Tag Archives: HIV

HIV Infections Cured With Cannabis a Real Possibility

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“Researchers are looking into the use of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the active ingredient in marijuana, to help stop the spread of HIV infection.

Hundreds of marijuana researchers have reported that THC was able to pierce the RIV virus in monkeys. That particular virus is almost identical to the HIV virus found in humans, so this news is very encouraging.

The greatest drawbacks to this excellent news are the current laws preventing testing on human candidates.

With the changing of these restrictive laws, HIV infections have a great chance of being cured, with cannabis as a real possible player in the race to stop the disease.”

More: http://guardianlv.com/2014/02/hiv-infections-cured-with-cannabis-a-real-possibility/

HIV Cure: Medical Cannabis Or ‘Weed’ Explored To Help Stop HIV Infection Using THC Component; Laws Prevent Clinical Trials On Humans

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“Medical cannabis is used as an appetite stimulant, antiemetic, antispasmodic and sometimes as analgesic to help treat chronic, non-cancerous pain, vomiting or nausea caused by chemotherapy. In some cases, it is also used to aid treating symptoms of AIDS patients…

Marijuana or “weed” is now among the several ingredients that researchers are looking into to helping stop further spread of HIV infection.”

More: http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/539079/20140217/hiv-cure-medical-cannabis-weed-explored-help.htm#.UxJCyPBX-uY

Breaking News: Study Says Marijuana May Stop the Spread of HIV

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“People with HIV (and other conditions) have used prescription marijuana to treat the side effects of medication, but a new study published in the journal AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses, recently showed that daily doses of may even help combat the disease.”

More: http://www.hivplusmag.com/research/2014/02/11/breaking-news-study-says-marijuana-may-stop-spread-hiv

 

Marijuana as a possible treatment for HIV and cancer

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Marijuana

“There’s been some interesting research on using THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the principal psychoactive drug in marijuana, to help fight HIV, and damage cancer cells in some leukemias and possibly malignant tumors.

…the possibility exists that information from both of these research studies may produce beneficial results in the treatment of HIV and cancer.”

More: http://americablog.com/2014/02/marijuana-treatment-hiv-cancer.html

Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol Treatment During Human Monocyte Differentiation Reduces Macrophage Susceptibility to HIV-1 Infection

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“The major psychoactive component of marijuana, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), also acts to suppress inflammatory responses. Receptors for THC, CB1, CB2, and GPR55, are differentially expressed on multiple cell types including monocytes and macrophages, which are important modulators of inflammation in vivo and target cells for HIV-1 infection. Use of recreational and medicinal marijuana is increasing, but the consequences of marijuana exposure on HIV-1 infection are unclear. Ex vivo studies were designed to investigate effects on HIV-1 infection in macrophages exposed to THC during or following differentiation.

THC treatment of primary human monocytes during differentiation reduced HIV-1 infection…

THC treatment of monocytes during differentiation into MDMs suppresses HIV-1 infection. 
Ultimately, the mechanism of THC suppression of HIV-1 infection was traced to a reduction in cell surface HIV receptor (CD4, CCR5 and CXCR4) expression that diminished entry efficiency.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4019698/

Modulation of Gut-Specific Mechanisms by Chronic Δ9-THC Administration in Male Rhesus Macaques Infected with Simian Immunodeficiency Virus: A Systems Biology Analysis.

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“Our studies have demonstrated that chronic Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) administration results in a generalized attenuation of viral load and tissue inflammation in simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-infected male rhesus macaques…

Our results indicate that chronic THC treatment modulated duodenal T cell populations, favored a pro-Th2 cytokine balance, and decreased intestinal apoptosis.

