“Developing a solid evidence base regarding the health effects of cannabis is imperative given the momentum for legalization and the demand for sound regulatory practices.”
The cannabis conundrum: Thinking outside the THC box.
Reply
Tag Archives: marijuana
Cannabidiol, a Major Non-Psychotrophic Cannabis Constituent Enhances Fracture Healing and Stimulates Lysyl Hydroxylase Activity in Osteoblasts.
“Cannabinoid ligands regulate bone mass, but skeletal effects of cannabis (marijuana and hashish) have not been reported. Bone fractures are highly prevalent, involving prolonged immobilization and discomfort.
Here we report that the major non-psychoactive cannabis constituent, cannabidiol (CBD), enhances the biomechanical properties of healing rat mid-femoral fractures.
Using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy we confirmed the increase in collagen crosslink ratio by CBD, which is likely to contribute to the improved biomechanical properties of the fracture callus.
Taken together, these data show that CBD leads to improvement in fracture healing and demonstrate the critical mechanical role of collagen crosslinking enzymes.”
Smoking Marijuana Regularly May Reduce Risk of Some Neck, Head Cancers – Fox News
“You’ve heard about using marijuana and drugs derived from it to keep some of the side effects of toxic cancer chemotherapy in check. But what if smoking marijuana for 10 to 20 years could actually protect against certain tumors?
In a study, researchers have found that long-term pot smokers were roughly 62 percent less likely to develop head and neck cancers than people who did not smoke pot.”
“A Population-based Case-Control Study of Marijuana Use and Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2812803/
Identification of the CB1 cannabinoid receptor and fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) in the human placenta.
“Synthetic cannabinoids, the psychoactive components of the Cannabis sativa (marijuana) and their endogenous counterparts, act through two G protein-coupled receptors, CB1 and CB2.
The endocannabinoids are metabolized by fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH).
We have examined CB1 receptor and FAAH expression in human term placenta by immunohistochemistry.
CB1 receptor was found to be present in all layers of the membrane, with particularly strong expression in the amniotic epithelium and reticular cells and cells of the maternal decidua layer. Moderate expression was observed in the chorionic cytotrophoblasts. The expression of FAAH was the highest in amniotic epithelial cells, chorionic cytotrophoblast and maternal decidua layer.
Our results suggest that the human placenta is a likely target for cannabinoid action and metabolism. ”
Marijuana: A Time-Honored but Untested Treatment for Epilepsy.
“The biology of the endocannabinoid system in the brain provides a possible basis for a beneficial pharmacological effect of marijuana on seizures.
However, evidence for efficacy of cannabis treatment of epilepsy is anecdotal because no acceptable randomized controlled trials have been done.
Proper dosage and means of administration remain unknown.
Cannabis is safer than other controlled substances, including tobacco or alcohol, and appears to be relatively safe compared with most pharmaceuticals used to treat epilepsy.”
The role of cannabinoids in regulation of nausea and vomiting, and visceral pain.
“Marijuana derived from the plant Cannabis sativa has been used for the treatment of many gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, including anorexia, emesis, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and others.
Several cannabinoid receptors, which include the cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1), CB2, and possibly GPR55, have been identified throughout the GI tract.
These receptors may play a role in the regulation of food intake, nausea and emesis, gastric secretion and gastroprotection, GI motility, ion transport, visceral sensation, intestinal inflammation, and cell proliferation in the gut.
…the regulation of nausea and vomiting by cannabinoids and the endocannabinoid system has shed new knowledge in this field.
Novel drug targets such as FAAH and monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) inhibitors appear to be promising in animal models, but more studies are necessary to prove their efficiency.
The promise of emerging drugs that are more selective and peripherally acting suggest that, in the near future, cannabinoids will play a major role in managing an array of GI diseases.”
Are Cannabinoids Effective for Orofacial Pain States?
