Category Archives: THC (Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol)
Cannabinoid-induced cell death in endometrial cancer cells: involvement of TRPV1 receptors in apoptosis.
“Among a variety of phytocannabinoids, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) are the most promising therapeutic compounds. Besides the well-known palliative effects in cancer patients, cannabinoids have been shown to inhibit in vitro growth of tumor cells.
Likewise, the major endocannabinoids (eCBs), anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), induce tumor cell death.
The purpose of the present study was to characterize cannabinoid elements and evaluate the effect of cannabinoids in endometrial cancer cell viability.
These data indicate that cannabinoids modulate endometrial cancer cell death.
Selective targeting of TPRV1 by AEA, CBD, or other stable analogues may be an attractive research area for the treatment of estrogen-dependent endometrial carcinoma.
Our data further support the evaluation of CBD and CBD-rich extracts for the potential treatment of endometrial cancer, particularly, that has become non-responsive to common therapies.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29441458
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs13105-018-0611-7
The Association of Unfavorable Traffic Events and Cannabis Usage: A Meta-Analysis
“In the last years were published many epidemiological articles aiming to link driving under the influence of cannabis (DUIC) with the risk of various unfavorable traffic events (UTEs), with sometimes contradictory results.
The primary objective of this study was to analyze whether there is a significant association between DUIC and UTEs.
Our analysis suggests that the overall effect size for DUIC on UTEs is not statistically significant, but there are significant differences obtained through subgroup analysis. This result might be caused by either methodological flaws (which are often encountered in articles on this topic), the indiscriminate employment of the term “cannabis use,” or an actual absence of an adverse effect. A positive test for cannabis (i.e., blood) does not necessarily imply that drivers were impaired, as THC/metabolites might be detected in blood a long time after impairment, especially in chronic cannabis users, which could also induce an important bias in the analysis of the results. When a driver is found, in traffic, with a positive reaction suggesting cannabis use, the result should be corroborated by either objective data regarding marijuana usage (like blood analyses, with clear cut-off values), or a clinical assessment of the impairment, before establishing his/her fitness to drive.” https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2018.00099/full]]>Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction of Cannabinoids from Cannabis Sativa L. Optimized by Response Surface Methodology.
“Ultrasonication was used to extract bioactive compounds from Cannabis sativa L. such as polyphenols, flavonoids, and cannabinoids. On comparing the ultrasonic process with the control extraction, noticeably higher values were obtained for each of the responses. Additionally, ultrasound considerably improved the extraction of cannabinoids present in Cannabis.
PRACTICAL APPLICATION:
Low frequency ultrasound was employed to extract bioactive compounds from the inflorescence part of Cannabis. The responses evaluated were-total phenols, flavonoids, ferric reducing assay and yield. The solvent composition and time significantly influenced the extraction process. Appreciably higher extraction of cannabinoids was achieved on sonication against control.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29437231 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1750-3841.14075/abstract]]>Cannabis use is associated with lower rates of initiation of injection drug use among street-involved youth: A longitudinal analysis.
“Street-involved youth are known to be at elevated risk of initiating injection drug use. However, the impact of so-called ‘gateway’ drugs, such as cannabis, on injection initiation is unknown.
The objective of this study was to examine the association between cannabis use and initiation of injection drug use among a prospective cohort of street-involved youth in Vancouver, Canada.
In a multivariable analysis, ≥daily cannabis use was associated with slower rates of injection initiation (adjusted relative hazard 0.66, 95% confidence interval 0.45-0.98; P = 0.038). Sub-analyses revealed that cannabis use was negatively associated with initiation of injection stimulants but not initiation of injection opioids.DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS:
Given the expansion of cannabis legalisation throughout North America, it is encouraging that cannabis use was associated with slower time to initiation of injection drug use in this cohort. This finding challenges the view of cannabis as a gateway substance that precipitates the progression to using harder and more addictive drugs.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29430806 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/dar.12667/abstract]]>Chronic High Doses of Cannabinoids Promote Hippocampal Neurogenesis
“Hippocampal neurogenesis is suppressed following chronic administration of the major drugs of abuse (including opiates, alcohol, nicotine, and cocaine). However, CB1-knockout mice display significantly decreased hippocampal neurogenesis, suggesting that CB1 receptors activated by endogenous, plant-derived, or synthetic cannabinoids may promote hippocampal neurogenesis. Cannabinoids can regulate the proliferation of hippocampal NS/PCs by acting on CB1 receptors. They found that both the synthetic cannabinoid HU210 and the endocannabinoid anandamide profoundly promote embryonic hippocampal NS/PC proliferation. Chronic, but not acute, HU210 significantly increases the number of newborn hippocampal neurons in adult rats by promoting NS/PC proliferation. A significant increase was observed in the hipoppocampal newborn neurons of mice following twice-daily HU210 injection for 10 days. This suggests that cannabinoids are the only illicit drug that can promote adult hippocampal neurogenesis following chronic administration.” “Cannabinoids promote embryonic and adult hippocampus neurogenesis and produce anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects.” https://www.jci.org/articles/view/25509 http://www.science20.com/science_why_not/blog/chronic_high_doses_cannabinoids_promote_hippocampal_neurogenesis]]>
Role for neuronal nitric-oxide synthase in cannabinoid-induced neurogenesis.
