Short answerModerate1 mark
1(h)
State the main function of the following:
Leydig cells
Topic: Leydig cells
Previous-year question practice database
Answer
Exam answer
They SECRETE the male sex hormone TESTOSTERONE.
Explanation
The Leydig (interstitial) cells lie BETWEEN the seminiferous tubules of the testis — which is what "interstitial" means (inter = between). The name tells you where they are.
TESTOSTERONE controls the male SECONDARY SEXUAL CHARACTERISTICS — facial and body hair, deepening of the voice as the larynx enlarges, broad shoulders and muscular development — and it supports the formation of sperms.
THE TESTIS DOES TWO JOBS THROUGH TWO STRUCTURES, and swapping them is the commonest error: SEMINIFEROUS TUBULES make the SPERMS, LEYDIG CELLS make the HORMONE.
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