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Effects of Cannabinoids on Spermatogenesis in Mice

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Marihuana and Medicine

Abstract

Sperm morphology was investigated in hybrid mice of genotype (C57BL × C3H)F1 following treatment with Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), cannabinol (CBN) and cannabidiol (CBD). Mice were treated for five consecutive days and 35 days after the last intraperitoneal injection the epididymal sperm were scored in the light microscope and assessed in the scanning electron microscope. The Δ9-THC (5 and 10 mg/kg) and CBN (10 and 25 mg/kg)treated mice had a statistically higher incidence of abnormal sperm than the vehicle (dimethylsulfoxide)-treated controls. Normal sperm have a smooth kidney-shaped head with a prominent hook; abnormal sperm displayed heads without hooks, banana-shaped heads, amorphous heads, and folded heads.

Cytogenetic assessment of primary spermatocytes obtained from mice treated with CBN (10 mg/kg), CBD (10 mg/kg) and Δ9-THC (10 mg/kg) for five days showed an increase in the number of ring and chain translocations when cells were assessed 16 days after the last dose. The incidence of translocations in the cannabinoid-treated animals was three to five fold greater than the vehicle controls (DMSO). The significance of the results is discussed in terms of the potential genetic effects of the cannabinoids.

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Authors
  1. Arthur M. Zimmerman
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  2. Selma Zimmerman
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  3. A. Yesoda Raj
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anesthesiology, New York University School of Medicine, USA

    Gabriel G. Nahas MD, PhD, DSc  & Kenneth M. Sutin MD, MS  & 

  2. Department of Biochemistry, Oxford University, USA

    David Harvey PhD

  3. Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Uppsala, Sweden

    Stig Agurell PhD, PharmD, DSc

  4. NYU School of Medicine, USA

    Nicholas Pace MD  & Robert Cancro MD  & 

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Zimmerman, A.M., Zimmerman, S., Raj, A.Y. (1999). Effects of Cannabinoids on Spermatogenesis in Mice. In: Nahas, G.G., Sutin, K.M., Harvey, D., Agurell, S., Pace, N., Cancro, R. (eds) Marihuana and Medicine. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-710-9_35

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-710-9_35

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4757-5717-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-59259-710-9

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