Zearalenone inhibits testosterone biosynthesis in mouse Leydig cells via the crosstalk of estrogen receptor signaling and orphan nuclear receptor Nur77 expression

Abstract Zearalenone (ZEA) directly inhibits testosterone biosynthesis in Leydig cells, although the mechanisms involved remains unclear. Various experiments were performed to elucidate the molecular pathway of ZEA-mediated androgen inhibition. Leydig cells were isolated from 6 week-old male ICR mice and subjected to ZEA pre-treatment. The levels of testosterone and a series of influncing factors were measured. The results showed that ZEA caused a concentration- and time-dependent inhibition of testosterone stimulated both by hCG and cAMP ( P P  > 0.05). However, ZEA exposure significantly elevated the cellular cAMP levels ( P P P P P