Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche Comparate, Università di Teramo, 64100 Teramo, Italy.
Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2012 May 15;355(1):1-14. doi: 10.1016/j.mce.2012.01.014. Epub 2012 Jan 25.
Endocannabinoids are natural lipids able to bind to cannabinoid and vanilloid receptors. Their biological actions at the central and peripheral level are under the tight control of the proteins responsible for their synthesis, transport and degradation. In the last few years, several reports have pointed out these lipid mediators as critical signals, together with sex hormones and cytokines, in various aspects of animal and human reproduction. The identification of anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) in reproductive cells and tissues of invertebrates, vertebrates and mammals highlights the key role played by these endogenous compounds along the evolutionary axis. Here, we review the main actions of endocannabinoids on female and male reproductive events, and discuss the interplay between them, steroid hormones and cytokines in regulating fertility. In addition, we discuss the involvement of endocannabinoid signalling in ensuring a correct chromatin remodeling, and hence a good DNA quality, in sperm cells.
内源性大麻素是能够与大麻素和香草素受体结合的天然脂质。它们在中枢和外周水平的生物学作用受到负责其合成、运输和降解的蛋白质的严格控制。在过去的几年中，有几项报告指出，这些脂质介质与性激素和细胞因子一起，在动物和人类生殖的各个方面都是关键信号。在无脊椎动物、脊椎动物和哺乳动物的生殖细胞和组织中鉴定出的花生四烯酸乙醇胺（AEA）和 2-花生四烯酰甘油（2-AG）突出了这些内源性化合物在进化轴上所起的关键作用。在这里，我们综述了内源性大麻素对雌性和雄性生殖事件的主要作用，并讨论了它们、类固醇激素和细胞因子在调节生育能力方面的相互作用。此外，我们还讨论了内源性大麻素信号在确保精子细胞中正确的染色质重塑，从而获得良好的 DNA 质量方面的作用。
