Summary

During prenatal development, the cells found inside the testicular cord, together with the primordial germ cells, have been called Cellullae sustentaculares in Nomina Embryologica Veterinaria (International Committee on Veterinary Embryological Nomenclature, 2017) and as Sustentocytus in Terminologia Embryologica (Federative International Program for Anatomical Terminology, 2013, 2017). Such a name can be explained because it is stated that these cells fulfill the important functions of providing support and nutrition to the germ line starting at puberty. Our hypothesis is that the name Sustentocytus is an error in both the NEV and the TE, so the objectives of this study were to demonstrate that the term Sustentocytus is erroneous, both in the NE and the TE, and to propose a new name that contemplates the morphofunctional characteristics of this cell. For this, human fetal testicles of the eighth, ninth and tenth weeks of development were histologically analyzed, which were cut serially at 5 μm thickness, using standard H-E and Alcian Blue techniques. During the initial fetal phase, Sustentocytus cannot fulfill the support functions assigned to them, because they are in the formation and proliferation stage. It is widely known that at this stage of development its main function is to produce the Factor antiparamesonephrico, which induces or triggers the involution of the Ductus mesonephricus destined for the formation of the Tuba uterina, Uterus, Pars superior vaginae. Furthermore, in the later phases of development these cells are arranged to form an epithelium on the basement membrane of the Chorda seminifera, at the same time that they secrete growth factors (Conei & Rojas, 2018). Taking into consideration the histological appearance and functionality, the proposed new name is: Endocrinocytus epithelii prenatalis. KEY WORDS: Embriología; Nomina Embryologica Veterinaria; Terminologia Embryologica; Cellullae sustentaculares; Sustentocytus.

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