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Prince Henry’s Institute of Medical Research (L.O., K.M.R., M.E.J., E.R.S.) and Department of Biochemistry (K.M.R.), Monash University, Clayton, 3168, Victoria, Australia
Although it has been known for many years that estrogen administration
has deleterious effects on male fertility, data from transgenic mice
deficient in estrogen receptors or aromatase point to an essential
physiological role for estrogen in male fertility. This review
summarizes the current knowledge on the localization of estrogen
receptors and aromatase in the testis in an effort to understand the
likely sites of estrogen action. The review also discusses the many
studies that have used models employing the administration of
estrogenic substances to show that male fertility is responsive to
estrogen, thus providing a mechanism by which inappropriate exposure to
estrogenic substances may cause adverse effects on spermatogenesis and
male fertility. The reproductive phenotypes of mice deficient in
estrogen receptors 
and/or ß and aromatase are also compared to
evaluate the physiological role of estrogen in male fertility. The
review focuses on the effects of estrogen administration or
deprivation, primarily in rodents, on the hypothalamo-pituitary-testis
axis, testicular function (including Leydig cell, Sertoli cell, and
germ cell development and function), and in the development and
function of the efferent ductules and epididymis. The requirement for
estrogen in normal male sexual behavior is also reviewed, along with
the somewhat limited data on the fertility of men who lack either the
capacity to produce or respond to estrogen. This review highlights the
ability of exogenous estrogen exposure to perturb spermatogenesis and
male fertility, as well as the emerging physiological
role of estrogens in male fertility, suggesting that, in this local
context, estrogenic substances should also be considered "male
hormones."
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O. M. Tirado, D. M. Selva, N. Toran, C. A. Suarez-Quian, M. Jansen, D. P. McDonnell, J. Reventos, and F. Munell Increased Expression of Estrogen Receptor {beta} in Pachytene Spermatocytes After Short-Term Methoxyacetic Acid Administration J Androl, January 1, 2004; 25(1): 84 - 94. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
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S. Bourguiba, S. Chater, C. Delalande, M. Benahmed, and S. Carreau Regulation of Aromatase Gene Expression in Purified Germ Cells of Adult Male Rats: Effects of Transforming Growth Factor {beta}, Tumor Necrosis Factor {alpha}, and Cyclic Adenosine 3',5'-Monosphosphate Biol Reprod, August 1, 2003; 69(2): 592 - 601. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
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