Study implicates marijuana use in pregnancy problems

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-09/cchm-sim091212.php

Public release date: 12-Sep-2012
Contact: Nick Miller
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

CINCINNATI – New research indicates marijuana-like compounds called endocannabinoids alter genes and biological signals critical to the formation of a normal placenta during pregnancy and may contribute to pregnancy complications like preeclampsia.

A study in the Sept. 14 edition of The Journal of Biological Chemistry offers new evidence that abnormal biological signaling by endocannabinoid lipid molecules produced by the body disrupts the movement of early embryonic cells important to a healthy pregnancy, in particular trophoblast cells that form the placenta. Abnormal placental function is common in preeclampsia – a medical condition of unknown cause that is a danger to mother and child.