“Due to renewed interest in the cultivation and production of Italian Cannabis sativa L., we proposed a multi-methodological approach to explore chemically and biologically both the essential oil and the aromatic water of this plant. We reported the chemical composition in terms of cannabinoid content, volatile component, phenolic and flavonoid pattern, and color characteristics. Then, we demonstrated the ethnopharmacological relevance of this plant cultivated in Italy as a source of antioxidant compounds toward a large panel of enzymes (pancreatic lipase, α-amylase, α-glucosidase, and cholinesterases) and selected clinically relevant, multidrug-sensible, and multidrug-resistant microbial strains (Staphylococcus aureus, Helicobacter pylori, Candida, and Malassezia spp.), evaluating the cytotoxic effects against normal and malignant cell lines. Preliminary in vivo cytotoxicity was also performed on Galleria mellonella larvae. The results corroborate the use of this natural product as a rich source of important biologically active molecules with particular emphasis on the role exerted by naringenin, one of the most important secondary metabolites.”
Category Archives: THC (Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol)
An Analysis of Endocannabinoid Concentrations and Mood Following Singing and Exercise in Healthy Volunteers.
“The euphoric feeling described after running is, at least in part, due to increased circulating endocannabinoids (eCBs). eCBs are lipid signaling molecules involved in reward, appetite, mood, memory and neuroprotection.
The aim of this study was to investigate whether activities other than running can increase circulating eCBs.
Nine healthy female volunteers (mean 61 years) were recruited from a local choir. Circulating eCBs, haemodynamics, mood and hunger ratings were measured before and immediately after 30 min of dance, reading, singing or cycling in a fasted state.
Singing increased plasma levels of anandamide (AEA) by 42% (P < 0.05), palmitoylethanolamine (PEA) by 53% (P < 0.01) and oleoylethanolamine (OEA) by 34% (P < 0.05) and improved positive mood and emotions (P < 0.01), without affecting hunger scores.
Dancing did not affect eCB levels or hunger ratings, but decreased negative mood and emotions (P < 0.01).
Cycling increased OEA levels by 26% (P < 0.05) and tended to decrease how hungry volunteers felt, without affecting mood.
Reading increased OEA levels by 28% (P < 0.01) and increased the desire to eat.
Plasma AEA levels were positively correlated with how full participants felt (P < 0.05). Plasma OEA levels were positively correlated with positive mood and emotions (P < 0.01). All three ethanolamines were positively correlated with heart rate (HR; P < 0.0001).
These data suggest that activities other than running can increase plasma eCBs associated with changes in mood or appetite. Increases in eCBs may underlie the rewarding and pleasurable effects of singing and exercise and ultimately some of the long-term beneficial effects on mental health, cognition and memory.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30534062
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00269/full
Health-related quality of life across cancer cachexia stages.
“Cancer cachexia (CC) is common in advanced cancer and is accompanied by negative effects on health-related quality of life (HRQOL).
However, methods to identify the impact of CC on HRQOL are limited.
Finally, the use of cannabinoids in treating appetite loss was examined,
54 patients underwent cannabinoid treatment for appetite loss within a community-based, physician-lead, medical cannabis clinic.
Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS) score for lack of appetite significantly improved between baseline and follow-up after cannabinoid treatment, with no significant difference in weight.
Improvement of HRQOL via appetite stimulation, may be achieved through a multidisciplinary approach, which includes cannabinoid therapy.”
An Integrated Review of Cannabis and Cannabinoids in Adult Oncologic Pain Management.
“The objective of this paper is to review the available literature regarding the use of cannabis and cannabinoids in adult oncologic pain management.
RESULTS:
The final number of articles included is nine articles. Of the nine studies reviewed, eight reviewed the effect of the cannabinoid THC on cancer pain, and one study reviewed the use of medicinally available whole plant cannabis. The following study types were included: multiple multi-center, randomized, placebo- controlled trials and two prospective observational survey studies.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS:
Of the eight studies that reviewed the effect of the cannabinoid THC, five found THC to be more effective than placebo, one found THC to be more effective than placebo in American patients but ineffective in patients from other countries, and two found THC to be no more effective than placebo. The study that reviewed the effect of the whole plant cannabis found that there was a significant decrease in pain among those patients smoking cannabis.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30527857
https://www.painmanagementnursing.org/article/S1524-9042(18)30209-1/fulltext
Reduced prevalence of alcoholic gastritis in hospitalized individuals who consume cannabis.
“Alcoholic gastritis, a superficial erosive disease of the stomach, is a common manifestation of risky alcohol use. In contrast, cannabis which is frequently co-used with alcohol suppresses gastric acidity and might counteract the deleterious effect of alcohol on the gastric mucosa.
RESULTS:
Our study revealed that among risky alcohol users, cannabis co-users have a lower prevalence of alcoholic gastritis compared to non-cannabis users (1,289[1,169-1,421] vs. 1,723[1,583-1,875] per 100,000 hospitalizations for risky alcohol use), resulting in a 25% decreased probability of alcoholic gastritis (aRR:0.75[0.66-0.85]; p-value:<0.0001). Furthermore, dependent cannabis usage resulted in a lower prevalence of alcoholic gastritis when compared to both non-dependent-cannabis users (0.72[0.52-0.99]), and to non-cannabis-users (0.56[0.41-0.76]).
CONCLUSIONS:
We reveal that risky alcohol drinking combined with cannabis use is associated with reduced prevalence of alcohol-associated gastritis in patients. Given increased cannabis legislation globally, understanding if and how the specific ingredients in cannabis plant extract can be used in the treatment of alcoholic gastritis is paramount. In this regard, further molecular mechanistic studies are needed to delineate the mechanisms of our novel findings not only for alcoholic gastritis but also gastritis from other causes.”
