THE HISTOCHEMICAL PATTERN OF THE HUMAN ADULT TESTES

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The histo-chemical pattern of the human testes has been investigated. Steroid-producing Leydig cells are characterized by the enzymes 3[beta] olhydroxy-steroid dehydrogenase and secondary alcohol dehydrogenase. The presence of the last mentioned enzyme precedes that of the 3[beta] ol-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase. Fibroblast-like interstitial cells showed only enzyme activity of the secondary alcohol dehydrogenase. The best results for indicating the presence of the enzyme 3[beta] ol-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase were obtained by the method of Allen (1960) with the substrate androst-4-ene-3[beta],17[beta]-diol. No activity of 3[beta] ol-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase and the secondary alcohol de-hydrogenase was found in the Sertoli cells.