Endocannabinoid system has role in development: study
Blocking the endocannabinoid system of a developing zebrafish resulted in impairing the fish’s movement, a University of Alberta study shows.
The study examined what would happen to the fish during the first 24 hours of life and the second 24 hours of life if its endocannabinoid system was blocked. The system, which humans also have, is responsible for a number of body functions including functions of the immune, digestive and nervous systems. The endocannabinoid system is also an important part of both fish and human development and growth, and can be impacted by cannabis consumption.
The study found when the endocannabinoid system was blocked, the fish developed impaired motor functions.
Declan Ali, a professor in the department of biological sciences and co-author of the study, said the research builds on previous work that looked at the impacts cannabis had on zebrafish embryos. He said scientists don’t know the full role of the endocannabinoid system.
“If you impact or change the way the endocannabinoid system works in very young animals, you might have an impact on how the animal then develops,” he said. “That’s important because while we did not expose the animal to cannabis or cannabinoid compounds from plants, the way those compounds work is through the endocannabinoid system. If you are perturbing the endocannabinoid system in any way, by either blocking its activity or potentially exposing yourself to cannabis or another compound, then you could be impacting how the animal could be developing.”
He believes this study can apply to humans since the fish have a very similar endocannabinoid system. Last year, Ali looked at the impacts cannabis exposure had on zebrafish embryos and found malformations and lower survival rates.
Ali’s studies are aimed at better understanding the role of the endocannabinoid system, especially since there’s an increased interest given the legalization of cannabis.
“For me, it means you need to think twice and be very careful about the compounds you are exposed to in very much the same way that we think about being very careful with exposure to alcohol and exposure to nicotine in pregnancy,” he said.