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Maternal or Paternal Exposure to Cannabinoids Affects Central Neurotransmitter Levels and Reproductive Function in Male Offspring

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Marihuana and Medicine

Abstract

A single prenatal exposure to cannabinol or cannabidiol reduced brain norepinephrine and dopamine and hypothalamic NE concentrations, but increased brain levels of serotonin and its metabolite, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid. In addition, testicular testosterone concentrations and seminal vesicles weights were reduced in animals exposed to CBN. In contrast, seminal vesicles weights were increased in CBD-exposed males. Prenatal exposure to the major psychoactive component of marihuana, δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol on one of the last four days of gestation did not affect these parameters.

The F1 male offspring of male mice treated with CBN, CBD, or THC presented evidence of reduced fertility and testicular chromosomal abnormalities. In addition, two of the F1 male offspring of the THC-treated mice sired litters containing pups with severe congenital malformations.

These findings indicate that maternal or paternal exposure to cannabinoids can influence developmental and reproductive functions in offspring. Thus, cannabinoids appear to be both mutagenic and teratogenic in mice.

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Authors
  1. Susan L. Dalterio
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  2. Richard W. Steger
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  3. Andrzej Bartke
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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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© 1999 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Dalterio, S.L., Steger, R.W., Bartke, A. (1999). Maternal or Paternal Exposure to Cannabinoids Affects Central Neurotransmitter Levels and Reproductive Function in Male Offspring. 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_43

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-710-9_43

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4757-5717-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-59259-710-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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