Effects of synthetic (JWH-018) cannabinoids treatment on spermatogenesis and sperm function

JWH-018 is a synthetic cannabinoid which has been increasingly used by adolescents and adults, and is known to cause severe multi-organ failure. However, little is known about the complications and toxicological effects of JWH-018 on reproduction system. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to investigate the effects of JWH-018 on testis and spermatogenesis. Thirty CD-1 male rats were distributed into six groups, control group (C1 and C2), ethanol group (E1 and E2), and JWH-018 group (JWH1 and JWH2), which were administered 0.9% NaCl, %100 ethanol, and JWH-018 (0.3 mg/kg) respectively for 9 d. We euthanized C1, E1, and JWH1 group mice at day 2 and C2, E2, and JWH2 group mice at 45 d after the last injection to evaluate the acute testis damage and potential recovery of spermatogenesis. The histopathology of seminiferous epithelium was evaluated and organ weight, sperm concentration and motility, membrane integrity, and serum testosterone levels were statistically analyzed. In JWH1, seminiferous tubule degeneration, partial germ cell depletion disorganized seminiferous epitheliums were seen. We also observed significantly decreased sperm concentration, sperm motility, intact membrane, and testosterone levels in JWH1 group compared to other groups. Forty-five days after the JWH-018 treatment, sperm concentration, motility, and testosterone level were increased, suggesting that testis and spermatogenesis can recover. We concluded that the use of JWH-018 may adversely affect male reproductive potential and testis histopathology.

SV40 Immortalization of feline fibroblasts as targets for MHC-restricted cytotoxic T-cell assays

CTL assays in outbred cats have been difficult to perform because of a lack of a good source of syngeneic target cell. Primary fibroblasts from cats are widely used as target cells for MHC-restricted cytotoxic T-cell (CTL) assays, but their limited life-spans of 8-10 culture passages can be problematic for longitudinal studies. To circumvent the life-span limitations of primary fibroblast cultures, we developed a procedure for immortalizing feline primary fibroblast cells by transfection with a molecular clone of simian virus 40 (SV40). Fibroblast cultures from skin biopsies of 28 cats were immortalized using this procedure and have been passaged for longer than 6 months without showing any phenotypic difference from the original primary cells. Non-SV40 transfected feline fibroblasts from a selection of animals in the same group survived for only 6-8 weeks before reaching senescence. The immortalized fibroblasts expressed SV40 T-antigen and Class I MHC protein, and were successfully used as target cells in 51Cr release CTL assays in feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV)-infected cats and in vitro stimulated allogeneic T-cell cultures.