Testicular immune cells and vasculature in Klinefelter syndrome from childhood up to adulthood
| Autor: | Dorien Van Saen, Veerle Vloeberghs, Herman Tournaye, Inge Gies, Margo Willems, Jean De Schepper, Ellen Goossens |
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| Přispěvatelé: | Basic (bio-) Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Biology of the Testis, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Centre for Reproductive Medicine - Gynaecology, Clinical sciences, Growth and Development, Pediatrics, Surgical clinical sciences |
| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
Adult
Male Adolescent Tryptase Andrology 03 medical and health sciences Klinefelter Syndrome 0302 clinical medicine Fibrosis Testis Biopsy medicine Humans Orchiectomy Child 030304 developmental biology 0303 health sciences Sertoli Cells 030219 obstetrics & reproductive medicine biology medicine.diagnostic_test business.industry CD68 Rehabilitation Obstetrics and Gynecology Seminiferous Tubules medicine.disease Mast cell Spermatogonia Testicular sperm extraction medicine.anatomical_structure Reproductive Medicine Child Preschool Testicular fibrosis biology.protein business |
| Zdroj: | Human Reproduction. 35:1753-1764 |
| ISSN: | 1460-2350 0268-1161 |
| Popis: | STUDY QUESTION Is the distribution of immune cells and the testicular vasculature altered in testicular biopsies from patients with Klinefelter syndrome (KS)? SUMMARY ANSWER Increased numbers of macrophages and mast cells, an increased expression of decorin and an increased blood vessel density were found in KS samples compared to controls. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Most KS patients are infertile due to an early germ cell loss. From puberty onwards, testicular fibrosis can be detected. How this fibrotic process is initiated remains unknown. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION In this study, the number of macrophages, mast cells and their secretory products were evaluated in KS, Sertoli cell only (SCO) and control patient samples. The association between immune cell numbers and level of fibrosis in KS tissue was examined. In addition, the vascularization within these testicular tissue biopsies was studied. For immunohistochemical evaluation, KS patients at different stages of testicular development were included: prepubertal (aged 4–7 years; n = 4), peripubertal (aged 11–17 years; n = 21) and adult (aged >18 years; n = 37) patients. In addition, testicular tissue biopsies of adult SCO (n = 33) and control samples for the three KS age groups (prepubertal n = 9; peripubertal n = 5; adult n = 25) were analysed. Gene expression analysis was performed on adult testicular tissue from KS (n = 5), SCO (n = 5) and control (n = 5) patients. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS Adult (>18 years) KS, SCO and control testicular tissue biopsies were obtained during a testicular sperm extraction procedure. KS peripubertal (11–18 years), prepubertal ( MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE A significant increase in the number of macrophages (P LARGE SCALE DATA N/A. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION As controls for this study, testicular tissue biopsies of men who underwent a vasectomy reversal or orchiectomy were used, but these men may not represent fertile controls. In addition, a high variability in immune cell numbers, secretory products expression and number of blood vessels could be observed amongst all patient samples. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS Increased numbers of macrophages and mast cells have previously been described in non-KS infertile men. Our results show that these increased numbers can also be detected in KS testicular tissue. However, no association between the number of macrophages or mast cells and the degree of fibrosis in KS samples could be detected. Decorin has previously been described in relation to fibrosis, but it has not yet been associated with testicular fibrosis in KS. Our results suggest a role for this proteoglycan in the fibrotic process since an increased expression was observed in adult KS tissue compared to controls. Impaired vascularization in KS men was suggested to be responsible for the KS-related disturbed hormone levels. Our results show a significant difference in blood vessel density, especially for the smallest blood vessels, between prepubertal KS samples and age-matched controls. This is the first study to report differences between KS and control testicular tissue at prepubertal age. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) The project was funded by grants from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (E.G.) and the scientific Fund Willy Gepts from the UZ Brussel (D.V.S.). D.V.S. is a post-doctoral fellow of the Fonds voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (FWO; 12M2819N). No conflict of interest is declared for this research project. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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