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Leydig cell

 

 
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Leydig cell
 
 
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Leydig cells, also known as interstitial cells of Leydig, are found adjacent to the seminiferous tubules
Seminiferous tubules

Seminiferous tubules are located in the testicles, and are the specific location of meiosis, and the subsequent creation of gamete, namely spermatozoa....
 in the testicle. They can secrete testosterone
Testosterone

Testosterone is a steroid hormone from the androgen group. In mammals, testosterone is primarily secreted in the testis of males and the ovaries of females, although small amounts are also secreted by the adrenal glands....
 and are often closely related to nerves. Leydig cells have round vesicular nuclei
Cell nucleus

In cell biology, the nucleus , also sometimes referred to as the "control center", is a membrane-enclosed organelle found in all eukaryote cell ....
 and an eosinophilic
Eosinophilic

Eosinophilic means loves eosin, and refers to the staining of certain Biological tissue, cell , or organelles after they have been washed with eosin, a dye....
 cytoplasm
Cytoplasm

The cytoplasm is the part of a Cell that is enclosed within the plasma membrane. In eukaryote cells the cytoplasm contains organelles, such as mitochondrion, that are filled with liquid kept separate from the rest of the cytoplasm by biological membranes....
.

ig cells are named after the German anatomist Franz Leydig
Franz Leydig

Franz von Leydig , also Franz Leydig, was a Germans zoologist and comparative anatomist....
, who discovered them in 1850.

ig cells release a class of hormones called androgens (19-carbon steroid
Steroid

A steroid is a terpenoid lipid characterized by a carbon skeleton with four fused rings, generally arranged in a 6-6-6-5 fashion.Steroids vary by the functional groups attached to these rings and the oxidation state of the rings....
s).






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Leydig cells, also known as interstitial cells of Leydig, are found adjacent to the seminiferous tubules
Seminiferous tubules

Seminiferous tubules are located in the testicles, and are the specific location of meiosis, and the subsequent creation of gamete, namely spermatozoa....
 in the testicle. They can secrete testosterone
Testosterone

Testosterone is a steroid hormone from the androgen group. In mammals, testosterone is primarily secreted in the testis of males and the ovaries of females, although small amounts are also secreted by the adrenal glands....
 and are often closely related to nerves. Leydig cells have round vesicular nuclei
Cell nucleus

In cell biology, the nucleus , also sometimes referred to as the "control center", is a membrane-enclosed organelle found in all eukaryote cell ....
 and an eosinophilic
Eosinophilic

Eosinophilic means loves eosin, and refers to the staining of certain Biological tissue, cell , or organelles after they have been washed with eosin, a dye....
 cytoplasm
Cytoplasm

The cytoplasm is the part of a Cell that is enclosed within the plasma membrane. In eukaryote cells the cytoplasm contains organelles, such as mitochondrion, that are filled with liquid kept separate from the rest of the cytoplasm by biological membranes....
.

Nomenclature

Leydig cells are named after the German anatomist Franz Leydig
Franz Leydig

Franz von Leydig , also Franz Leydig, was a Germans zoologist and comparative anatomist....
, who discovered them in 1850.

Functions

Leydig cells release a class of hormones called androgens (19-carbon steroid
Steroid

A steroid is a terpenoid lipid characterized by a carbon skeleton with four fused rings, generally arranged in a 6-6-6-5 fashion.Steroids vary by the functional groups attached to these rings and the oxidation state of the rings....
s). They secrete testosterone
Testosterone

Testosterone is a steroid hormone from the androgen group. In mammals, testosterone is primarily secreted in the testis of males and the ovaries of females, although small amounts are also secreted by the adrenal glands....
, androstenedione
Androstenedione

Androstenedione is a 19-carbon steroid hormone produced in the adrenal glands and the gonads as an intermediate step in the biochemistry pathway that produces the androgen testosterone and the estrogens estrone and estradiol....
 and dehydroepiandrosterone
Dehydroepiandrosterone

Dehydroepiandrosterone is a multi-functional steroid that has been implicated in a broad range of biological effects in humans and other mammals....
 (DHEA), when stimulated by the pituitary
Pituitary gland

The pituitary gland, or hypophysis, is an endocrine gland about the size of a pea and weighing 0.5 g . It is a protrusion off the bottom of the hypothalamus at the base of the brain, and rests in a small, bony cavity covered by a Dura mater fold ....
 hormone luteinizing hormone
Luteinizing hormone

Luteinizing hormone is a hormone produced by the anterior pituitary gland.* In the female, an acute rise of LH ? the LH surge ? triggers ovulation....
 (LH). LH increases cholesterol
Cholesterol

Cholesterol is a lipidic, waxy alcohol found in the cell membranes and transported in the blood plasma of all animals. It is an essential component of mammalian cell membranes where it is required to establish proper membrane permeability and membrane fluidity....
 desmolase activity (an enzyme associated with the conversion of cholesterol
Cholesterol

Cholesterol is a lipidic, waxy alcohol found in the cell membranes and transported in the blood plasma of all animals. It is an essential component of mammalian cell membranes where it is required to establish proper membrane permeability and membrane fluidity....
 to pregnenolone
Pregnenolone

Pregnenolone is a steroid hormone involved in the steroidogenesis of progesterone, mineralocorticoids, glucocorticoids, androgens, and estrogens....
), leading to testosterone synthesis secretion by Leydig cells.

Follicle-stimulating hormone
Follicle-stimulating hormone

Follicle-stimulating hormone is a hormone synthesized and secreted by gonadotropes in the anterior pituitary gland. FSH regulates the development, growth, pubertal maturation, and reproductive processes of the human body....
 (FSH) increases the response of Leydig cells to LH by increasing the number of LH receptors expressed on Leydig cells.

Ultrastructure

Leydig cells are polygonal, eosinophilic cells with a round vesicular nucleus and contain lipid
Lipid

Lipids are broadly defined as any fat-soluble , naturally-occurring molecule, such as fats, oils, waxes, cholesterol, sterols, fat-soluble vitamins , monoglycerides, diglycerides, phospholipids, and others....
 droplets. They contain abundant smooth endoplasmic reticulum, which accounts for their eosinophilia. Frequently, lipofuscin
Lipofuscin

Lipofuscin is the name given to finely granular yellow brown pigment Granule composed of lipid-containing residues of lysosomal digestion. It is considered one of the aging or "wear and tear" pigments; found in the liver, kidney, heart muscle, adrenals, nerve cells, and ganglion cells....
 pigment and rod-shaped crystal-like structures 3 to 20 micrometres in diameter (Reinke's crystals) are found. These inclusions have no known function.

Development

Leydig cells form during the 16th and 20th week of gestation
Gestation

Gestation is the carrying of an embryo or fetus inside a female viviparous animal. Mammals during mammalian pregnancy can have one or more gestations at the same time ....
 and are quiescent until puberty
Puberty

Puberty refers to the process of physical changes by which a child's body becomes an adult body capable of reproduction. Puberty is initiated by hormone signals from the brain to the gonads ....
.

Additional images


See also

  • Sertoli cell
    Sertoli cell

    A Sertoli cell is a 'nurse' cell of the testicle which is part of a seminiferous tubule.It is activated by follicle-stimulating hormone, and has FSH-receptor on its membranes....
  • Sertoli-Leydig cell tumour
    Sertoli-Leydig cell tumour

    Sertoli-Leydig cell tumour is a member of the sex cord-stromal tumour group of ovarian cancer and testicular cancers. The tumour is rare, comprising less than 1% of ovarian tumours,....


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