Biomedical Laboratory Science

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Saturday, April 9, 2016

'Marijuana receptor' might hold the key to novel fertility treatments for men.

Research suggests that cannabis exposure may affect DNA-bound proteins, sperm chromatin and have an impact on fertility, embryo development and offspring health

Scientists have shown that a cannabinoid receptor, called 'CB2,' helps regulate the creation of sperm. Not only does this provide more evidence that marijuana can disrupt fertility in males, but it also suggests a therapeutic strategy for treating male infertility.

In a research report appearing in the April 2016 issue of The FASEB Journal, scientists show that a cannabinoid receptor, called "CB2," helps regulate the creation of sperm. Not only does this provide more evidence that marijuana can disrupt fertility in males, but it also suggests a therapeutic strategy for treating male infertility.

"The possibility to improve male fertility is one of the main focuses of this study, since infertility is a worldwide problem that affect up to 15% of couples in which male factors account for almost 20-70%," said Paola Grimaldi, Ph.D., a researcher involved in the work from the Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, School of Medicine at the University of Rome Tor Vergata in Rome, Italy.

Read more: 'Marijuana receptor' might hold the key to novel fertility treatments for men

Illustration of sperm and egg cell.
Source: Tatiana Shepeleva / Fotolia

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