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1 July 2006 Endocannabinoid System in Frog and Rodent Testis: Type-1 Cannabinoid Receptor and Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase Activity in Male Germ Cells
Gilda Cobellis, Giovanna Cacciola, Donatella Scarpa, Rosaria Meccariello, Rosanna Chianese, Maria Fosca Franzoni, Ken Mackie, Riccardo Pierantoni, Silvia Fasano
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Abstract

N-arachidonoylethanolamide (anandamide [AEA]) is the main endocannabinoid described to date in the testis. It exerts its effects through the activation of G-protein coupled cannabinoid receptors (CNR). However, the activity of AEA in controlling male reproduction is still poorly known. Here we provide direct evidence on the presence of the “endocannabinoid system,” constituted by type-1 cannabinoid receptor (CNR1) and fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), in the frog Rana esculenta testis demonstrating its expression in tubular compartment. In fact, during the annual reproductive cycle, both proteins increase in September, when the appearance of spermatids (SPT) occurs. Immunocytochemistry confirms their localization in germ cells and, in particular, in elongated SPT. Signals are still present in spermatozoa (SPZ), as demonstrated by Western blot analysis. Furthermore, the activation of CNR1 reduces sperm motility. Comparative research, carried out using mouse and rat SPZ, definitely indicates that the endocannabinoid system operates in SPZ of phylogenetically distant species. A conserved physiological role of endocannabinoid system in controlling the inhibition of sperm motility is suggested.

Gilda Cobellis, Giovanna Cacciola, Donatella Scarpa, Rosaria Meccariello, Rosanna Chianese, Maria Fosca Franzoni, Ken Mackie, Riccardo Pierantoni, and Silvia Fasano "Endocannabinoid System in Frog and Rodent Testis: Type-1 Cannabinoid Receptor and Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase Activity in Male Germ Cells," Biology of Reproduction 75(1), 82-89, (1 July 2006). https://doi.org/10.1095/biolreprod.106.051730
Received: 13 February 2006; Accepted: 1 March 2006; Published: 1 July 2006
KEYWORDS
male reproductive tract
sperm
sperm motility and transport
spermatogenesis
testis
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