Researchers from the University of California, Irvine discovered that exposure to tetrahydrocannabinol THC could result in a reduction of ovarian follicles and matured eggs by almost 50% in adulthood.
The findings of the study, published in the Toxicological Sciences journal, suggest that women who use cannabis during adolescence may face future fertility issues. The significance of the findings was emphasized by Medical X Press, senior author of the study and professor of environmental and occupational health at the UCI Program in Public Health.
The consequences of early-life cannabis exposure for reproductive health in adulthood are critical, because of the increasing number of teenagers and young adults using cannabis, particularly with greater access to it. Luderer said that it is important to disseminate this information widely.
The research team used a mouse model to determine whether THC has negative health consequences in adulthood. They administered THC to young mice over a two-week period and monitored its effects at various intervals after the injection.
The team discovered that the amount of healthy ovarian follicles decreased by nearly 50% in primordial follicles, which are crucial reproductive structures in the ovary that cannot be regenerated.
The researchers believe that a significant decrease in the number of ovarian follicles was caused by a hastened activation of dormant follicles, followed by follicle death later in their development as a result of DNA damage.
Researchers believe that these outcomes are likely to be facilitated by the endocannabinoid system ECS, a signaling system that regulates numerous bodily processes in mammals.
The study shows that ovarian follicles contain proteins that are part of the ECS, including cannabinoid receptor type 1 CB 1 R and type 2 CB 2 R, which are triggered by THC and its active byproducts.
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