Reinke's crystals in perivascular and peritubular Leydig cells
- Author(s)
- Viviana Kozina, Ljerka Banek, Nikola Knezevic, David Geist, Lucie Kubinová, Marin Kosovic, Christian Rentenberger, Andreja Vukasovic, Davor Jezek
- Abstract
The human testis is composed of seminiferous tubules and interstitium. Within the interstitium, residing Leydig cells can occasionally bear Reinke's crystals. The aim of the current study was to investigate Reinke's crystals in perivascular and peritubular Leydig cells in control and infertile (cryptorchid) testes. For that purpose, bright field, confocal and transmission electron microscopy were applied. The crystal lattice was investigated by Fast Fourier Transformation and the number of crystals determined by stereology. Results of the study indicated a higher number of crystals in perivascular cells (in the both control and cryptorchid group). Moreover, when control and cryptorchid specimens were compared for the presence of the crystal, a higher number of Reinke's crystals was recorded in cryptorchid testes. Thick sections of the crystal were extremely helpful in yielding crystallographic data which confirmed a trigonal crystal structure of the lattice. The exact molecular composition of crystal's microfilaments still remains unknown.
- Organisation(s)
- Physics of Nanostructured Materials
- External organisation(s)
- University of Zagreb, Czech Academy of Sciences
- Journal
- Croatica Chemica Acta
- Volume
- 84
- Pages
- 159-167
- No. of pages
- 9
- ISSN
- 0011-1643
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.5562/cca1814
- Publication date
- 2011
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 1030 Physics, Astronomy, 106006 Biophysics
- Portal url
- https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/4699a3cf-2613-4df5-9b37-0b8cfd6d9663