The food industry is moving towards the use of natural sweeteners such as those produced by Stevia rebaudiana due to the number of health and safety concerns surrounding artificial sweeteners. Despite the fact that these sweeteners are natural; they cannot be assumed safe. Steviol glycosides have a steroidal structure and therefore may have the potential to act as an endocrine disruptor in the ...

BACKGROUND Matrine is a bioactive alkaloid that has a variety of pharmacological effects and is widely used in Chinese medicine. However, its effects on male reproduction are not well known. In this study, we aimed to investigate the in vitro toxicity of matrine on mature mouse sperm. METHODS Mouse cauda epididymal sperm were exposed to matrine (10-200 µM) in vitro. The viability, motility, c...

BACKGROUND In sea urchins, spermatozoan motility is altered by chemotactic peptides, giving rise to the assumption that mammalian eggs also emit chemotactic agents that guide spermatozoa through the female reproductive tract to the mature oocyte. Mammalian spermatozoa indeed undergo complex adaptations within the female (the process of capacitation) that are initiated by agents ranging from pH ...

Abstract Study question Do the main psychoactive phytocannabinoid delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and its non-psychoactive analog cannabidiol (CBD) affect human sperm function? Summary answer THC reduces ligand-dependent activation of sperm-specific Ca2+ channel CatSper affects functions in vitro. What is known already Marijuana (Cannabis sativa) one most commonly used recreational drugs wor...