“…there is increasing attention being given in the media as well as in the biomedical sciences to the use as analgesic agents of the crude extracts of plants of the genus Cannabis (eg, marijuana) and their active ingredient delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC).
These cannabinoid compounds have been reported in the biomedical literature to be beneficial in the treatment of some types of neuropathic pain and other pain states…
This review has found evidence indicating that they may be effective analgesic agents for neuropathic pain conditions refractory to other therapeutic approaches…
The clinical findings pointing to the usefulness of the cannabinoids for pain relief are supported by a growing body of evidence from basic science investigations addressing the possible efficacy and mechanisms of action of the cannabinoids in animal models of acute or chronic pain.
These preclinical findings add to the growing evidence that cannabinoid receptor agonists may be effective agents for the treatment of neuropathic pain and other types of pain.
They also point to their possible clinical utility in acute or chronic orofacial pain conditions, and thereby suggest an affirmative answer applies to the question posed in the title of this editorial.”
http://www.quintpub.com/journals/ofph/abstract.php?article_id=15025#.VPBsU033-iw
Neuroprotective Effect of(−)Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol and Cannabidiol in N-Methyl-d-Aspartate-Induced Retinal Neurotoxicity
“In glaucoma, the increased release of glutamate is the major cause of retinal ganglion cell death. Cannabinoids have been demonstrated to protect neuron cultures from glutamate-induced death.
In this study, we test the hypothesis that glutamate causes apoptosis of retinal neurons via the excessive formation of peroxynitrite, and that the neuroprotective effect of the psychotropic Δ9-tetrahydroxycannabinol (THC) or nonpsychotropic cannabidiol (CBD) is via the attenuation of this formation…
The neuroprotection by THC and CBD was because of attenuation of peroxynitrite.
The effect of THC was in part mediated by the cannabinoid receptor CB1.
These results suggest the potential use of CBD as a novel topical therapy for the treatment of glaucoma.
THC and CBD, are similarly potent antioxidants that protect neuron cultures from glutamate-induced cell death or oxidative stress…
In addition to possessing neuroprotective or retinal neuroprotective activity… cannabinoids, such as THC, have been demonstrated to induce dose-related reductions in intraocular pressure in human and in animal models.
This suggests that cannabinoids may offer a multifaceted therapy for glaucoma.
In conclusion, our results indicate that lipid peroxidation and ONOO− formation play an important role in NMDA-induced retinal neurotoxicity and cell loss in the retina, and that THC and CBD, by reducing the formation of these compounds, are effective neuroprotectants.
The present studies could form the basis for the development of new topical therapies for the treatment of glaucoma.”
Protective effects of Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol against N-methyl-d-aspartate-induced AF5 cell death.
“One of the most promising potential medical applications of cannabinoids involves their ability to protect cells from a variety of toxic events.
Cannabinoids have been reported to protect neurons from death…
Cannabinoids, such as the pharmacologically active component of marijuana (-)Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)…
The neuroprotective effects of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) were examined…
Protective effects of Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol… THC may function as an antioxidant to increase cell survival…
THC can produce receptor-independent neuroprotective or cellular protective effects at micromolar concentrations as a result of its antioxidant properties…
In conclusion, THC produces a potent neuroprotective effect…”
Effects of intra-infralimbic prefrontal cortex injections of cannabidiol in the modulation of emotional behaviors in rats: contribution of 5HT1A receptors and stressful experiences.
“The infralimbic (IL) and prelimbic (PL) regions of the prefrontal cortex are involved in behavioral responses observed during defensive reactions.
Intra-PL or IL injections of cannabidiol (CBD), a major non-psychotomimetic cannabinoid present in the Cannabis sativa plant, result in opposite behavioral effects in the contextual fear conditioning (CFC) paradigm…
Together these results indicate that CBD effects in the IL depend on the nature of the animal model, being influenced by previous stressful experiences and mediated by facilitation of 5HT1A receptors-mediated neurotransmission.”