Your World This Week, Apr. 10 – 16

Published April 11, 2016

New Report Says That Marijuana Can Help Treat Male Infertility

Sperm

Sperm meet an egg. Image Source: Pixabay

Turns out weed can help with a lot of reproductive issues. In research that will appear in this month’s issue of The FASEB Journal, scientists show how a cannabinoid receptor called “CB2” helps regulate the creation of sperm, Top Science reported.

This suggests not just that the drug can disrupt fertility in males, but also that it might help treat male infertility.

To make their discovery, researchers at the University of Rome treated three groups of mice with different agents for 14 to 21 days, according to a release. It added:

“The first group was treated with a specific activator of the CB2 receptor. The second group was treated with a specific inhibitor of the CB2 receptor. The third group received only a saline solution and served as the control group. The group treated with the CB2 activator showed an acceleration of spermatogenesis, while the group treated with the inhibitor displayed a slower rate of the process. This suggests that a tight balance of CB2 activation is required for the proper progression of spermatogenesis.”

In other words, adjusting CB2 can lead to changes in sperm generation, and potentially help treat male infertility. “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 couples in which male factors account for almost 20-70%,” researcher Paola Grimaldi said.

3 Events To Know About This Week

Fort Sumter Battle

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

  • April 12, 1861: The Civil War begins with the Battle of Fort Sumter.
  • Franklin Roosevelt

    Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

  • April 12, 1945: Franklin Roosevelt dies in Warm Springs, Georgia.
  • Thomas Jefferson

    Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

  • April 13, 1743: Thomas Jefferson is born.
  • author
    All That's Interesting
    author
    A New York-based publisher established in 2010, All That's Interesting brings together subject-level experts in history, true crime, and science to share stories that illuminate our world.
    editor
    Savannah Cox
    editor
    Savannah Cox holds a Master's in International Affairs from The New School as well as a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, and now serves as an Assistant Professor at the University of Sheffield. Her work as a writer has also appeared on DNAinfo.