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Article: Uterus makes a marijuanalike compound. (anandamide in mice linked to embryo development)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Science News
- Article date:
- April 19, 1997
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 Science Service, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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In recent years, researchers have found that mammalian brains can make a compound, anandamide, whose effects resemble those of THC, the active component of marijuana (SN: 2/6/93, p. 88).
Yet the brain may not be the only anandamide producer around, or the most impressive. According to studies of pregnant mice, the uterus can synthesize this compound in massive quantities-possibly to ensure that an embryo lodges in the uterine wall at the appropriate time.
"Anandamide may determine the window of uterine receptivity for implantation," says S.K. Dey of the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City.
In past studies, Dey and his colleagues found ...