France Verhaeghe1, Pierre Di Pizio1, Cynthia Bichara1, Benoit Berby1, Aurélie Rives1, Fanny Jumeau1, Véronique Sétif1, Louis Sibert2, Christine Rondanino1, Nathalie Rives3. 1. Normandie Université, UNIROUEN, EA 4308 'Gametogenesis and Gamete Quality', Rouen Normandy University Hospital, Reproductive Biology Laboratory-CECOS, Assisted Reproductive Center, Rouen F 76000, France. 2. Normandie Université, UNIROUEN, EA 4308 'Gametogenesis and Gamete Quality', Rouen Normandy University Hospital, Department of Urology, Assisted Reproductive Center, Rouen F 76000, France. 3. Normandie Université, UNIROUEN, EA 4308 'Gametogenesis and Gamete Quality', Rouen Normandy University Hospital, Reproductive Biology Laboratory-CECOS, Assisted Reproductive Center, Rouen F 76000, France. Electronic address: nathalie.rives@chu-rouen.fr.
Abstract
RESEARCH QUESTION: Can cannabis consumption alter sperm nuclear integrity in infertile men? DESIGN: A retrospective cross-sectional study conducted between July 2003 and December 2013, which included 54 men who consulted for male-factor infertility. Twenty-seven infertile men who were regular cannabis users were matched to 27 infertile men who were cannabis non-users. To complement the conventional semen parameter and plasma hormone level assessments, sperm nuclear alterations were explored using fluorescence in-situ hybridization to assess numerical chromosomal abnormalities, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labelling to investigate DNA fragmentation, aniline blue staining to examine chromatin condensation and a motile sperm organelle morphology examination to detect vacuoles in sperm heads. RESULTS: The rates of sperm aneuploidy (P = 0.0044), diploidy (P = 0.037), total chromosome abnormalities (P = 0.0027) and DNA fragmentation (P = 0.027) were significantly higher in cannabis users than in non-cannabis users. CONCLUSIONS: Cannabis consumption might have deleterious effects on sperm nuclear quality in infertile men by increasing numerical chromosome abnormalities and DNA fragmentation. Cannabis consumption induces these detrimental effects on the progression of spermatogenesis from meiotic stages to spermiogenesis and potentially on post-testicular sperm maturation in infertile men. Any potential findings, however, need to be validated with larger sample size, and our data are only exploratory findings.
RESEARCH QUESTION: Can cannabis consumption alter sperm nuclear integrity in infertilemen? DESIGN: A retrospective cross-sectional study conducted between July 2003 and December 2013, which included 54 men who consulted for male-factor infertility. Twenty-seven infertilemen who were regular cannabis users were matched to 27 infertilemen who were cannabis non-users. To complement the conventional semen parameter and plasma hormone level assessments, sperm nuclear alterations were explored using fluorescence in-situ hybridization to assess numerical chromosomal abnormalities, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labelling to investigate DNA fragmentation, aniline blue staining to examine chromatin condensation and a motile sperm organelle morphology examination to detect vacuoles in sperm heads. RESULTS: The rates of sperm aneuploidy (P = 0.0044), diploidy (P = 0.037), total chromosome abnormalities (P = 0.0027) and DNA fragmentation (P = 0.027) were significantly higher in cannabis users than in non-cannabis users. CONCLUSIONS: Cannabis consumption might have deleterious effects on sperm nuclear quality in infertilemen by increasing numerical chromosome abnormalities and DNA fragmentation. Cannabis consumption induces these detrimental effects on the progression of spermatogenesis from meiotic stages to spermiogenesis and potentially on post-testicular sperm maturation in infertilemen. Any potential findings, however, need to be validated with larger sample size, and our data are only exploratory findings.
Authors: Sandro C Esteves; Armand Zini; Robert Matthew Coward; Donald P Evenson; Jaime Gosálvez; Sheena E M Lewis; Rakesh Sharma; Peter Humaidan Journal: Andrologia Date: 2020-10-27 Impact factor: 2.775
Authors: Federico Belladelli; Luca Boeri; Paolo Capogrosso; Walter Cazzaniga; Eugenio Ventimiglia; Luigi Candela; Edoardo Pozzi; Andrea Baudo; Massimo Alfano; Costantino Abbate; Francesco Montorsi; Andrea Salonia Journal: Asian J Androl Date: 2021 Sep-Oct Impact factor: 3.285