The close interaction between male germ cells and Sertoli cells, a type of somatic cell found in the seminiferous tubules of mammalian testis, is essential for the normal progression of spermatogenesis in mammals. Vimentin is an intermediate filament protein that primarily provides mechanical support, preserves cell shape, and maintains the nuclear position, and it is often used as a marker to identify Sertoli cells. Vimentin is known to be involved in many diseases and aging processes; however, how vimentin is related to spermatogenic dysfunction and the associated functional changes is still unclear. In a previous study, we reported that vitamin E deficiency affected the testes, epididymis, and spermatozoa of mice, accelerating the progression of senescence. In this study, we focused on the Sertoli cell marker vimentin and explored the relationship between the cytoskeletal system of Sertoli cells and spermatogenic dysfunction using testis tissue sections that caused male reproductive dysfunction with vitamin E deficiency. The immunohistochemical analysis showed that the proportion of the vimentin-positive area in seminiferous tubule cross-sections was significantly increased in testis tissue sections of the vitamin E-deficient group compared with the proportion in the control group. The histological analysis of testis tissue sections from the vitamin E-deficient group showed that vimentin-positive Sertoli cells were greatly extended from the basement membrane, along with an increased abundance of vimentin. These findings suggest that vimentin may be a potential indicator for detecting spermatogenic dysfunction.

雄性生殖细胞和支持细胞（哺乳动物睾丸曲细精管中发现的一种体细胞）之间的密切相互作用对于哺乳动物精子发生的正常进展至关重要。波形蛋白是一种中间丝蛋白，主要提供机械支撑、保持细胞形状和维持核位置，通常用作识别支持细胞的标记物。众所周知，波形蛋白与许多疾病和衰老过程有关。然而，波形蛋白与生精功能障碍如何相关以及相关的功能变化仍不清楚。在之前的一项研究中，我们报道了维生素 E 缺乏会影响小鼠的睾丸、附睾和精子，加速衰老进程。在这项研究中，我们关注支持细胞标记物波形蛋白，并利用维生素 E 缺乏引起的男性生殖功能障碍的睾丸组织切片探讨了支持细胞的细胞骨架系统与生精功能障碍之间的关系。免疫组化分析显示，维生素E缺乏组睾丸组织切片中曲细精管横截面波形蛋白阳性面积比例较对照组明显增加。对维生素 E 缺乏组睾丸组织切片的组织学分析表明，波形蛋白阳性的支持细胞从基底膜大大扩展，波形蛋白丰度也增加。这些发现表明波形蛋白可能是检测生精功能障碍的潜在指标。