Journal of Andrology Testis Workshop 2009
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Published-Ahead-of-Print January 14, 2010
Journal of Andrology 2010, DOI:10.2164/jandrol.109.009019

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Glucocorticoid Suppresses Steroidogenesis in Rat Progenitor Leydig Cells

YE-CHEN XIAO , YA-DONG HUANG , DIANNE O HARDY , XIAO-KUN LI , and REN-SHAN GE *

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: rge{at}popcbr.rockefeller.edu.

Glucocorticoid (GC) inhibits testosterone production in adult Leydig cells by the glucocorticoid receptor (GR). However, whether GC affects the development of Leydig cells is unclear. The goal of the present study is to investigate the effects of GC on steroidogenesis of rat progenitor Leydig cells (PLCs) in vitro. Dexamethasone (DEX) inhibited androsterone (AO) production in PLCs. The GR antagonist, RU38486, reversed the DEX-induced inhibition of AO, while the MR antagonist, RU28318, did not. RU38486 also reversed DEX-induced reductions in steady-state mRNA levels of steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (Star) and 3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1 (Hsd3b1). StAR protein expression and 3betaHSD enzyme activity were affected similarly. These results show that GCs inhibit steroidogenesis of PLCs by suppression of StAR and 3betaHSD via GR-mediated mechanism.


Key words: dexamethasone • glucocorticoid receptor • progenitor Leydig cells • steroidogenesis






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