Home > Refraining from use diminishes cannabis-associated epigenetic changes in human sperm.

Schrott, Rose and Murphy, Susan K and Modliszewski, Jennifer L and King, Dillon E and Hill, Bendu and Itchon-Ramos, Nilda and Raburn, Douglas and Price, Thomas and Levin, Edward D and Vandrey, Ryan and Corcoran, David L and Kollins, Scott H and Mitchell, John T (2021) Refraining from use diminishes cannabis-associated epigenetic changes in human sperm. Environmental Epigenetics, 7, (1), dvab009. https://doi.org/10.1093/eep/dvab009.

External website: https://academic.oup.com/eep/article/7/1/dvab009/6...


Cannabis use alters sperm DNA methylation, but the potential reversibility of these changes is unknown. Semen samples from cannabis users and non-user controls were collected at baseline and again following a 77-day period of cannabis abstinence (one spermatogenic cycle). Users and controls did not significantly differ by demographics or semen analyses. Whole-genome bisulfite sequencing identified 163 CpG sites with significantly different DNA methylation in sperm between groups (P < 2.94 × 10−9). Genes associated with altered CpG sites were enriched with those involved in development, including cardiogenesis and neurodevelopment. Many of the differences in sperm DNA methylation between groups were diminished after cannabis abstinence. These results indicate that sustained cannabis abstinence significantly reduces the number of sperm showing cannabis-associated alterations at genes important for early development.

Item Type
Article
Publication Type
International, Open Access, Article
Drug Type
Cannabis
Intervention Type
Harm reduction
Date
September 2021
Identification #
https://doi.org/10.1093/eep/dvab009
Page Range
dvab009
Publisher
Oxford Academic
Volume
7
Number
1
EndNote

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