Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 18, 2026

Isolation of Sertoli Cells and Peritubular Cells from Rat Testes
Published on: February 8, 2016
Granular changes in Sertoli cells in children and pubertal patients
Manuel Nistal1, Javier Regadera, Pablo Winitzky
1Department of Morphology, Autonoma University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain. mnistal.hulp@salud.madrid.org
Objective:
To characterize lysosomes and histochemical function of granular Sertoli cells in developmental alterations.
Design:
Prospective and retrospective study.
Setting:
University hospital and research centers.
Patient(S):
Nineteen infantile and pubertal patients undergoing testicular biopsy; four rat testes for lysosomal study.
Intervention(S):
CD-68, alpha-1-antitrypsin, vimentin, inhibin alpha subunit, and anti-mullerian hormone antibodies were evaluated. Morphometric measures in seminiferous tubules with and without granular Sertoli cells were obtained. Ultrastructural data of lysosomes in human and rat Sertoli cells were compared.
Main Outcome Measure(S):
Quantification of mean diameter of seminiferous tubules, tubular fertility index, and germ and Sertoli cell indexes were obtained in human testis.
Result(S):
Granular changes in Sertoli cells are due to the accumulation of large amounts of lysosomes. Vimentin immunoexpression in infantile and pubertal granular Sertoli cells was lower than in adjacent nongranular Sertoli cells. Inhibin was negative in granular cells. Anti-mullerian hormone-positive and -negative granular Sertoli cells were present within the same tubules.
Conclusion(S):
The presence of early granular changes in Sertoli cells in childhood and pubertal cryptorchidic patients, associated with other developmental alterations, suggests an intense and irreversible dysfunction of phagocytosis in the granular Sertoli cells. These alterations might be considered primary and irreversible anomalies of Sertoli cells, which might be contributing factors in the infertility seen in these patients.
More Related Videos
09:18Extra Cellular Matrix-Based and Extra Cellular Matrix-Free Generation of Murine Testicular Organoids
Published on: October 7, 2020
09:59Transillumination-Assisted Dissection of Specific Stages of the Mouse Seminiferous Epithelial Cycle for Downstream Immunostaining Analyses
Published on: October 7, 2020
Related Concept Videos
Spermatogenesis
The process of spermatogenesis can be divided into mitosis, meiosis, and spermiogenesis. During mitosis, the spermatogonia or stem cells divide to produce two identical daughter cells, type A and B spermatogonia. Type-A...
Spermatogenesis
Signs of Puberty
Testes: Histology
The spermatogenic cells, responsible for producing sperm, are...
Testosterone: Functions and Regulation
Folliculogenesis