ArticleTissue engineering and regenerative medicine2021
Rapid Differentiation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells into Testosterone-Producing Leydig Cell-Like Cells In vitro.
Article in Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 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
7 citing papers in PubMed, 9 citations in OpenAlex.
- Post-translational modification of proteins in the human testis development pathway.Human reproduction update · 2026Review
- The emergence of multiple testicular cell lineages in human stem cell-derived testis-like organoids.Development (Cambridge, England) · 2026Article
- The effects of testicular aging on Leydig cells and the application of stem cells in restoring Leydig cells function.Reproductive biology and endocrinology : RB&E · 2025Review
- Three-dimensional culture in a bioengineered matrix and somatic cell complementation to improve growth and survival of bovine preantral follicles.Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics · 2025Article
- Efficient differentiation of human iPSCs into Leydig-like cells capable of long-term stable secretion of testosterone.Stem cell reports · 2025Article
- Review
- Molecular mechanisms of cellular dysfunction in testes from men with non-obstructive azoospermia.Nature reviews. Urology · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundLeydig cells (LCs) are testicular somatic cells that are the major producers of testosterone in males. Testosterone is essential for male physiology and reproduction. Reduced testosterone levels lead to hypogonadism and are associated with diverse pathologies, such as neuronal dysfunction, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic syndrome. LC transplantation is a promising therapy for hypogonadism; however, the number of LCs in the testis is very rare and they do not proliferate in vitro. Therefore, there is a need for an alternative source of LCs.
methodsTo develop a safer, simple, and rapid strategy to generate human LC-like cells (LLCs) from stem cells, we first performed preliminary tests under different conditions for the induction of LLCs from human CD34/CD73 double positive-testis-derived stem cells (HTSCs). Based on the embryological sequence of events, we suggested a 3-step strategy for the differentiation of human ESCs into LLCs. We generated the mesendoderm in the first stage and intermediate mesoderm (IM) in the second stage and optimized the conditions for differentiation of IM into LLCs by comparing the secreted testosterone levels of each group.
resultsHTSCs and human embryonic stem cells can be directly differentiated into LLCs by defined molecular compounds within a short period. Human ESC-derived LLCs can secrete testosterone and express steroidogenic markers.
conclusionWe developed a rapid and efficient protocol for the production of LLCs from stem cells using defined molecular compounds. These findings provide a new therapeutic cell source for male 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.