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- Title
Perinatal Tetrahydrocannabinol Compromises Maternal Care and Increases Litter Attrition in the Long–Evans Rat.
- Authors
Carlson, Emma; Teboul, Eric; Canale, Charlene; Coleman, Harper; Angeliu, Christina; Garbarini, Karissa; Markowski, Vincent P.
- Abstract
The marijuana legalization trend in the U.S. will likely lead to increased use by younger adults during gestation and postpartum. The current study examined the hypothesis that delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) would disrupt voluntary maternal care behaviors and negatively impact offspring development. Rat dams were gavaged with 0, 2, 5, or 10 mg/kg THC from the 1st day of gestation through the 21st postnatal day. Somatic growth and developmental milestones were measured in the offspring, and maternal pup retrieval tests were conducted on postnatal days 1, 3, and 5. THC did not affect body growth but produced transient delays in the righting reflex and eye opening in offspring. However, there was significant pup mortality due to impaired maternal care. Dams in all THC groups took significantly longer to retrieve their pups to the nest and often failed to retrieve any pups. Serum levels of THC and metabolites measured at this time were comparable to those in breastfeeding women who are chronic users. Benchmark doses associated with a 10% reduction of pup retrieval or increased pup mortality were 0.383 (BMDL 0.228) and 0.794 (BMDL 0.442) mg/kg THC, respectively. The current findings indicate that maternal care is an important and heretofore overlooked index of THC behavioral toxicity and should be included in future assessments of THC's health risks.
- Subjects
LABORATORY rats; TETRAHYDROCANNABINOL; MARIJUANA legalization; BREASTFEEDING; MARIJUANA growing; PREGNANCY; METABOLITES
- Publication
Toxics, 2024, Vol 12, Issue 5, p311
- ISSN
2305-6304
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.3390/toxics12050311