These findings reveal novel mechanisms that may potentially contribute to cannabinoid-mediated disease modulation.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24400995

“Previous studies from our laboratory have shown that chronic THC administration ameliorates SIV disease progression and significantly reduces the morbidity and mortality of male SIV-infected macaques… In summary, using a systems biology approach to understanding the impact of chronic cannabinoid treatment on gut-associated immunopathology, we identified relevant mechanisms that can potentially modulate disease progression. Our results suggest that gut immunomodulation through changes in gene expression, cytokine profiles, and immune cell populations could potentially contribute to chronic THC modulation of SIV disease progression. Moreover, they reveal novel mechanisms that may potentially contribute to decreased morbidity and mortality.”  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4046212/

Cannabinoid Receptor 2-Mediated Attenuation of CXCR4-Tropic HIV Infection in Primary CD4+ T Cells

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“Agents that activate cannabinoid receptor pathways have been tested as treatments for cachexia, nausea or neuropathic pain in HIV-1/AIDS patients… Cannabinoid agonists activate the CB1R and CB2R cannabinoid receptors…

Cannabinoid agonists are currently under investigation for the treatment of AIDS-associated cachexia, nausea, and neuropathic pain. One such drug, dronabinol (Δ9-THC; Marinol®), has won Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for treatment of HIV-associated anorexia. Additionally, the prescription of smoked or ingested cannabis (marijuana) for treatment of AIDS-related symptoms has been approved…. Despite the use of cannabinoids by HIV/AIDS patients, few studies have investigated the impact of such drugs in regard to viral pathogenesis or immune regulation…

….Indeed, both smoked marijuana and dronabinol were reported to increase total CD4+ T cell number and naïve T cell number over a 21-day period. A decrease in viral load was also observed in these patients. Similarly, in SIV infected rhesus macaques, Δ9-THC exposure reduced viral load and CD4+ T cell depletion, significantly increasing animal survival over an 11 month period.

. Our findings suggest that CB2R activation in CD4+ T cells can inhibit actin reorganization and impair productive infection following cell-free or cell-associated viral acquisition of CXCR4-tropic HIV-1 in resting cells.

Therefore, the clinical use of CB2R agonists in the treatment of AIDS symptoms may also exert beneficial adjunctive antiviral effects against CXCR4-tropic viruses in late stages of HIV-1 infection.

Further study of cannabinoids and other neuroendocrine regulators that selectively modulate immune function may result in the discovery of new anti-viral drugs that can also mitigate AIDS-associated symptoms.”

Full text: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3309010/

Attenuation of HIV-1 replication in macrophages by cannabinoid receptor 2 agonists.

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“Previous studies showed that activation of the CB2 can attenuate inflammatory responses and affect HIV-1 infectivity in T cells and microglia. Here, we report that CB2 agonists can also act as immunomodulators on HIV-1-infected macrophages.

   We speculate that these findings indicate that prevention of viral entry is not a central mechanism for CB2-mediated suppression in viral replication.

However, CB2 may affect the HIV-1 replication machinery.

Results from a single-round infection with the pseudotyped virus revealed a marked decrease in HIV-1 LTR activation by the CB2 ligands.

Together, these results indicate that CB2 may offer a means to limit HIV-1 infection in macrophages.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23463725

Medicinal Marijuana Eases Neuropathic Pain in HIV – ABC News

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“(HealthDay News) — Medicinal marijuana helps relieve neuropathic pain in people with HIV, says a University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine study.

It included 28 HIV patients with neuropathic pain that wasn’t adequately controlled by opiates or other pain relievers. The researchers found that 46 percent of patients who smoked medicinal marijuana reported clinically meaningful pain relief, compared with 18 percent of those who smoked a placebo.

The study, published online Aug. 6 in Neuropsychopharmacology, was sponsored by the University of California Center for Medical Cannabis Research (CMCR).

“Neuropathy is a chronic and significant problem in HIV patients as there are few existing treatments that offer adequate pain management to sufferers,” study leader Dr. Ronald J. Ellis, an associate professor of neurosciences, said in an UCSD news release. “We found that smoked cannabis was generally well-tolerated and effective when added to the patient’s existing pain medication, resulting in increased pain relief.”

The findings are consistent with and extend other recent CMCR-sponsored research supporting the short-term effectiveness of medicinal marijuana in treating neuropathic pain.

“This study adds to a growing body of evidence that indicates that cannabis is effective, in the short-term at least, in the management of neuropathic pain,” Dr. Igor Grant, a professor of psychiatry and director of the CMCR, said in the UCSD news release.”

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Healthday/story?id=5528635&page=1