A compound chemically similar to those found in marijuana can improve
the ability of smokers’ sperm to bind to eggs.Researchers in Buffalo
and Boston have previously shown that two-thirds of tobacco smokers’
sperm showed a significant decline in the capacity to bind to an egg
compared to that of non-smokers. They hypothesized that treating the
smokers’ sperm with a cannabinoid compound would improve sperm binding.
Human sperm have chemical receptors that respond to both nicotine and
cannabinoids- compounds like those found in marijuana.
The eight test subjects, all chronic tobacco smokers, had previously
been tested against normal controls in an assay involving incubating
their sperm with sections of non-viable donated human eggs. Four of the
eight had normal sperm function and four showed reduced function. This
Hemizona Assay was repeated, testing a subject’s sperm washed in regular
medium against the same subject’s sperm washed in cannabinoid-containg
medium.
After being washed in a low-concentration cannabinoid solution, sperm
from smokers with reduced sperm function showed marked improvement.
Sperm from the smokers with normal sperm function did not improve after
washing in the low-concentration solution. However, a second series of
experiments using a higher concentration of cannabinoid, showed improved
sperm function in the smokers who had normal sperm function to start.
Craig Niederberger, MD, President of SMRU commented, "Numerous studies
have shown that tobacco smoking is harmful to parents, and to their
unborn and living children. It is important to note that in this study,
sperm were washed with the active chemical in marijuana, as it is also
known that smoking or taking marijuana in other ways harms a man's
fertility. But the best way to improve a smoker's overall health, his
fertility, and the health of his family is to help him quit smoking."
P-402 Burkman et al, Fertility loss in the sperm of tobacco smokers may
be reversed after washing with a cannabinoid agonist
Cell Phone Use Associated with Decline in Fertility
In an observational study, researchers from Cleveland, Mumbai, and New
Orleans found that the number of hours in a day that a man uses his cell
phone can affect all aspects of his sperm profile.
Three hundred and sixty-four men undergoing evaluation for infertility
were classified into three groups according to their sperm count. Among
the men in the group with a normal sperm count, those who did not use a
cell phone at all had sperm counts averaging 86 million per milliliter,
with 68% motility, and 40% normal forms. Among men in the normal count
group who used a cell phone more than four hours a day, the averages
were significantly lower: 66 million sperm per milliliter, 48% motility,
and 21% normal forms.
The effect of cell phones on sperm parameters may be due to the
electromagnetic radiation the devices emit or to the heat they generate.
The researchers note that further studies will be necessary to identify
the mechanism involved in the reduction of sperm quality due to cell
phones. P-398 Agarwal et al, Relationship between cell phone use and
human fertility: an observational study
You May Be Happier on Antidepressants, but Your Sperm Are Not
Medications to treat depression may have a negative, reversible effect
on male fertility. Infertility patients at Cornell Medical Center were
observed to have impaired sperm concentration and motility while taking
antidepressant medication. The patients had normal physicals and no
endocrine problems. When antidepressant use was stopped , the patients’
semen parameters returned to normal values. O-31 Tanrikut and Schlegel,
Antidepressant-associated changes in semen parameters
Gene Therapy Works to Improve Erectile Dysfunction Resulting from
Diabetes (only in Rats for now)
More than 70% of diabetic men suffer from erectile dysfunction;
treatments often involve lifestyle changes, but can require drugs or
surgery. Researchers from the University of Colorado Health Sciences
Center have found that for diabetic rats, gene therapy can improve
erectile dysfunction.
To show that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene therapy
leads to improvement in erectile dysfunction, researchers prepared three
groups of rats, a normal control group and two groups in which diabetes
had been induced. After six weeks of confirmed hypoglycemia in the
diabetic rats, one group received VEGF gene therapy and the other group
did not. Nine weeks after induction of diabetes, researchers measured
the rats’ intercavernous pressure in response to intercavernous
stimulation; that is, the rats were stimulated to have erections and the
strength of the blood flow was gauged. Control rats exhibited normal
erectile function while the untreated diabetic rats’ erectile pressure
was only half that of the controls. Rats that had received VEGF gene
therapy had erectile strength in between the controls’ and the untreated
diabetic rats’. It was confirmed through DNA and protein expression
analysis that the gene therapy had been effective in the treated rats.
Analysis of the cavernosal tissue from rats in the treated diabetic
group showed an increased number of smooth muscle cells compared to the
diabetic control group.
“This research may hold the key for diabetic men experiencing erectile
dysfunction,” remarked Peter Schlegel, MD, Vice-President of the Society
of Reproductive Surgeons. “If the technique can be translated to humans,
it could greatly improve patients’ quality of life, relieving them of
having to resort to drugs, devices or surgery.” O-27 Mills et al,
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene therapy using a non-viral
gene delivery system improves erectile function in a diabetic rat model
The American Society for Reproductive Medicine, founded in 1944, is an
organization of more than 8,000 physicians, researchers, nurses,
technicians, and other professionals dedicated to advancing knowledge
and expertise in reproductive biology. Affiliated societies include the
Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology, The Society for Male
Reproduction and Urology, the Society for Reproductive Endocrinology and
Infertility, and the Society of Reproductive Surgeons.
Copyright 2000-2006 ASRM, All Rights Reserved
American Society for Reproductive Medicine
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