Marijuana has the potential to help those in pain. However, little is known about its side effects. Now, scientists have discovered that marijuana may actually disrupt fertility in males, which, counter-intuitively, may help scientists develop treatments for male infertility.

In this latest study, the researchers treated three groups of mice with different agents for 14 to 21 days. The first group of mice was treated with a specific activator of the CB2 receptor. The second group of mice was treated with a specific inhibitor of the CB2 receptor, which is a cannabinoid receptor. The third group only received a saline receptor and served as the control group.

So what did the researchers find? The group treated by the CB2 activator showed an acceleration of spermatogenesis, while the group treated with the inhibitor had a slower rate of the process. This, in particular, suggests that a tight balance of CB2 activation is needed for the proper progression of spermatogenesis.

"The possibility to improve male fertility is one of the main focuses of this study, since infertility is a worldwide problem that affect up to 15% of coupes in which male factors account for almost 20 to 70%," said Paola Grimaldi, one of the researchers involved in the study from the School of Medicine at the University of Rome Tor Vergata.

The findings reveal that a cannabinoid receptor, called CB2, actually helps regulate the creation of sperm. This could mean that, knowing this, researchers could develop a therapeutic strategy for treating male infertility.

"That the normal beneficial effects of endogenous cannabinoids on spermatogenesis can be stimulated further by a chemical mimic, an agonist, is a potentially promising new idea for treating male infertility," said Thoru Pederson, Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal.

The findings could be huge when it comes to creating new strategies for treating male infertility. Knowing what regulates the creation of sperm is crucial for better understanding ways to enhance this creation. In other words, the scientists may able to use what they know about the effects of marijuana on male fertility to produce new treatments for men.

The findings were published in the Dec. 15 issue of the journal The FASEB Journal.

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