Immune Factors Regulate Normal Testis Function
Curiously, the testis contains factors such as cytokines, which are usually only produced upon infections and tissue damage. The cytokines interleukin-1α (IL-1α), IL-6 and Activin A are found in the testis, often at high levels. In other tissues, these cytokine would promote inflammation, but here they control testis function. They regulate the development of sperm by controlling their cell division and survival.
Other immune factors found in the testis include the enzyme inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and its product nitric oxide (NO), transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ), the enzyme cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and its product prostaglandin E2, and many others. Further research is required to define the functional roles of these immune factors in the testis.
Read more about this topic: Testicular Immunology
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