Cytokines and chemokines in testicular inflammation: A brief review
- 4 March 2009
- journal article
- review article
- Published by Wiley in Microscopy Research and Technique
- Vol. 72 (8), 620-628
- https://doi.org/10.1002/jemt.20704
Abstract
A wide spectrum of data in the literature shows the relevance of cytokines as paracrine regulators of spermatogenesis and steroidogenesis in the normal testis. In this brief review, we highlight the relevance of cytokines in the testis during inflammation. This phenomenon involves complex and multiple interactions among immune and germ cells generally resulting in the alteration of spermatogenesis. The complexity of these cell interactions is multiplied because Sertoli and Leydig cells are also producers of pro‐ and anti‐inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. Also, cytokines are pleiotropic and they exert opposite and/or redundant effects in different conditions. However, in spite of this bidirectional immunoregulatory function of cytokines, the mass of the data, reported from experiments of acute testicular inflammation, shows upregulation of interleukin (IL)‐1β, IL‐1α, IL‐6, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF‐α), which induce adverse effects on germ cells. In autoimmune orchitis, a chronic testicular inflammation, chemokines such as CCL2, CCL3, and CCL4 induce attraction and extravasation of immune cells within the testicular interstitium. These cells alter the normal immunosuppressor microenvironment principally through the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines, interferon‐γ initially, and IL‐6 and TNF‐α thereafter. Germ cells expressing TNFR1, IL‐6R, and Fas increase in number and undergo apoptosis, through the TNF‐α/TNFR1, IL‐6/IL‐6R, and Fas/Fas L systems. The knowledge of immune‐germ and somatic testicular cell interactions will contribute to the understanding of the mechanisms by which chronic inflammatory conditions of the testis can disrupt the process of spermatogenesis. Microsc. Res. Tech. 2009.Keywords
This publication has 88 references indexed in Scilit:
- Interleukin 1 Alpha (IL1A) Is a Novel Regulator of the Blood-Testis Barrier in the Rat1Biology of Reproduction, 2008
- Blood‐testis barrier dynamics are regulated by testosterone and cytokinesviatheir differential effects on the kinetics of protein endocytosis and recycling in Sertoli cellsThe FASEB Journal, 2008
- Regulation of cell junction dynamics by cytokines in the testis—A molecular and biochemical perspectiveCytokine & Growth Factor Reviews, 2007
- Real-time monitoring full length bid interacting with Bax during TNF-α-induced apoptosisApoptosis, 2007
- Development of testicular inflammation in the rat involves activation of proteinase-activated receptor-2The Journal of Pathology, 2006
- Involvement of Tumor Necrosis Factor-α in the Pathogenesis of Autoimmune Orchitis in Rats1Biology of Reproduction, 2003
- Activation of Jun N-terminal Kinase/Stress-activated Protein Kinase Pathway by Tumor Necrosis Factor α Leads to Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 ExpressionOnline Journal of Public Health Informatics, 1999
- Vectorial Production of Interleukin 1 and Interleukin 6 by Rat Sertoli Cells Cultured in a Dual Culture Compartment SystemEndocrinology, 1997
- Cytokine Secretion by Macrophages in the Rat Testis1Biology of Reproduction, 1995
- Sequential Study of the Histopathology and Cellular and Humoral Immune Response During the Development of an Autoimmune Orchitis in Wistar RatsAmerican Journal of Reproductive Immunology, 1989