intense immunostaining after the treatment.
These results confirm recent demonstrations of EGFRs in human testis and evidence different EGFR immunostaining in the presence of various degrees of testicular damage, suggesting a role of this growth factor in growth and differentiation of the germ cells throughout spermatogenesis. The observation that intense EGFR immunostaining was found in subjects showing high FSH plasma levels and in all of the patients who received exogenous FSH, supports a possible role of this gonadotropin in the modulation of the EGFR expression.
采用免疫细胞化学技术研究表皮生长因子受体（EGFR）在正常及病理状态下人类睾丸中的免疫定位。
通过双侧睾丸细针穿刺抽吸（FNA）获取细胞学标本，用May Grünwald - Giemsa染色进行细胞学分析；使用两种抗EGFR单克隆抗体和过氧化物酶 - 抗过氧化物酶技术，对每个睾丸的重复玻片进行EGFR免疫定位分析。
一个学术单位的不孕不育中心。
共42例患有各种睾丸疾病的不孕患者。对照组由10例患有自身免疫性不孕且精子发生细胞学图像正常的正常精子患者组成。
对16例精子过少且血浆FSH水平正常的不孕患者，隔日肌肉注射75 IU外源性FSH，共3个月。在治疗3个月时重复进行精液分析和睾丸FNA（以及细胞学和免疫细胞化学研究之后）。
采用放射免疫分析法测定黄体生成素和FSH血浆水平；细胞学评估的定性和定量参数在我们之前的研究中有报道。
细胞学分析可识别出七类不孕患者，其特征为不同的细胞学图像。在生殖细胞系正常且血浆FSH水平正常的情况下，EGFR免疫染色显示支持细胞和生殖细胞（精子除外）呈弱阳性，而在严重精子发生低下、精原细胞或精母细胞停滞以及唯支持细胞综合征的情况下呈强阳性。这些情况的特征是血浆FSH水平高于正常对照组。所有接受外源性FSH治疗的中度精子发生低下或精子细胞停滞的患者，在治疗前支持细胞和生殖细胞的EGFR免疫染色较弱，治疗后免疫染色增强。
这些结果证实了近期关于人类睾丸中EGFR的研究，并证明在不同程度的睾丸损伤情况下EGFR免疫染色不同，提示该生长因子在整个精子发生过程中对生殖细胞的生长和分化起作用。在血浆FSH水平高的患者以及所有接受外源性FSH治疗的患者中发现强烈的EGFR免疫染色，这一观察结果支持了这种促性腺激素在调节EGFR表达方面可能发挥的作用。
