# Assessment of addiction behavior and spermatogenesis in glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor-treated cannabis-addicted rats: An experimental study

## TL;DR

This study shows that GDNF treatment can reduce anxiety and improve sperm quality in cannabis-addicted rats.

## Contribution

The study demonstrates that GDNF can counteract some harmful effects of cannabis on male fertility and behavior.

## Key findings

- GDNF treatment reduced anxiety in cannabis-addicted rats (p < 0.05).
- GDNF improved sperm morphology and reduced DNA damage (p = 0.0242).
- GDNF enhanced sperm viability and reversed cannabis-induced sperm grading alterations.

## Abstract

Cannabis addiction poses risks to male fertility by lowering levels of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), which is vital for spermatogenesis.

This research aimed to determine if the injection of exogenous GDNF into the brain of cannabis-addicted rats has a positive impact on their behavior and spermatogenesis.

This study involved 15 male Wistar rats divided into 3 equal groups: control, model, and experimental. Cannabis addiction was induced in the model and experimental groups using a smoking machine with a 0.25 gr dose per 5 rats, and the experimental group received a 0.5 mg GDNF treatment via stereotaxic injection. Behavioral changes were assessed through plus maze, open field, and sucrose preference tests before and after treatments. Sperm parameters were evaluated with H&E staining, sperm morphology with Diff-Quik staining, DNA damage and viability with acridine orange and trypan blue staining.

Addicted rats displayed increased anxiety, which was improved by GDNF treatment (p
<
0.05). Although cannabis significantly reduced germ cells and the size of the testis and epididymis compared to controls (p = 0.0006, p = 0.003), GDNF had a limited effect on these aspects. Cannabis significantly altered sperm morphology (p = 0.0016), but GDNF reversed abnormal sperms. GDNF improves sperm quality, reverses cannabis-induced sperm grading alterations (grade C, p = 0.0295), reduces DNA damage significantly (p = 0.0242), and enhances sperm viability, highlighting its potential to counteract some of cannabis's harmful effects on male reproductive health.

The findings of this experiment suggest that exogenous GDNF could be a potential therapeutic agent for cannabis addiction and sperm parameters.