Involvement of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors in the estradiol production of ovine Sertoli cells

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are nuclear receptors of transcription factors composed of three family members: PPAR alpha, PPAR beta/delta and PPAR gamma. This study was aimed to evaluate the role of PPARs in the estradiol production via follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) in the ovine Sertoli cells. At the first step, transcripts of PPAR alpha, PPAR beta /delta and PPAR gamma were evaluated by quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR) in the ovine Sertoli cells in vitro after FSH treatment. PPAR gamma transcript was increased in FSH-treated cells while PPAR alpha and PPAR beta /delta transcripts were unchanged. At the second step, Pioglitazone as PPAR gamma agonist and 2-chloro-5-nitrobenzanilide (GW9662) as PPAR gamma antagonist were used in the FSH-treated Sertoli cells and then, the estradiol production and aromatase transcript were evaluated. Aromatase transcript was increased by pioglitazone in the FSH-treated Sertoli cells while GW9662 did not change its transcript. The estradiol production was increased by low concentrations of pioglitazone in FSH-treated Sertoli cells while the production of this hormone was decreased by the high concentration of Pioglitazone. The GW9662 did not change the production of estradiol in FSH-treated Sertoli cells. It is concluded that FSH regulates the estradiol production and aromatase expression in a way independently of PPAR beta/delta and PPARa activation, although FSH increases the transcript of PPAR gamma and in this way, it could affect (mostly increase) aromatase transcript and estradiol production. Probably, this effect of FSH in the estradiol production via PPAR gamma is only a servo-assist mechanism which if it was inhibited, the estradiol production was not considerably affected. (c) 2017 Urmia University. All rights reserved.