Does calcitonin gene-related peptide act as a chemoattractant for rat gubernacular cells?

Abstract

Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptors are located in the cremaster muscle of the gubernaculum of rats, and causes gubernacular contraction in vitro, suggesting that CGRP plays an important role in testicular descent. It has been postulated that CGRP released from the genitofemoral nerve acts as a 'chemoattractant' for gubernacular migration to the scrotum. The aim of this study is to investigate whether the gubernacular cells of rats exhibit a chemotactic response to CGRP in vitro. Chemotaxis of gubernacular cells from Sprague-Dawley rats (1 to 6 days old) was measured using blind-well chambers. The migration of cells, which passed from the upper to the lower compartment through a..