“Severe central nervous system (CNS) injury, such as stroke, traumatic brain injury or spinal cord injury, is known to increase susceptibility to infections. The increased susceptibility to infection is due to an impaired immune response and is referred to as CNS injury-induced immune deficiency syndrome (CIDS).
The cannabinoid 2 receptor (CB2 R) on immune cells presents a potential therapeutic target in CIDS as activation of this receptor has been shown to be involved in immunosuppression.
Our findings suggest that inhibition of CB2 R signaling in animals with CIDS challenged with endotoxin restored peripheral leukocyte recruitment without detrimental impact on infarct size.
We conclude that the endocannabinoid system is involved in the impaired immune response following CNS injury and future studies should further explore the CB2 R pathway in order to develop novel therapies for CIDS.”