“Cannabinoids, acting through the CB1 cannabinoid receptor (CB1R), protect the brain against ischemia and related forms of injury. This may involve inhibiting the neurotoxicity of endogenous excitatory amino acids and downstream effectors, such as nitric oxide (NO). Cannabinoids also stimulate neurogenesis in the adult brain through activation of CB1R. Because NO has been implicated in neurogenesis, we investigated whether cannabinoid-induced neurogenesis, like cannabinoid neuroprotection, might be mediated through alterations in NO production.” https://aggregator.leafscience.org/role-for-neuronal-nitric-oxide-synthase-in-cannabinoid-induced-neurogenesis/
“Nitric oxide negatively regulates mammalian adult neurogenesis.” http://www.pnas.org/content/100/16/9566.long
“Thus, cannabinoids appear to stimulate adult neurogenesis by opposing the antineurogenic effect of NO.” http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/jpet/319/1/150.full.pdf]]>Acute ethanol inhibition of adult hippocampal neurogenesis involves CB1 cannabinoid receptor signaling.
“Chronic ethanol exposure has been found to inhibit adult hippocampal neurogenesis in multiple models of alcohol addiction. Together, these findings suggest that acute CB1R cannabinoid receptor activation and binge ethanol treatment reduce neurogenesis through mechanisms involving CB1R. ” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29417597 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/acer.13608/abstract “Alcohol-induced neurodegeneration” http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2%3A666727&dswid=174
“Defective Adult Neurogenesis in CB1 Cannabinoid Receptor Knockout Mice. Pharmacological studies suggest a role for CB1 cannabinoid receptors (CB1R) in regulating neurogenesis in the adult brain.” http://molpharm.aspetjournals.org/content/66/2/204.full
“Activation of Type 1 Cannabinoid Receptor (CB1R) Promotes Neurogenesis in Murine Subventricular Zone Cell Cultures” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3660454/
“Several studies and patents suggest that the endocannabinoid system has neuro-protective properties and might be a target in neurodegenerative diseases” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27364363 “The endocannabinoid system and neurogenesis in health and disease.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17404371“The role of cannabinoids in adult neurogenesis. Pharmacological targeting of the cannabinoid system as a regulator of neurogenesis may prove a fruitful strategy in the prevention or treatment of mood or memory disorders.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4543605/
“Regulation of Adult Neurogenesis by Cannabinoids” https://www.researchgate.net/publication/264424221_Regulation_of_Adult_Neurogenesis_by_Cannabinoids
“Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (∆9-THC) Induce Neurogenesis and Improve Cognitive Performances of Male Sprague Dawley Rats. Administration of ∆9-THC was observed to enhance the neurogenesis in the brain, especially in hippocampus thus improved the cognitive function of rats.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28933048
“Cannabidiol Reduces Aβ-Induced Neuroinflammation and Promotes Hippocampal Neurogenesis through PPARγ Involvement. CBD was observed to stimulate hippocampal neurogenesis.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3230631/
“Cannabinoids promote embryonic and adult hippocampus neurogenesis and produce anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects. Chronic administration of the major drugs of abuse including opiates, alcohol, nicotine, and cocaine has been reported to suppress hippocampal neurogenesis in adult rats. Plant-derived, or synthetic cannabinoids may promote hippocampal neurogenesis. Cannabinoids appear to be the only illicit drug whose capacity to produce increased hippocampal newborn neurons is positively correlated with its anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects. In summary, since adult hippocampal neurogenesis is suppressed following chronic administration of opiates, alcohol, nicotine, and cocaine, the present study suggests that cannabinoids are the only illicit drug that can promote adult hippocampal neurogenesis following chronic administration.” https://www.jci.org/articles/view/25509
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Involvement of spinal cannabinoid receptors in the antipruritic effects of WIN 55,212-2, a cannabinoid receptor agonist.
“Cannabinoids have been used for their analgesic and euphoric effects for millennia, but recently the antipruritic effects of cannabis have been discovered. Considering the similarities between pain and itch sensations, we hypothesized that cannabinoid receptors may play a role in the antipruritic effects of cannabinoids. Our findings support prior researches indicating that cannabinoids exert antipruritic effects. Moreover, our results show that the antipruritic effects of cannabinoids are partially mediated by spinal CB1 receptors.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29424035 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ced.13398/abstract
“antipruritic: 1. Preventing or relieving itching. 2. An agent that relieves itching.” https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/antipruritic
]]>The Endocannabinoid System and Heart Disease: The Role of Cannabinoid Receptor Type 2.
“Decades of research has provided evidence for the role of the endocannabinoid system in human health and disease. This versatile system, consisting of two receptors (CB1 and CB2), their endogenous ligands (endocannabinoids), and metabolic enzymes has been implicated in a wide variety of disease states, ranging from neurological disorders to cancer.
CB2 has gained much interest for its beneficial immunomodulatory role that can be obtained without eliciting psychotropic effects through CB1. Recent studies have shed light on a protective role of CB2 in cardiovascular disease, an ailment which currently takes more lives each year in Western countries than any other disease or injury.
By use of CB2 knockout mice and CB2-selective ligands, knowledge of how CB2 signaling affects atherosclerosis and ischemia has been acquired, providing a major stepping stone between basic science and translational clinical research.
Here, we summarize the current understanding of the endocannabinoid system in human pathologies and provide a review of the results from preclinical studies examining its function in cardiovascular disease, with a particular emphasis on possible CB2-targeted therapeutic interventions to alleviate atherosclerosis.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29412125
“Researchers suggest that THC and other cannabinoids, which are active at CB2, the cannabinoid receptor expressed on immune cells, may be valuable in treating atherosclerosis.” https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/787468