| Title |
Gubernaculum and epididymo-testicular descent: review of the literature / |
| Translation of Title |
Gubernaculum, antsėklidžio ir sėklidės nusileidimas: literatūros apžvalga. |
| Authors |
Ivanova, Eleonora ; Vincel, Beata ; Verkauskas, Gilvydas ; Hadziselimovic, Faruk |
| DOI |
10.15388/Amed.2022.29.2.6 |
| Full Text |
|
| Is Part of |
Acta medica Lituanica.. Vilnius : Vilniaus universiteto leidykla. 2022, t. 29, Nr. 2, p. 201-210.. ISSN 1392-0138. eISSN 2029-4174 |
| Keywords [eng] |
cryptorchidism ; epididymo-testicular descent ; gubernaculum ; Insl3 |
| Abstract [eng] |
Cryptorchidism is a common disorder in boys that has been widely studied both experimentally and clinically. The role of the gubernaculum, a mesenchymal tissue extending from the fetal testis and epididymis to the developing scrotum, is still unclear. Even the name is debated: ‘gubernaculum epididymis’ or ‘gubernaculum testis’. This review does not aim to provide a global overview of competing theories on testicular descent, but focuses on the role of the gubernaculum in epididymo-testicular descent. We identified four major pitfalls of gubernaculum research: the role of the gubernaculum, of insulin-like peptide 3, anti-Müllerian hormone, and androgens. The major critical issues were that the gubernaculum plays a guiding role for the epididymis, descending prior to the testis and expanding the inguinal canal; insulin-like peptide 3 is not as important for the process of descent in humans as the rate of insulin-like peptide 3 mutations is low; anti-Müllerian hormone plays no significant role in epididymo-testicular descent; androgens and gonadotropins play a crucial role in epididymo-testicular descent. The role of the epididymis in the complex process of gubernaculum, epididymis, and testis migration is underestimated and should be included in future research. |
| Published |
Vilnius : Vilniaus universiteto leidykla |
| Type |
Journal article |
| Language |
English |
| Publication date |
2022 |
| CC license |
|
