Özet:
Toll-like receptors take an essential part in innate immunity in response to invasion of the various harmful pathogens. We aimed to investigate
TLR2, 7 and 8 expression in rat testis and epididymis throughout postnatal development. In the prepubertal period, TLR2 and 7 were variably
localized to peritubular myoid cells, interstitial cells, blood vessels, epithelial cells, ductal smooth muscle cells in testis and epididymis. In the
pubertal period, immunostaining of TLR2 and 7 started to be seen in primary spermatocytes, as well as other cells, in the testis. Narrow cells
showed strong intracytoplasmic staining in the epididymis. In the postpubertal period, moderate to strong immunostaining of TLR2 and TLR7 was
seen in spermatids at different developmental steps but weak immunoreaction in pachytene spermatocytes. Other cells in testis and epididymis
showed variable immunostaining of TLR2 and 7. However, weak to moderate immunoreaction to TLR8 was detected in only interstitial cells in
testis. In the mature period, immunostaining of TLR2, 7 and 8 tended to increase in different types of cells in testis and epididymis. Our findings
suggest that expression of TLR2, 7 and 8 changed dynamically during postnatal development and increased towards mature period. We consider
that TLR2, 7 and 8 might be associated with the regulation of spermatogenesis and the maintenance of innate immunity of testis and epididymis
during postnatal development.
