The role of cannabinoids in CNS development: Focus on proliferation and cell death

The active principles of Cannabis sativa are potential treatments for several diseases, such as pain, seizures and anorexia. With the increase in the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes, a more careful assessment of the possible impacts on embryonic development becomes necessary. Surveys indicate that approximately 3.9% of pregnant women use cannabis in a recreational and/or medicinal manner. However, although the literature has already described the presence of endocannabinoid system components since the early stages of CNS development, many of their physiological effects during this stage have not yet been established. Moreover, it is still uncertain how the endocannabinoid system can be altered in terms of cell proliferation and cell fate, neural migration, neural differentiation, synaptogenesis and particularly cell death. In relation to cell death in the CNS, knowledge about the effects of cannabinoids is scarce. Thus, the present work aims to review the role of the endocannabinoid system in different aspects of CNS development and discuss possible side effects or even opportunities for treating some conditions in the development of this tissue.