histological and biochemical alterations in the superior colliculus and lateral geniculate nucleus of juvenile rats following prenatal exposure to marijuana smoke

Introduction: prenatal exposure to marijuana (mjn) has been associated with variousbrain deficits. the main activity in marijuana, δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (thc), crosses theplacenta and affects fetal brain development. despite this, marijuana remains a commonlyabused substance among pregnant women. the current study examined the histological andbiochemical changes in the superior colliculus (sc) and lateral geniculate nucleus (lgn)in rat brains prenatally exposed to marijuana.methods: four groups of pregnant rats (n=5 rats/group) were exposed to the smoke of 10 g/kg marijuana at various days during their gestational period, with a group (control), i.e., notexposed. after parturition, the litters from each group were sacrificed by cervical dislocationon postnatal days 7, 14, and 21; the superior colliculi and lateral geniculate nuclei wereexcised. tissue sections were prepared for histological studies using haematoxylin and eosinstains. biochemical studies were performed on alkaline phosphatase, acid phosphatase, lactatedehydrogenase, and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity levels. the histological andbiochemical analyses of tissues were performed.results: prenatal exposure to marijuana resulted in spontaneous abortion and affected neuronalmorphology in the sc and lgn of the progeny. furthermore, the levels of enzyme activitieswere altered following maternal exposure to mjn.conclusion: these data suggested that histological changes in the sc and lgn wereassociated with oxidative damage.