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Endocannabinoid System in Pregnancy Maintenance and Labor: A Mini-Review
Melissa L Kozakiewicz1, Chad A Grotegut1, Allyn C Howlett2
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Section on Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, United States.
Abstract:
The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is a cell-signaling system present in multiple organ systems and is an integral part of sustaining the microenvironment necessary for early pregnancy success and maintenance. It plays a significant role in embryo development, transport and implantation as well as placentation. The current theory behind the initiation of term labor is that it is a complex, multifactorial process involving sex steroid hormones, prostaglandin production and interplay at the maternal-fetal interface resulting in increased expression of receptors and gap junctions that promote uterine activation. There is increasing evidence that, in addition to early pregnancy events, the ECS plays a regulatory role in pregnancy maintenance and the timing of labor. This review presents an overview of the ECS in pregnancy that focuses on late gestation and parturition.
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