The effect of testicular macrophages, macrophage-conditioned medium and interleukin-1 alpha on the cytoskeleton of bank vole Leydig cells

Recently, morphological and functional interactions between cytoskeletal el ements and their involvement in cell movements, shape changes and/or transl ocation of organelles have been intensively studied. Thus, the aim of our w ork was to determine whether testicular macrophages and/or their products h ave an influence on Leydig cell cytoskeleton. The source of Leydig cells an d macrophages were male bank voles from spring and autumn generations, rear ed in different regime of light for 7-8 weeks. The Leydig cells were growin g in monocultures or in co-cultures with testicular macrophages. All cell c ultures were divided to controls or human chorionic gonadotropin-stimulated ones. To some of the cultures testicular macrophage-conditioned medium or interleukin-1 alpha were added. The cells were analysed immunocytochemicall y and radioimmunologically. In Leydig cells obtained from animals kept in a long day, grown in co-cultures with macrophages as well as in those stimul ated by testicular macrophage-conditioned medium, distinct rearrangements o f microtubules and microfilaments were observed. This phenomenon was streng htened in the presence of hCG in culture media. Concomitantly, basal and hC G-stimulated level of testosterone was enhanced, which indicates the possib le involvement of the cytoskeleton in the process of androgen biosynthesis. The influence of IL-1 alpha on reorganization of cytoskeletal structures w as not observed, suggesting that in the modulation of steroidogenesis by th is cytokine cytoskeletal elements do not play an important role.