Peroxisomes and intracellular cholesterol trafficking in adult rat Leydig cells following Luteinizing hormone stimulation.

The present study was designed to explore the intracellular cholesterol trafficking in Leydig cells of adult rats following Luteinizing hormone (LH) injection. Histochemical techniques were used to demonstrate distribution of free cholesterol in Leydig cells of control and LH-injected rats. Two groups of sexually mature male Sprague Dawley rats (n=4/group) were used. Fifteen min following an injection of 200 microl of either saline (control) or luteinizing hormone (LH, 500 microg in saline) testes of rats were fixed by whole body perfusion using 0.5% glutaraldehyde and 4% paraformaldehyde in 0.1 M cacodylate buffer for 20 min. Fixed testes were cut into 3 mm3 and kept immersed in the fixative for further 15 min. Tissue cubes were then incubated at 37 degrees C in a medium containing cholesterol oxidase, 3,3'-diaminobenzidine tetrahydrochloride, horseradish peroxidase and dimethyl sulfoxide to histochemically localize free cholesterol in Leydig cells and processed for electron microscopy. Thin sections of these tissues were stained with aqueous uranyl acetate and lead citrate and examined with a Philips 201C electron microscope. In Leydig cells of control rats, free cholesterol was detected primarily in lipid droplets and plasma membrane. In the majority of Leydig cells, peroxisomes were unstained for free cholesterol, but occasionally few stained ones were present. Staining was not detected in mitochondria and smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER) in Leydig cells of control rats. In LH-injected rats, lipid droplets, many peroxisomes, inner and outer mitochondrial membranes and some cisternae of SER in Leydig cells showed staining for free cholesterol. Fusion of Leydig cell peroxisomes with lipid droplets and mitochondria was also observed in the LH treated rats. These findings suggested that peroxisomes in adult rat Leydig cells participate in the intracellular cholesterol trafficking and delivery into mitochondria during LH stimulated steroidogenesis. Lipid droplets are used as one source for cholesterol for this process.