Paternal Cocaine Exposure and Its Testicular Legacy: Epigenetic, Physiological, and Intergenerational Consequences.

ABSTRACT: Cocaine use remains a major public health concern, with rising global prevalence and a well-established profile of neurotoxicity and addictive potential. While the central nervous system has been the primary focus of cocaine research, emerging evidence indicates that cocaine also disrupts male reproductive physiology. In the testis, cocaine alters the endocrine microenvironment, induces cell-specific damage, and disrupts spermatogenesis. Cocaine also interferes with epigenetic programming in germ cells and mature sperm, potentially leading to heritable epimutations. Epidemiology data reveal that approximately two-thirds of regular cocaine users are males of reproductive age, and preclinical models have documented numerous behavioral and molecular alterations in their offspring, often linke

SUBMITTER: Gonzalez CR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12383874 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature