Heavy use of marijuana has been linked to low sperm counts and testicular germ cell cancers, but whether these conditions are actually caused by the drug or whether cannabinoids could even interact with these cells locally is unclear. A study in Scientific Reports today (September 19) reveals that the full toolbox of the endocannabinoid system is present in human testes, and therefore, in principal, cannabinoids could act directly on the male reproductive system.
“While the endocannabinoid system has been shown to play a major role in the physiology of the nervous system and shown to influence metabolism, its impact on reproductive organs has not been thoroughly elucidated. This paper adds valuable data to the growing evidences that the endocannabinoid system is an important component of male gonads,” Polina Lishko, a reproductive biologist at the University of California, Berkeley, who was not involved in the study, writes in an email to ...
