ReviewBiology of reproduction2018
Leydig cells: formation, function, and regulation.
Review in Biology of reproduction, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 312 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
312 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 664 citations in OpenAlex.
- Putative adverse outcome pathways for silver nanoparticle toxicity on mammalian male reproductive system: a literature review.Particle and fibre toxicology · 2023Pooled it
- Practical Nutritional Strategies to Attenuate Physiological Stress in Adolescent Soccer Players: A Comparative Trial of CoQ10 and Taurine.Nutrients · 2026Trial
- Testicular ageing as a central hallmark of male senescence: characteristics, molecular mechanisms and emerging therapeutic strategies.Annals of medicine · 2026Review
- A porcine model of chronic hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection identifies male reproductive glands as sites of viral persistence.Virulence · 2026Article
- Observation or treatment of paediatric varicoceles: revisiting the evidence.Nature reviews. Urology · 2026Review
- miR-182-5p regulates proliferation and senescence in chicken Leydig cells via the Wnt/β-catenin pathway by targeting FOXN3.Poultry science · 2026Article
- Integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis of the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis in rooster lines with contrasting hatchability.Poultry science · 2026Article
- The impact of probiotics on testosterone synthesis in the TM3 cell line.Clinical and experimental reproductive medicine · 2026Article
- Trimester Specific Anatomical and Histological Characterization of Testicular Descent and Development in Sheep Foetuses.Veterinary medicine and science · 2026Article
- Postnatal Cell-Type-Specific Localization of EGFR and Its Ligands (EGF, TGF-α and AREG) in the Rat Testis.Anatomia, histologia, embryologia · 2026Article
- Melatonin Regulates Growth-Arrest and DNA-Damage Genes GADD153, GADD45g and GADD34 in Experimental Varicocele.Cell biochemistry and function · 2026Article
- Dynamic Landscape of H3K4me3 and H3K27me3 Modification During Postnatal Leydig Cell Fate Determination.Andrology · 2026Article
- An Enriched Primary Culture Reveals Morphological Heterogeneity of Rat Testicular Telocytes.Cells · 2026Article
- Decoding cytarabine-induced damage in the prepubertal testis: A multi-omics atlas of ecosystem and inheritance.iScience · 2026Article
- Ganoderic acid D as a potential modulator of steroidogenic enzymes: Protective effects of Cucurbita maxima Duch. seed extract against nonylphenol-induced reproductive toxicity.Journal of computer-aided molecular design · 2026Article
- Understanding the Role of Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Gonadal Axis in Multiple Sclerosis and Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis.Biomedicines · 2026Review
- YAP/TEAD complex restricts H3K27ac deposition to suppress testosterone synthesis in adult Leydig cells.Histochemistry and cell biology · 2026Article
- Dietary patterns and testosterone balance: a review of clinical data and perspectives.Journal of advanced research · 2026Review
- Hexaconazole-Induced Male Reproductive Toxicity Through ROS-Mediated Ferroptosis and Impaired Leydig Cell Steroidogenesis.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Article
252 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Herein we summarize important discoveries made over many years about Leydig cell function and regulation. Fetal Leydig cells produce the high levels of androgen (testosterone or androstenedione, depending upon the species) required for differentiation of male genitalia and brain masculinization. Androgen production declines with loss of these cells, reaching a nadir at postpartum. Testosterone then gradually increases to high levels with adult Leydig cell development from stem cells. In the adult, luteinizing hormone (LH) binding to Leydig cell LH receptors stimulates cAMP production, increasing the rate of cholesterol translocation into the mitochondria. Cholesterol is metabolized to pregnenolone by the CYP11A1 enzyme at the inner mitochondrial membrane, and pregnenolone to testosterone by mitochondria and smooth endoplasmic reticulum enzymes. Cholesterol translocation to the inner mitochondrial membrane is mediated by a protein complex formed at mitochondrial contact sites that consists of the cholesterol binding translocator protein, voltage dependent anion channel, and other mitochondrial and cytosolic proteins. Steroidogenic acute regulatory protein acts at this complex to enhance cholesterol movement across the membranes and thus increase testosterone formation. The 14-3-3γ and ε adaptor proteins serve as negative regulators of steroidogenesis, controlling the maximal amount of steroid formed. Decline in testosterone production occurs in many aging and young men, resulting in metabolic and quality-of-life changes. Testosterone replacement therapy is widely used to elevate serum testosterone levels in hypogonadal men. With knowledge gained of the mechanisms involved in testosterone formation, it is also conceivable to use pharmacological means to increase serum testosterone by Leydig cell stimulation.
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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.