Our findings suggest that LCs adopt an alternative strategy by utilizing intercellular mitochondrial transfer from MHCIIhi tMacs, thereby meeting the high metabolic requirements of testosterone production more effectively. To explore whether uptake of mitochondria-laden EVs supports LC function, we examined testosterone production in LCs treated with tMac-EVs isolated from Cx3cr1GFP mice (Fig. 6i). Together, these data indicate that LC-to-tMac mitochondrial transfer supports testosterone-dependent reproductive and somatic functions. To further unravel the mechanisms governing mitochondrial transfer from LCs to CD206hi tMacs, we integrated previously published single-cell transcriptomic datasets of mouse testes (Supplementary Fig. 3a)32,33,34,35. This cumulative ROS burden places LCs at high risk of oxidative stress, which can threaten mitochondrial integrity and testosterone production, potentially leading to male hypogonadism11,12,13. Here, we found a baseline increase in synaptosomal mitochondrial respiration in female Wistar rats treated with LPS when compared to their saline treated, estrus stage matched controls. Complex interactions between estrogen, inflammation, and mitochondrial function are understudied especially within females. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. Therefore, a better understanding of the role of endogenous hormones in skeletal muscle may be a direction worthy of attention in future research. Additionally, ensure you consume healthy fats from sources like avocados and fatty fish, which provide essential omega-3 fatty acids for optimal cellular performance. Their efficient functioning directly influences your hormonal health and overall well-being. In patients with normal thyroid levels, doses of Male Excel’s desiccated thyroid used daily for hormone replacement are not helpful for weight loss. Similarly, females have more functional mitochondria content in white and brown adipose tissue than males (103, 104). Although mitochondria are inherited maternally, as mentioned above, almost all mitochondrial proteins are encoded in the nucleus and are therefore influenced by sex chromosomes and circulating sex hormones. Thus, the maintenance of mitochondrial homeostasis in aging muscles is coordinately regulated by multiple pathways. Among mitophagy proteins, PINK1 and Parkin (PARK2) have been identified as crucial components in response to mitochondrial damage (93). The receptors are highly localized, with reported evidence suggesting ERß is the primary receptor found within the mitochondria of neurons (Herrick et al., 2006; Mehra et al., 2005; Milner et al., 2005; Shimamoto and Rappeneau, 2017; Yang et al, 2004, 2009). It is worth noting the existence of a third receptor, ERγ, found at relatively lower levels in fish (Hawkins et al., 2000), yet there is no evidence of this receptor in mammals (Amenyogbe et al., 2020; Rettberg et al., 2014). In both cases, estrogen is able to interact with neural mitochondria, eventually reaching and binding to both estrogen receptors (ER) and estrogen response elements (ERE) within the organelle (Arnold and Beyer, 2009; Chen and Yager, 2004; Rettberg et al., 2014). This process also occurs in females, but to a lesser extent (Cornil, 2018; Roselli and Klosterman, 1998; Stanić et al., 2014). A large amount of estrogen in the female body is released from the ovaries; the female gonadal organs. Three estrogen variants exist in females; estrone (El), 17ß-estradiol (E2), and estriol (E3), with E2 being the primary form of estrogen in circulation (Rettberg et al., 2014). The interaction between estrogen and the mitochondria is the most studied of any of the sex steroid hormones.