Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41104491›Full record

ArticleCannabis and cannabinoid research2026

Cannabis Use During Pregnancy Is Associated with the Suppression of Circulating Maternal Cytokines.

Omayma Alshaarawy, Morgan Sotzen, Emily Kurjan, Vasantha Padmanabhan, Douglas M Ruden, L Karl Olson

Abstract read
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Article in Cannabis and cannabinoid research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Omayma AlshaarawyDepartment of Family Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA.
Morgan SotzenIntegrative and Biomedical Physiology Graduate program, Penn State University, State College, Pennsylvania, USA.
Emily KurjanGenetic Risk Assessment program, Wellstar Health System, Marietta, Georgia, USA.
Vasantha PadmanabhanDepartment of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
Douglas M RudenC.S. Mott Center for Human Health and Development, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA.
L Karl OlsonDepartment of Physiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA.

Funding

Prenatal Exposures and Child Health Outcomes: A Statewide StudyUG3OD023285 · OD · MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY · PI BARONE, CHARLES JAMES, ELLIOTT, MICHAEL R. · 2016 to 2024
$12.9M
NIH HHS UG3 OD023285
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionThe prevalence of prenatal cannabis use has nearly doubled in the United States. Cannabinoid 2 receptors are predominately expressed in cells of the human immune system, and delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary active component of cannabis, has been shown to suppress immune responses. Despite these findings, there is very little evidence on the impact of cannabis use on maternal immune system. Here, we evaluate the association between urine-verified cannabis use and the levels of T helper cytokines in the maternal circulation.

methodsThis was an ancillary study of a prospective cohort of pregnant women who participated in the Michigan Archive for Research on Child Health study. Pregnant women (age ≥18 years) were recruited from 22 prenatal clinics in Michigan and matched on age, race, and tobacco smoking (

resultsRepeated-measures linear mixed models indicated that urine-verified cannabis use was associated with the suppression of maternal pro-inflammatory cytokines including interferon gamma (β = -0.5; 95% confidence interval [CI] = -0.8, -0.1) and interleukin (IL)-12 (β = -0.3; 95% CI = -0.6, -0.05), as well as the anti-inflammatory IL-4 (β = -0.7; 95% CI = -1.3, -0.2) and IL-10 (β = -0.4; 95% CI = -0.7, -0.03). Similar results were observed when heavy cannabis use was defined using the top tertile of urinary THC-COOH at each trimester.

conclusionsUrine-verified cannabis use was associated with the suppression of pro- and anti-inflammatory T helper cytokines in a cohort of pregnant women, suggesting that cannabis use can lead to modest dysregulation of the maternal immune system. Additional studies are needed to investigate the role of maternal immune responses in explaining birth outcomes linked to cannabis use.

Indexed as

CytokinesMarijuana SmokingMarijuana UseAdultDronabinolFemaleHumansMichiganPregnancyPregnancy OutcomeProspective StudiesYoung Adult11-nor-delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acidCytokinesDronabinolcannabiscohortcytokinespregnancyTHC-COOH

Identifiers

PMID41104491
PMCPMC13535649

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.