Distribution of Sex Hormone Receptors in Normal Testis and Cryptorchidism of Camelus bactrianus

Purpose To compare the distribution of sex hormone receptors between normal testis and cryptorchidism of Camelus bactrianus, and to explore the correlation between the pathological changes of cryptorchidism and sex hormone receptors, providing morphological reference for the study of testicular pathology in C. bactrianus.

Methods The histopathological morphology of cryptorchidism and the distribution of glycogen and protein were observed by routine tissue section staining and special staining. The distribution and expression of androgen receptor (AR), estrogen receptor alpha (ERα), estrogen receptor beta (ERβ), luteinizing hormone receptor (LHR) and follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) in normal testis and cryptorchidism were detected by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence.

Results Compared with normal testis, the number of various types of cells in the cryptorchidism was significantly lower, the development of Leydig cells was slow, and Sertoli cells were mostly immature, the positive intensity of acid mucin in connective tissue and the basement membrane of seminiferous tubules decreased, and the total protein distribution decreased; the expression of ERα, LHR and FSHR in cryptorchidism was extremely significantly higher (P<0.01), the expression of AR was extremely significantly lower (P<0.01), and there was no significant difference in the expression of ERβ (P>0.05); the expression intensity of AR in Leydig cells and Sertoli cells decreased, the expression intensity of ERα in Sertoli cells decreased, the expression intensity of ERβ in Leydig cells and Sertoli cells did not change, and the expression intensity of LHR and FSHR in Leydig cells and Sertoli cells increased.

Conclusion The cryptorchidism tissue structure of C. bactrianus develop slowly, and the glycogen and protein secretion is abnormal. The abnormal expression of sex hormone receptors in Leydig cells and Sertoli cells of cryptorchidism is not conducive to the normal occurrence of sperm and hinders the development of spermatogenic cells.