The Biology of Leydig Cell Development

Abstract

Greater understanding of the growth factor regulation of Leydig cells during their postnatal differentiation has been achieved. Increasingly, attention will shift toward the goal of isolating Leydig stem cells because of their therapeutic potential in the treatment of male hypogonadism and the syndrome of androgen deficiency of aging males (ADAM). Markers of Leydig stem cells such as Kit receptor can be exploited in harvesting enriched fractions from the testis for amplification in vitro. When subsequently implanted back into the same testis, we expect the amplified stem cells to undergo differentiation into steroidogenic Leydig cells.