Tag Archives: Cannabinoids

Towards a therapeutic use of selective CB2 cannabinoid receptor ligands for atherosclerosis.

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“Atherosclerosis remains the primary cause of heart disease and stroke, causing approximately 50% of all deaths in Western countries. The identification of promising novel anti-atherosclerotic therapies is therefore of great interest and represents a continued challenge to the medical community.

Cannabinoids, such as Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the major psychoactive compound of marijuana, modulate immune functions and might therefore be of therapeutic use for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.

The authors have demonstrated recently that oral treatment with low dose THC inhibits atherosclerosis progression in mice through pleiotropic immunomodulatory effects on inflammatory cells. All these effects were mediated via the cannabinoid receptor CB(2), the main cannabinoid receptor expressed on immune cells.

The identification and characterization of cannabinoid derivative that selectively activate CB(2) receptors and are devoid of adverse effects might offer a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of atherosclerosis.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19804131

https://www.futuremedicine.com/doi/abs/10.2217/14796678.2.1.49

“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

Marijuana Chemical Fights Hardened Arteries – WebMD

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WebMD: Better information. Better health.

“The active ingredient in marijuana that produces changes in brain messages appears to fight atherosclerosis — a hardening of the arteries.

It takes a very specific amount of THC — marijuana’s key chemical — to help the arteries. That dose is too low to produce mood-altering effects in the brain, according to the new study.

“It would be difficult to achieve such specific concentrations in the blood by smoking marijuana,” Roth explains in a Nature editorial.”

http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/news/20050406/marijuana-chemical-fights-hardened-arteries

“Low dose oral cannabinoid therapy reduces progression of atherosclerosis in mice” http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v434/n7034/full/nature03389.html

 http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/atherosclerosis-2/

CBD-Rich Marijuana Fights Colon Cancer, New Study Finds

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“In 2008, over one million individuals were diagnosed with colon cancer, also known as colorectal cancer or bowel cancer and it caused over 600,000 deaths globally. The results of a study published in the journal Phytomedicine in October 2013 suggest that a botanical extract made from high-CBD (cannabidiol) cannabis can selectively target colon cancer cells, while leaving healthy cells unharmed.

Researchers were able to reduce tumor growth and pre-cancerous lesions in mice with colon cancer using the pot molecule CBD as part of a “botanical drug substance”. The authors believe that CBD’s benefits as demonstrated by the results of the study could have clinical relevance for the use of cannabis-based medicines in cancer patients.

Current colon cancer treatments are not only very toxic but also fail to prevent the progression of the disease in some patients. Disease incidence and mortality have not reduced using screening strategies for colon cancer.

Researchers have made progress in investigating cannabis as a treatment for breast and brain cancers considering its antiproliferative CB1 and CB2-mediated effects in colorectal cancer cells and action in experimental models of colon cancer. The study was partially funded through grants from GW Pharmaceuticals and lead by researchers from Italy and the UK.”

http://blog.sfgate.com/smellthetruth/2014/01/06/cbd-rich-marijuana-fights-colon-cancer-new-study-finds/

“Inhibition of colon carcinogenesis by a standardized Cannabis sativa extract with high content of cannabidiol” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24373545

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/colon-cancer/

Cannabidiol: Pharmacology and potential therapeutic role in epilepsy and other neuropsychiatric disorders.

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“Cannabis has been used to treat disease since ancient times. Δ9 -Tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9 -THC) is the major psychoactive ingredient and CBD is the major nonpsychoactive ingredient in cannabis.

Cannabis and Δ9 -THC are anticonvulsant in most animal models but can be proconvulsant in some healthy animals. The psychotropic effects of Δ9 -THC limit tolerability.

CBD is anticonvulsant in many acute animal models, but there are limited data in chronic models.

The antiepileptic mechanisms of CBD are not known, but may include effects on the equilibrative nucleoside transporter; the orphan G-protein-coupled receptor GPR55; the transient receptor potential of vanilloid type-1 channel; the 5-HT1a receptor; and the α3 and α1 glycine receptors.

CBD has neuroprotective and antiinflammatory effects, and it appears to be well tolerated in humans, but small and methodologically limited studies of CBD in human epilepsy have been inconclusive.

More recent anecdotal reports of high-ratio CBD:Δ9 -THC medical marijuana have claimed efficacy, but studies were not controlled.

