Immunopathological aspects of the interruption of germ cell transport and on testicular blood flow in mice.

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1. Primary functions of the testis are spermatogenesis and testosterone secretion.2. The spermatozoa are very special in that they appear most late in human body. Therefore, their autoantigens are apt to be recognized as foreign bodies because of the appearance of them long after the period of immune tolerance.3. It has been considered that the spermatozoa are preserved from the immune system by the blood-testis barrier formed by inter-Sertoli cell junctions. However, our studies revealed that the blood-testis barrier is opened to the immune system at the tubuli recti and rete testis regions. Therefore, the sperm antigens are accessible to the immune cells under normal condition.4. Treatment with anti-cytokines (IL-6 and IL-10) antibodies and a immunomodulater (deoxyspergualin) augmented or inhibited the testicular autoimmunity.5. Experimental autoimmune orchitis has been most studied in a field of investigation of the testicular autoimmunity. In the present study, we tried to evaluate autoimmune aspects of testes in which their germ cell transport or blood flow is experimentally interrupted in mice.6. In another study, we found that traumatic injury to a testis on one side induced lymphocytic infiltration and aspermatogeneis in testis on opposite side. However, in experiments of interruption of germ cells transport or blood flow in a testis on one side, no inflammatory or degenerative changes were found in a testis on opposite side. In further studies, we combine these experiments with sensitization with sperm autoantigens or pretreatment with endocrine disruptors to investigate whether the additional treatments modulate immune state of the testes.