Cannabis impacts sperm counts, motility in two generations of mice

Severe but short-term exposure to cannabis steam reduced sperm count and slowed sperm movement or motility not only in directly exposed male mice but also in their sons.

Washington State University study published in the journal ToxicologyBased on other human and animal studies, it has been shown that cannabis can interfere with male reproductive function.Current research uses a more controlled situation Human research, Often has to rely on research and is the first known reproductive study to use whole vaporized cannabis mouse, This is a more common form used by humans. Previous animal studies have used other methods of administration, such as injection of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the major psychoactive ingredient in cannabis.

Further research is needed, but generational discoveries of the study should suspend cannabis users, said Kanako Hayashi, the corresponding author of the paper.

“This is a warning flag. You may take cannabis for some kind of momentary stress, but it can affect your offspring,” said an associate professor of molecular biology at Washington State University. Hayashi, the professor, said.

Human sperm count Reduced by 59% According to some estimates, in the last few decades. Hayashi said there are many reasons for this decline, but the study adds evidence that cannabis use can be detrimental to male reproductive function.

In this study, researchers studied 30 adult male mice. They exposed 15 of them to cannabis vapor three times a day for 10 days. This is a large amount, but it mimics the cannabis intake of people who use cannabis frequently. Next, the researchers compared the sperm count and motility of these mice with the unexposed control group.They were of mice immediately after the exposure period Sperm motility It decreased, and after one month, the sperm count decreased.

The researchers mated some male mice with unexposed female mice. Male offspring in the exposed group also showed decreased sperm count and motility. The cannabis-exposed son also showed evidence of DNA damage and destruction associated with sperm cell development.

“I didn’t expect the sperm to be completely gone or the motility to be completely offset, sperm Count Motility The sons of the offspring are probably the direct consequences of cannabis exposure to their father. “

Third generation, exposed grandson Male mouseHowever, they did not show the same effect, suggesting that cannabis exposure affected second-generation mice during development.

Hayashi and her colleagues are currently testing the theory that cannabis exposure to mice in utero has a deeper generational effect as it affects the formation of the reproductive system in mice that may be inherited. ..