CBD bears investigation in epilepsy and other neuropsychiatric disorders, including anxiety, schizophrenia, addiction, and neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24854329

Marijuana Effectively Reduces Seizures in Epilepsy Patients

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“Medicinal uses of marijuana have been a matter for heated debate for quite some time now. A review by American Academy of neurology collated all available information on marijuana use for brain disease treatment and concluded that except for treating symptoms of multiple sclerosis, there is no hard evidence in favor of medical usage of marijuana.

But now some articles have been published in the journal Epilepsia that contradicts the earlier review. One of these articles is a case study of a family living in Denver, CO. The child in the family suffers from a severe form of epilepsy known as Dravet Syndrome and used to have frequent seizures, as many as 50 convulsions a day. But the child was given “Charlotte’s Web”- a marijuana strain with high levels of cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Reportedly, the seizures decreased considerably and now the child suffers from only 2 or 3 seizures each month.

According to the author of the article, Dr. Edward Maa, “As medical professionals it is important that we further the evidence of whether CBD in cannabis is an effective antiepileptic therapy.””

http://www.newsonwellness.com/2014/05/marijuana-effectively-reduces-seizures-epilepsy-patients/

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/epilepsy-2/

Study examines potential use of medical marijuana, CBD in treating epilepsy

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“…cannabis has been used to treat epilepsy for centuries… The therapeutic potential of medical marijuana and pure cannabidiol (CBD), an active substance in the cannabis plant, for neurologic conditions is highly debated. A series of articles published in Epilepsia, a journal of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE), examine the potential use of medical marijuana and CBD in treating severe forms of epilepsy…”

http://www.news-medical.net/news/20140523/Study-examines-potential-use-of-medical-marijuana-CBD-in-treating-epilepsy.aspx

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/epilepsy-2/

Cannabidiol can improve complex sleep-related behaviours associated with rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder in Parkinson’s disease patients: a case series.

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“Cannabidiol (CBD) is the main non-psychotropic component of the Cannabis sativa plant. REM sleep behaviour disorder (RBD) is a parasomnia characterized by the loss of muscle atonia during REM sleep associated with nightmares and active behaviour during dreaming. We have described the effects of CBD in RBD symptoms in patients with Parkinson’s disease.

CASES SUMMARY:

Four patients treated with CBD had prompt and substantial reduction in the frequency of RBD-related events without side effects.

WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION:

This case series indicates that CBD is able to control the symptoms of RBD.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24845114

Potential effects of cannabidiol as a wake-promoting agent.

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“Over the last decades, the scientific interest in chemistry and pharmacology of cannabinoids has increased. Most attention has focused on ∆(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (∆(9)-THC) as it is the psychoactive constituent of Cannabis sativa (C. sativa). However, in previous years, the focus of interest in the second plant constituent with non-psychotropic properties, cannabidiol (CBD) has been enhanced. Recently, several groups have investigated the pharmacological properties of CBD with significant findings; furthermore, this compound has raised promising pharmacological properties as a wake-inducing drug. In the current review, we will provide experimental evidence regarding the potential role of CBD as a wake-inducing drug.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24851090

A restricted population of CB1 cannabinoid receptors with neuroprotective activity.

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“The CB1 cannabinoid receptor, the main molecular target of endocannabinoids and cannabis active components, is the most abundant G protein-coupled receptor in the mammalian brain…

The data unequivocally identify the restricted population of CB1 receptors located on glutamatergic terminals as an indispensable player in the neuroprotective activity of (endo)cannabinoids, therefore suggesting that this precise receptor pool constitutes a promising target for neuroprotective therapeutic strategies.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24843137

Peripheral and intra-dorsolateral striatum injections of the cannabinoid receptor agonist WIN 55,212-2 impair consolidation of stimulus-response memory.

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“The endocannabinoid system plays a major role in modulating memory. In the present study, we examined whether cannabinoid agonists influence the consolidation of stimulus-response/habit memory, a form of memory dependent upon the dorsolateral striatum (DLS)…

The results indicate that peripheral or intra-DLS administration of a cannabinoid receptor agonist impairs consolidation of DLS-dependent memory. The findings are discussed within the context of previous research encompassing cannabinoids and DLS-dependent learning and memory processes, and the possibility that cannabinoids may be used to treat some habit-like human psychopathologies (e.g. posttraumatic stress disorder) is considered.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24838065