In a mouse model of endometriosis, daily treatment with Δ9-THC reduced abdominal mechanical hypersensitivity and the unpleasantness associated with pain. THC also restored cognitive function in animals that had developed substantial memory deficits associated with endometriosis.
The effects went beyond pain relief. THC altered uterine innervation and, most notably, inhibited the development of endometrial cysts, suggesting a potential disease-modifying effect rather than simply masking symptoms.
These findings are important because endometriosis is a chronic condition in which pain, abnormal tissue growth, and neurological effects can all contribute to disease burden. The researchers concluded that the results support clinical investigation of THC as a potential treatment for women with endometriosis.
“Endometriosis is a chronic painful disease highly prevalent in women that is defined by growth of endometrial tissue outside the uterine cavity and lacks adequate treatment.
Medical use of cannabis derivatives is a current hot topic and it is unknown whether phytocannabinoids may modify endometriosis symptoms and development.
Here we evaluate the effects of repeated exposure to Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in a mouse model of surgically-induced endometriosis.
In this model, female mice develop mechanical hypersensitivity in the caudal abdomen, mild anxiety-like behavior and substantial memory deficits associated with the presence of extrauterine endometrial cysts.
Interestingly, daily treatments with THC (2 mg/kg) alleviate mechanical hypersensitivity and pain unpleasantness, modify uterine innervation and restore cognitive function without altering the anxiogenic phenotype. Strikingly, THC also inhibits the development of endometrial cysts.
These data highlight the interest of scheduled clinical trials designed to investigate possible benefits of THC for women with endometriosis.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31931958
“These experiments suggest that THC may be a useful treatment for patients with endometriosis.”
https://elifesciences.org/articles/50356
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