The relationship between vascular endothelial growth factor and spermatogenesis disturbance in an experimentally-induced unilateral cryptorchidism murine model

Mol Biol Rep. 2020 May;47(5):3605-3613. doi: 10.1007/s11033-020-05454-y. Epub 2020 Apr 28.

Abstract

This study is to explore the relationship between vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and pathological changes in cryptorchidism by using murine model of intraperitoneal cryptorchidism with surgical operation. To investigate the relationship between the changes of VEGF expression and heat stress inducing germ cell damage in testicular tissue. Six-week-old ICR male mice were operated to make unilateral cryptorchidism mouse model. Here in our study, a remarkable damaged of germ cells are seen in murine model of unilateral cryptorchidism. And the expression of VEGF was significantly changed in a time dependent way and consistent with the pathological changes of testis, this leading us to conclude that there was a negative correlation between VEGF levels and germ cell damage in unilateral cryptorchidism mouse model. We propose that there is a time dependent decrease of VEGF expression in cryptorchidism and confirm that VEGF is essential in spermatogenesis disorder caused by cryptorchidism and non-obstructive azoospermia.

Keywords: Cryptorchidim; Infertility; Spermatogenesis disturbance; Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF).

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Apoptosis
  • Cryptorchidism / metabolism
  • Cryptorchidism / pathology*
  • Cryptorchidism / surgery
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Germ Cells / metabolism
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred ICR
  • Spermatogenesis / physiology*
  • Testis / metabolism
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / metabolism*

Substances

  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A