Estrogen receptor β selective ligand 5α-androstane-3β, 17β-diol stimulates spermatogonial deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis in rat seminiferous epithelium in vitro

Gonadotropins and testosterone are important regulators of spermatogenesis, even though gonadotropin receptors and the androgen receptor are not expressed by germ cells. However, a functional role for estrogens in connection with male reproduction has been postulated on the basis of the phenotypes of mice lacking estrogen receptor (ER) and cytochrome P-450 aromatase. This has further support by findings of ER expression in the testis, including that of ERβ in spermatogonia. 5α-Androstane-3β, 17β-diol (3βAdiol), a metabolite of testosterone produced via the intermediate potent androgen 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT), has been reported to selectively bind ERβ rather than ERα, but not androgen receptor. Here, we have characterized the influence of 17β-estradiol (E), the major physiological estrogen, 3βAdiol, and DHT on DNA synthesis in vitro by segments of the seminiferous epithelium at different stages of the seminiferous epithelial cycle in the rat. E and 3βAdiol exerted similar stimulatory effects on premitotic DNA synthesis in stage I segments, whereas other stages tested (V, VIIa, and XIII-IX) remained unresponsive. In contrast, DHT had no effect on this process. 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine labeling of stage I segments revealed a 30-fold higher labeling index in the presence than in the absence of E, and the labeled cells were identified as spermatogonia. Moreover, high levels of 3βAdiol were found in the testis of intact rats as well as in primary cultures of rat Leydig cells in response to human chorionic gonadotropin. We suggest that 3βAdiol may serve as a growth factor for germ cells stimulating premitotic DNA synthesis in connection with spermatogenesis via an ERβ-dependent pathway.