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Cell and Developmental Biology

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Congenital Heart Defects

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Full-Text Articles in Pharmacology, Toxicology and Environmental Health

The Effects Of Maternal Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol And Cannabidiol Exposure On Fetal Heart Development In Mice, Gregory Robinson Dec 2020

The Effects Of Maternal Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol And Cannabidiol Exposure On Fetal Heart Development In Mice, Gregory Robinson

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Up to 22.6% of pregnant women consume cannabis during pregnancy despite the uncertainty of teratogenicity of the main ingredients in cannabis, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). This study tested the hypothesis that gestational THC and CBD exposure leads to heart abnormalities. Daily, oral THC exposure induced heart abnormalities in 68% of offspring with three main phenotypes including thickened semilunar valves, ventricular myocardial hypertrophy and hypoplastic coronary arteries in fetuses, and postnatal cardiac dysfunction. Altered gene expression of key cardiogenic regulators, increased proliferation, and reduced epicardial epithelial-to-mesenchymal-transition were demonstrated implicating potential mechanisms responsible for these abnormalities. Also, maternal CBD exposure resulted …


Pregestational Diabetes Induced Congenital Heart Defects And Coronary Artery Malformations; Mechanisms And Preventative Therapies, Anish Engineer Jul 2019

Pregestational Diabetes Induced Congenital Heart Defects And Coronary Artery Malformations; Mechanisms And Preventative Therapies, Anish Engineer

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Congenital heart defects (CHDs) arise from perturbations in complex molecular and cellular processes underlying normal embryonic heart development. CHDs are the most common congenital malformation, occurring in 1 to 5% of live births, and are the leading cause of pediatric mortality. Adverse genetic and environmental factors can impede normal cardiogenesis and increase the likelihood of CHDs. Pregestational maternal diabetes increases the risk of CHDs in children by more than four-fold. As the prevalence of diabetes rapidly rises among women of childbearing age, there is a need to investigate the mechanisms and potential preventative strategies for these defects. The aim of …