Monitoring Perinatal Exposure to Cannabis and Synthetic Cannabinoids

Abstract

Purpose: Drug use during pregnancy is a critical global challenge, capable of severe impacts on neonatal development. However, the consumption of cannabis and synthetic cannabinoids is on the rise in pregnant women. Obstetric complications with increased risks of miscarriage, fetal growth restriction, and brain development impairment have been associated with perinatal cannabis exposure, but data on synthetic cannabinoid use during pregnancy are limited. Methods: We reviewed studies that investigated the risks associated with cannabis and synthetic cannabinoid use and those that reported the concentrations of cannabinoids and synthetic cannabinoids in maternal (breast milk) and neonatal (placenta, umbilical cord, meconium, and hair) matrices during human pregnancy. A MEDLINE and EMBASE literature search to identify all relevant articles published in English from January 1998 to April 2019 was performed. Results: Cannabis use during pregnancy is associated with increased risks of adverse obstetrical outcomes, although neurobehavioral effects are still unclear. Analyses of cannabinoids in meconium are well documented, but further research on other unconventional matrices is needed. Adverse effects due to perinatal synthetic cannabinoid exposure are still unknown, and analytical data are scarce. Conclusions: Awareness of the hazards of drug use during pregnancy should be improved to encourage health care providers to urge pregnant women to abstain from cannabis and, if cannabis-dependent, seek treatment. Moreover, substances used throughout pregnancy should be monitored as a deterrent to cannabis use, and potential cannabis-dependent women should be identified, so as to limit cannabis-fetal exposure during gestation, and provided appropriate treatment.

Behavioral Effects of Developmental Exposure to JWH-018 in Wild-Type and Disrupted in Schizophrenia 1 (disc1) Mutant Zebrafish

“…Given these potent adverse effects in adults, it is important to understand the short- and long-lasting consequences of JWH-018 exposure during brain development. However, such consequences still remain unknown [ 10 ].…”

Cannabis “in utero”: the fetus as a compulsive consumer

“…In addition to these, there are two other types: the endocannabinoids (naturally produced by the body) and the synthetic cannabinoids (eliciting cannabis effects, generally with a higher potency than endocannabinoids) [16]. The most important psychoactive phytocannabinoid is the delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta9THC), a partial agonist of the endocannabinoids receptors CBr1 and CBr2, the ativation of which generates central and peripheral effects [17][18][19][20][21]. The concentration of delta9THC varies in the diferent strains of cannabis (6% to 20%), and due to its physicochemical properties (small molecular size and lipophilic nature) has high distribution and transport capacity in the human body, quickly crossing the transplacental membranes [2,[22][23][24].…”

Assessment of biological matrices for the detection of in utero cannabis exposure

“…A child that went through PCE is more likely to have a lower IQ and follow negative adult roles such as smoking marijuana at a younger age 8–10 . However, conflicting findings have been reported in different studies 11 . These differences may be due in part to confounding risk factors such as polydrug use, body mass index, or socioeconomic index, as well as inaccuracy of cannabis exposure detection.…”