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Expression of Nitric Oxide Synthase During Germ Cell Apoptosis in Testis of Cynomolgus Monkey After Testosterone and Heat Treatment

JIAN GUO^*,,

YUE JIA^,

NAOMI CHIANG

YAN-HE LUE

AMIYA P. SINHA HIKIM

RONALD S. SWERDLOFF

CHRISTINA WANG

From the ^* State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China; and the Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine, Harbor-University of California-Los Angeles Medical Center and Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute, Torrance, California.

Correspondence to: Dr Yi-Xun Liu, State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Da Tun Lu, Chao Yang District, Beijing 100101, China (liuyx{at}ioz.ac.cn) or Dr Christina Wang, Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine, Harbor-University of California-Los Angeles Medical Center and Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute, Torrance, CA 90509 (wang{at}labiomed.org).

This study investigates the possible involvement of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in activating germ cell death in monkeys after mild testicular hyperthermia and/or hormonal deprivation. Groups of 8 adult male monkeys received 1 of the following treatments for 12 weeks: 1) 2 empty Silastic implants, 2) 2 testosterone (T) implants, 3) daily exposure of testes to heat (43°C for 30 minutes) for 2 consecutive days, or 4) 2 T implants plus testicular heat exposure. Testicular biopsies were performed before and on days 3, 8, 28, and 84 of the treatment. In control monkey testes, endothelial NOS (eNOS) was observed mainly in Sertoli cells and spermatogonia. No obvious alteration in eNOS levels was detected in any of the treatment group as assessed by Western blotting. Induction of inducible NOS (iNOS) in testes of the 3 treated groups was detected by immunoblotting as early as day 3 after treatment compared with that of controls. Immunocytochemistry further revealed a small increase in iNOS expression in both germ cells and Sertoli cells after T treatment. However, treatment of heat or heat in combination with T markedly induced iNOS expression in germ cells. These data suggest that iNOS, but not eNOS, may be involved in monkey testicular germ cell death after heat and/or T treatment.

     Key words: Andrology, iNOS, 43°C water bath