A. Valenciasanchez et al., ENVIRONMENTAL-TEMPERATURE AND CRYPTORCHIDISM - EFFECTS ON PREGNENOLONE-SULFATASE OF MICE TESTICULAR TISSUE, Archives of andrology, 36(3), 1996, pp. 233-238
This study examined the capacity of abdominal organs, such as the scro
tal testis, exposed to environmental temperature to hydrolyze pregneno
lone sulfate. The cryptorchid state of exposure to 34 degrees C during
14 days decreased testis weight by 38 and 23%. But the enzymatic acti
vity (nanomoles of free steroid/testis) was significantly higher (p <
.05) compared with the control. Moreover, a rise in the environmental
temperature combined with cryptorchidism in mice, two conditions that
induced testicular damage, has been related to the elaboration of fact
ors capable of modifying, through paracrine mechanism, the androgen bi
osynthesis. The presence of this factor could lead to an increase in t
he hydrolysis of pregnenolone sulfate, but as for cryptorchidism or hi
gh environmental temperature exposure, when cryptorchid mice were expo
sed to temperatures of 34 degrees C an apparent synergism of both cond
itions produced a decrease of 66% in testis weight. It would appear th
at the steroid sulfatase is predominantly located in the interstitial
epithelium. This study suggests that cryptorchidism and hyperthermia d
amage the tubular epithelium by different mechanisms.