Association between COVID-19 status and Leydig cell functional capacity among men in hospitalized cohorts
In this first study of the biomarker INSL3 in hospitalized men with COVID-19, the results identify a Leydig cell deficiency and consequent hypogonadism as integral to the symptoms of the illness, which was most marked in severely ill patients. In most cases, Leydig cells appeared to recover with treatment. Whether Leydig cells are directly affected by SARS-CoV-2 virus or indirectly via systemic inflammation is unclear, though both are likely.
Authors
- Alexander W. Tarr (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1009-0823)
- Richard Ivell (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6513-2109)
- Henry M. Staines (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5890-3040)
- Yolanda Augustin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9690-8205)
- Xinyuan Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5639-8578)
- David J. Clark (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3677-0034)
- William Irving
- Ravinder Anand-Ivell
- Sanjeev Krishna
Institutions
- Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (GB)
- University of Nottingham (GB)
- St George's, University of London (GB)
- Universitätsklinikum Tübingen (DE)
- Queen's Medical Centre (GB)
- Institute of Infection and Immunity (CA)
Publication Details
- Journal
- The Aging Male
- Published
- 2026-03-28
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1080/13685538.2026.2650000
- Primary Topic
- COVID-19 Clinical Research Studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00