ArticlePloS one2012
Differences in the endocannabinoid system of sperm from fertile and infertile men.
Article in PloS one, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 37 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
37 citing papers in PubMed, 97 citations in OpenAlex.
- The significance of endocannabinoid receptors and endocannabinoids in the lower urinary and genital tract.World journal of urology · 2025Review
- The impact of cannabinoids on reproductive function.Reproduction (Cambridge, England) · 2025Review
- The Role of the Endocannabinoid System in Human Gametogenesis.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- The involvement of TRPV1 in the apoptosis of spermatogenic cells in the testis of mice with cryptorchidism.Cell death discovery · 2025Article
- Endocannabinoid system upregulates the enrichment and differentiation of human iPSC- derived spermatogonial stem cells via CB2R agonism.Biological research · 2025Article
- THC and sperm: Impact on fertilization capability, pre-implantation in vitro development and epigenetic modifications.PloS one · 2024Article
- In vitro evaluation of cell viability and expression profile of growth factors in mouse Sertoli cells exposed to Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol: a mechanistic insight into the cannabinoid-induced testicular toxicity.BMC pharmacology & toxicology · 2023Article
- AEC and AFMSC Transplantation Preserves Fertility of Experimentally Induced Rat Varicocele by Expressing Differential Regenerative Mechanisms.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Article
- PUFAs and Their Derivatives as Emerging Players in Diagnostics and Treatment of Male Fertility Disorders.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Sperm capacitation and transcripts levels are altered by in vitro THC exposure.BMC molecular and cell biology · 2023Article
- Phytocannabinoids, the Endocannabinoid System and Male Reproduction.The world journal of men's health · 2023Review
- A Review on the Bioactivity of Cannabinoids on Zebrafish Models: Emphasis on Neurodevelopment.Biomedicines · 2022Review
- Expression ofCell journal · 2022Article
- Article
- TRPV1 channel in spermatozoa is a molecular target for ROS-mediated sperm dysfunction and differentially expressed in both natural and ART pregnancy failure.Frontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2022Article
- The Effect of Marijuana on the Incidence and Evolution of Male Infertility: A Systematic Review.Cureus · 2021Review
- The Impact of Early Life Exposure to Cannabis: The Role of the Endocannabinoid System.International journal of molecular sciences · 2021Review
- Role and Modulation of TRPV1 in Mammalian Spermatozoa: An Updated Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2021Review
- Review
- Cannabinoid signalling and effects of cannabis on the male reproductive system.Nature reviews. Urology · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Male infertility is a major cause of problems for many couples in conceiving a child. Recently, lifestyle pastimes such as alcohol, tobacco and marijuana have been shown to have further negative effects on male reproduction. The endocannabinoid system (ECS), mainly through the action of anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) at cannabinoid (CB(1), CB(2)) and vanilloid (TRPV1) receptors, plays a crucial role in controlling functionality of sperm, with a clear impact on male reproductive potential. Here, sperm from fertile and infertile men were used to investigate content (through LC-ESI-MS), mRNA (through quantitative RT-PCR), protein (through Western Blotting and ELISA) expression, and functionality (through activity and binding assays) of the main metabolic enzymes of AEA and 2-AG (NAPE-PLD and FAAH, for AEA; DAGL and MAGL for 2-AG), as well as of their binding receptors CB(1), CB(2) and TRPV1. Our findings show a marked reduction of AEA and 2-AG content in infertile seminal plasma, paralleled by increased degradation: biosynthesis ratios of both substances in sperm from infertile versus fertile men. In addition, TRPV1 binding was detected in fertile sperm but was undetectable in infertile sperm, whereas that of CB(1) and CB(2) receptors was not statistically different in the two groups. In conclusion, this study identified unprecedented alterations of the ECS in infertile sperm, that might impact on capacitation and acrosome reaction, and hence fertilization outcomes. These alterations might also point to new biomarkers to determine male reproductive defects, and identify distinct ECS elements as novel targets for therapeutic exploitation of ECS-oriented drugs to treat male fertility problems.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.