Prenatal THC exposure alters metabolic gene expression and KEAP1 regulation in the mouse placental labyrinth

Prenatal THC exposure in C57BL/6JRj mouse placental labyrinth zone reduces glutaminase (Gls), Keap1, and Flt3 expression, with false discovery rate = 0.0904 for each.

• Why it matters: Prenatal cannabinoid exposure may alter fetal development via placental biology, but metabolic gene regulation and KEAP1-linked control in the labyrinth zone are not well defined.
• What they did: Pregnant C57BL/6JRj mice received THC (5 mg/kg), CBD (5 mg/kg), or vehicle daily by intraperitoneal injection from gestational day 5 to 17.5, followed by NanoString profiling, pathway analysis, RT-qPCR, and protein measurements.
• The result: THC also shifts a nine-gene arginine-metabolism set (false discovery rate = 0.0527), and despite lower Keap1 mRNA, KEAP1 protein abundance increases, linking transcriptional and protein-level regulation in the exchange region.

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