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Gestational exposure to Δ9-THC impacts ovarian follicular dynamics and angiogenesis in adulthood in Wistar rats

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 January 2021

Annia A. Martínez-Peña ,
Kendrick Lee ,
James J. Petrik ,
Daniel B. Hardy  and
Alison C. Holloway Open the ORCID record for Alison C. Holloway [Opens in a new window]
Annia A. Martínez-Peña
Affiliation:
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
Kendrick Lee
Affiliation:
The Children’s Health Research Institute, The Lawson Health Research Institute, Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Physiology and Pharmacology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
James J. Petrik
Affiliation:
Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada
Daniel B. Hardy
Affiliation:
The Children’s Health Research Institute, The Lawson Health Research Institute, Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Physiology and Pharmacology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
Alison C. Holloway*
Affiliation:
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
*
Address for correspondence: Dr. Alison Holloway, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ONL8N 3Z5, Canada. Email: hollow@mcmaster.ca
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Abstract

With the legalization of marijuana (Cannabis sativa) and increasing use during pregnancy, it is important to understand its impact on exposed offspring. Specifically, the effects of Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), the major psychoactive component of cannabis, on fetal ovarian development and long-term reproductive health are not fully understood. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of prenatal exposure to Δ9-THC on ovarian health in adult rat offspring. At 6 months of age, Δ9-THC-exposed offspring had accelerated folliculogenesis with apparent follicular development arrest, but no persistent effects on circulating steroid levels. Ovaries from Δ9-THC-exposed offspring had reduced blood vessel density in association with decreased expression of the pro-angiogenic factor VEGF and its receptor VEGFR-2, as well as an increase in the anti-angiogenic factor thrombospondin 1 (TSP-1). Collectively, these data suggest that exposure to Δ9-THC during pregnancy alters follicular dynamics during postnatal life, which may have long-lasting detrimental effects on female reproductive health.

Keywords

Δ9-THCdevelopmental toxicologyreproductive healthovarian functionfollicular angiogenesis
Type
Brief Reports
Information
Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease , Volume 12 , Issue 6 , December 2021 , pp. 865 - 869
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press in association with International Society for Developmental Origins of Health and Disease

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