Open Access

ARTICLE

Interleukin-6 expression during normal maturation of the mouse testis

Hadas Potashnik¹, Mahmoud Abu Elhija¹, Eitan Lunenfeld², Gad Potashnik², Stefan Schlatt³, Eberhard Nieschlag⁴, Mahmoud Huleihel¹

1 Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion-University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
2 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Soroka University Medical Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion-University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
3 University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, USA
4 Institute of Reproductive Medicine, Muenster University, Muenster, Germany

* Corresponding Author: M. Huleihel,

European Cytokine Network 2005, 16(2), 161-165.

Abstract

In this study, we examined the cellular origin and the expression levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) during normal maturation of mouse testis. The levels of IL-6 (protein and mRNA) were higher in testicular homogenates of sexually immature than mature mice. Immunohistochemical staining of testicular tissues of sexually immature and adult mice show that testicular germ cells, at different stages of differentiation, Leydig cells/interstitial cells and peritubular cells express IL-6. Our results demonstrate, for the first time, overexpression of IL-6 in testicular tissues of immature mice, as compared to mature mice, as well as the expression of IL-6 in germ cells of testicular tissues of adult and sexually immature mice. Thus, our results may indicate the involvement of the endocrine system (gonadotropins and testosterone) in the regulation of IL-6, which is involved in the regulation of testicular development, functions and spermatogenesis.

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Keywords

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