ArticleEndocrinology2013
Drug ligand-induced activation of translocator protein (TSPO) stimulates steroid production by aged brown Norway rat Leydig cells.
Article in Endocrinology, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 35 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
35 citing papers in PubMed, 67 citations in OpenAlex.
- Microsomal triglyceride transfer protein restricts steroid production in Leydig cells by regulating SREBP2.iScience · 2026Article
- Review
- Anti-aging effects of the adrenal androgens dehydroepiandrosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate: mechanisms of action and beneficial effects in older people.Endocrine journal · 2026Review
- Target validation uncouples mitochondrial translocator protein from 19-Atriol-mediated inhibition of steroidogenesis and identifies enzymatic targets.The Journal of biological chemistry · 2026Article
- Testosterone and Obesity in an Aging Society.Biomolecules · 2025Review
- Age-related testosterone decline: mechanisms and intervention strategies.Reproductive biology and endocrinology : RB&E · 2024Review
- Cognitive Dysfunction in Patients Treated with Androgen Deprivation Therapy: A Multimodality Functional Imaging Study to Evaluate Neuroinflammation.Prostate cancer · 2023Article
- Translocator protein in the rise and fall of central nervous system neurons.Frontiers in cellular neuroscience · 2023Review
- Comparative Assessment of TSPO Modulators on Electroencephalogram Activity and Exploratory Behavior.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2022Article
- Testicular aging, male fertility and beyond.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2022Review
- Testosterone Deficiency in Sickle Cell Disease: Recognition and Remediation.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2022Review
- Article
- A large portion of the astrocyte proteome is dedicated to perivascular endfeet, including critical components of the electron transport chain.Journal of cerebral blood flow and metabolism : official journal of the International Society of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism · 2021Article
- Advances in stem cell research for the treatment of primary hypogonadism.Nature reviews. Urology · 2021Review
- Cholesterol-binding translocator protein TSPO regulates steatosis and bile acid synthesis in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.iScience · 2021Article
- TSPO ligand FGIN-1-27 controls priapism in sickle cell mice via endogenous testosterone production.Journal of cellular physiology · 2021Article
- Cisatracurium stimulates testosterone synthesis in rat and mouse Leydig cells via nicotinic acetylcholine receptor.Journal of cellular and molecular medicine · 2020Article
- Effects of pharmacologically induced Leydig cell testosterone production on intratesticular testosterone and spermatogenesis†.Biology of reproduction · 2020Article
- Translocator protein (TSPO): the new story of the old protein in neuroinflammation.BMB reports · 2020Review
- Bisphenols and Leydig Cell Development and Function.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2020Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Translocator protein (TSPO; 18 kDA) is a high-affinity cholesterol-binding protein that is integrally involved in cholesterol transfer from intracellular stores into mitochondria, the rate-determining step in steroid formation. Previous studies have shown that TSPO drug ligands are able to activate steroid production by MA-10 mouse Leydig tumor cells and by mitochondria isolated from steroidogenic cells. We hypothesized herein that the direct, pharmacological activation of TSPO might induce aged Leydig cells, which are characterized by reduced T production, to produce significantly higher levels of T both in vitro and in vivo. To test this, we first examined the in vitro effects of the TSPO selective and structurally distinct drug ligands N,N-dihexyl-2-(4-fluorophenyl)indole-3-acetamide (FGIN-1-27) and benzodiazepine 4'-chlorodiazepam (Ro5-4864) on steroidogenesis by Leydig cells isolated from aged (21-24 months old) and young adult (3-6 months old) Brown Norway rats. The ligands stimulated Leydig cell T production significantly, and equivalently, in cells of both ages, an effect that was significantly inhibited by the specific TSPO inhibitor 5-androsten-3,17,19-triol (19-Atriol). Additionally, we examined the in vivo effects of administering FGIN-1-27 to young and aged rats. In both cases, serum T levels increased significantly, consistent with the in vitro results. Indeed, serum T levels in aged rats administered FGIN-1-27 were equivalent to T levels in the serum of control young rats. Taken together, these results indicate that although there are reduced amounts of TSPO in aged Leydig cells, its direct activation is able to increase T production. We suggest that this approach might serve as a therapeutic means to increase steroid levels in vivo in cases of primary hypogonadism.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.