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Updated: Mar 7, 2026
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Extra Cellular Matrix-Based and Extra Cellular Matrix-Free Generation of Murine Testicular Organoids
Published on: October 7, 2020
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Testicular growth and development in puberty.
Jaakko J Koskenniemi1, Helena E Virtanen, Jorma Toppari
1Institute of Biomedicine, Department of Physiology, University of Turku, and Department of Paediatrics, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland.
Current Opinion in Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Obesity
|March 2, 2017
Summary
Pubertal testicular growth involves rapid increases in germ cell numbers and seminiferous tubule diameter, driven by androgens. Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) work synergistically for normal development.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Endocrinology
- Developmental Biology
- Human Physiology
Background:
- Pubertal development is a critical period for reproductive maturation.
- Understanding testicular growth is key to diagnosing and treating reproductive disorders.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the mechanisms of pubertal testicular growth in humans.
- To detail the roles of testosterone, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and luteinizing hormone (LH).
- To describe changes in testicular cell populations during puberty.
Main Methods:
- Review of human data on pubertal testicular growth.
- Utilized nonhuman primate and rodent studies as surrogates where human data were limited.
Main Results:
- Testicular growth follows a sigmoidal curve with significant individual variation.
- Early growth involves Sertoli cell proliferation and seminiferous tubule elongation.
- Rapid growth results from increased tubule diameter due to germ cell expansion, stimulated by FSH and LH/testosterone.
Conclusions:
- Pubertal testicular growth is rapid, primarily driven by germ cell expansion and tubule diameter increase, triggered by androgens.
- FSH and LH/testosterone act synergistically, both essential for spermatogenesis.
- Pre-treatment with FSH may enhance hypogonadotropic hypogonadism treatment, though further research is needed.
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