Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Rettori, Valeria
• Lomniczi, Alejandro
• Mohn, Claudia
• Scorticati, Camila
• Vissio, Paula
• Lasaga, Mercedes
• Franchi, Ana
• McCann, Samuel M.

Titel

Mechanisms of inhibition of LHRH release by alcohol and cannabinoids

Ist Teil von

• Progress in Brain Research, 2002, Vol.141, p.175-181

Ort / Verlag

Netherlands: Elsevier Science & Technology

Erscheinungsjahr

2002

Quelle

MEDLINE

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• This chapter reviews research on the effects of alcohol and cannabinoids on reproduction. Alcohol is classified as a psychotropic drug—such as delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the active ingredient of marijuana. A large number of neurotransmitters—not only the classic ones but also a host of neuropeptides that can act as neurotransmitters or neuromodulators—exist in the central nervous system (CNS), and there is abundant evidence that alcohol and cannabinoids can affect a number of them. Therefore, the mechanisms of action of these drugs in the CNS are very complex. Addiction to alcohol or marijuana produces numerous deleterious effects in the organism. Among these alterations is the suppression of reproduction in humans, monkeys, and small rodents by the inhibition of the release of luteinizing hormone (LH). This inhibition of LH secretion is caused mainly by hypothalamic action to inhibit the release of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH), in vivo and in vitro. The chapter also describes the effects of alcohol on LHRH release.