Immunolocalization of Galectin-3 in Mouse Testicular Tissue

OBJECTIVE(S): Galectin-3 (Gal-3) is a member of the ß-galactoside-binding lectins which is expressed in a variety of tissues and plays a role in diverse biological events, such as embryogenesis, adhesion, cellular proliferation, and apoptosis. In this study, the presence and distribution of galectin-3 (Gal-3) in the mouse testicular tissue was investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eight adult NMRI mice were used in this study. Animals were sacrificed by decapitation under ether anesthesia. The testes were excised, fixed in 10% buffered formalin and embedded in paraffin for immunohistochemical (IHC) studies. H-score, a semi-quantitative method, was used for scaling the immunostaining. RESULTS: Positive immunoreactivity to Gal-3 was detected in the connective tissues of the interstitium, Leydig cells and presumably peritubular myoid cells. Seminiferous tubules showed immuno-positive reaction in a stage dependent manner. Stages I-III and IX-XII of spermatogenic cycle showed mild immunostaining, while moderate immunostaining was observed at stages IV-VI. Highest immunoreactivity was observed at stages VII-VIII. H-score assessment showed a significant increase in stages of VII-VIII in comparison to other stages (P< 0.05). CONCLUSION: Expression of Gal-3 in interstitial tissue and seminiferous tubules indicated that this protein probably has multifunctional roles in the mouse testicular tissue.