Diethylstilbestrol impairs the morphology and function of mouse gubernaculum testis in culture

Diethylstilbestrol (DES) is a nonsteroidal synthetic estrogen widely used in estrogen therapy. In animal models, exposure to DES disrupts the outgrowth of the gubernacula, leading to testis maldescent. However, it remains unclear whether the effects of DES on gubernaculum are direct or indirect, and the underlying mechanisms are largely obscure. In this study, mouse gubernaculum testis cells were isolated and treated by DES, and cell morphology and function were examined. The results showed that DES changed the morphology and inhibited the proliferation of gubernacular cells. Furthermore, DES increased intracellular [Ca(2+)] and induced F-actin rearrangement and stress fiber formation in gubernaculum testis cells in a dose-dependent manner. Taken together, these data suggest that DES impairs the morphology and inhibits the proliferation and contractility of gubernaculum testis cells. The experimental model we established and our observations based on this model help provide new insight into the role of DES in the etiology of cryptorchidism.