Exploring the roles of epinephrine in Human Testicular Peritubular Cells

REY, V; ROSSI SP; MAYERHOFER A; FRUNGIERI MB

Mar del Plata

Congreso; LXI Annual meeting Argentine Society for Clinical Investigation (SAIC); 2016

SAIC

Catecholamines reach the testes via its sympathetic innervation and theblood stream. They mediate stress-responses via receptors and may be areinvolved in the regulation of testicular function. We determined by RT-PCR thatHuman Testicular Peritubular Cells (HTPCs) isolatedfrom infertile patients express α1-, β1- and β2- adrenergic receptors. The aimof this study was to investigate if HTPCs are possible targets ofcatecholamines and to test their influence on cell viability, smooth musclemarkers, pro-inflammatory factors and CXCL12 expression.Epinephrine (Epi; 10nM, 100nM, 1µM and 10 µM) has a trophic effect andsignificantly increases metabolic activity (determined by ATP assay) on HTPCs,after 24 h of incubation.Epi and 10µM salbutamol (S; agonist β2) and phenylephrine (P; agonistα1) decreased calponin and smooth muscle actin (SMA) mRNA expression after 24 hincubation (qPCR: calponin/GAPDH: B:1.00±0.09; Epi:0.63±0.08*;S:0.68±0.12*; P:0.63±0.06*; SMA/GAPDH: B:1.00±0.08;Epi:0.39±0.10*; S:0.51±0.02*; P:0.52±0.02*;X±SEM; * P<0.05).Moreover, Epi and P increased themRNA expression of pro-inflammatory factors, IL-6 and COX2, after 3 h incubation (qPCR: IL6/GAPDH: B:1.00±0.10;Epi:2.11±0.35*; P:1.79±0.09*;COX2/GAPDH: B:1.00±0.09; Epi:3.42±0.07*; P: 2.94±1.35*;X±SEM; * P<0.05). Epi also decreased CXCL12 mRNA expression (qPCR: CXCL12/GAPDH 24 h,B:1.00±0.09; Epi:0.67±0.05*; 3 h, B:1.00±0.08; Epi:0.70±0.05*;X±SEM; * P<0.05). Our data, although preliminary, reveal that Epi targets HTPCs, hasgrowth promoting activities, exerts inflammatory actions (IL6 and COX2) and mayinfluence contractility markers. Given that Sertoli and spermatogonial stemcells express CXCL12 receptors, the action of Epi on CXCL12 expression may haveconsequences for the microenvironment and the spermatogonial stem cells nicheand, subsequently, for spermatogenesis. Hence, Epi and stress may be involvedin the development of human male sub- or infertility.