Effects of cannabinoids in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) murine models: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
“Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disorder that results from motor neuron damage.
Cannabinoids have been proposed as treatments for ALS due to their anti-excitotoxicity, anti-oxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects.
This review provides some evidence for the efficacy of cannabinoids in prolonging survival time in an ALS mouse model. A delay in disease progression is also suggested following cannabinoid treatment”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30520038
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jnc.14639
“The endocannabinoid system in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. There is increasing evidence that cannabinoids and manipulation of the endocannabinoid system may have therapeutic value in ALS, in addition to other neurodegenerative conditions. Cannabinoids exert anti-glutamatergic and anti-inflammatory actions through activation of the CB(1) and CB(2) receptors, respectively. Cannabinoid agents may also exert anti-oxidant actions by a receptor-independent mechanism. Therefore the ability of cannabinoids to target multiple neurotoxic pathways in different cell populations may increase their therapeutic potential in the treatment of ALS.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18781981
http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis-als-lou-gehrigs-disease/
Cannabinoid receptor 2 agonist prevents local and systemic inflammatory bone destruction in rheumatoid arthritis.
“Cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2) has been implicated as an important clinical regulator of inflammation and malignant osteolysis. Here, we observed that CB2 expression was markedly higher in the collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mice synovium and bone tissues than in the non-inflamed synovium and bone tissues. We found that JWH133 ameliorates pathologic bone destruction in CIA mice via the inhibition of osteoclastogenesis and modulation of inflammatory responses, thereby highlighting its potential as a treatment for human rheumatoid arthritis.”
Stilbenoids and cannabinoids from the leaves of Cannabis sativa f. sativa with potential reverse cholesterol transport activity.
“Three new stilbenoids (1-3) and 16 known stilbenoids (4-6) and cannabinoids (7-19) were isolated from the leaves of hemp (Cannabis sativa L.). The structures of the three new compounds were identified as α,α’-dihydro-3′,4,5′-trihydroxy-4′-methoxy-3-isopentenylstilbene (HM1), α,α’-dihydro-3,4′,5-trihydroxy-4-methoxy-2,6-diisopentenylstilbene (HM2), and α,α’-dihydro-3′,4,5′-trihydroxy-4′-methoxy-2′,3-diisopentenylstilbene (HM3) by 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy, LC-MS, and HRESIMS. The known α,α’-dihydro-3,4′,5-trihydroxy-4,5′-diisopentenylstilbene (5) and combretastatin B-2 (6) were isolated for the first time from C. sativa f. sativa.
These isolated compounds exhibited cytotoxic effects on human cancer cells via inhibiting the proliferation of cancer cells and inducing cell death. Among them, compounds 4, 5, 10, 12, 13, 15, and 19 displayed broad-spectrum cytotoxicity, and 1, 7, and 11 displayed selectivity in inhibition efficiency on MCF-7 and A549 cells, which suppressed the proliferation of cancer cells significantly by inducing cell death.
The effects of compounds 1-3 on improving reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) were evaluated by isotope-tracing and western blotting. Results showed that the three stilbenoids showed a cytotoxicity above 1.0 mg L-1, especially that of HM3. They could improve [3H]-cholesterol efflux from Raw 264.7 macrophages to high density lipoproteins by enhancing the protein expression of ABCG1 and SR-B1, and HM1 and HM2 showed a significant difference compared with fenofibrate at 1.0 mg L-1. The three stilbenoids could also significantly improve the protein expression of ABCA1. Further study on HepG2 cells indicated that they improve the protein expression of LDLR, SR-B1 and CYP7A1, especially that of HM1 and HM3. However, they showed no significant effect on PCSK9.
The above results indicated that these stilbenoids may elevate the transfer of cholesterol to hepatocytes by improving the protein expression of SR-B1 and LDLR, and the synthesis of bile acid by increasing the protein expression of CYP7A1.
In conclusion, HM1 showed lower cytotoxicity and higher activity in improving the RCT-related protein expression. Our study suggests that it may be explored as a novel lipid-lowering drug and as a beneficial ingredient in health functional foods and pharmaceuticals.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30500001
https://pubs.rsc.org/en/Content/ArticleLanding/2018/FO/C8FO01896K#!divAbstract
Oral Ingestion of Cannabis sativa: Risks, Benefits, and Effects on Malaria-Infected Hosts.
“The emergence of a multidrug-resistant strain of Plasmodium falciparum (Pf Pailin) raises concern about malaria control strategies. Unfortunately, the role(s) of natural plants/remedies in curtailing malaria catastrophe remains uncertain. The claims of potential antimalarial activity of Cannabis sativa in vivo have not been well established nor the consequences defined. This study was, therefore, designed to evaluate the effects of whole cannabis consumption on malaria-infected host.
Methods: Thirty mice were inoculated with dose of 1×107 chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium berghei ANKA-infected erythrocyte and divided into six treatment groups. Cannabis diet formulations were prepared based on weighted percentages of dried cannabis and standard mice diet and the study animals were fed ad libitum. Chemosuppression of parasitemia, survival rates, parasite clearance, and recrudescence time were evaluated. Histopathological studies were performed on the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus of the animals after 14 days’ consumption of cannabis diet formulation by naive mice.
Results: There was a significant difference (p<0.05) in the day-4 chemosuppression of parasitemia between the animals that were fed C. sativa and chloroquine relative to the untreated controls. There was also a significant difference in the survival rate (p<0.05) of animals fed C. sativa diet (40%, 20%, 10%, and 1%) in contrast to control animals on standard mice diet. A parasite clearance time of 2.18±0.4 was recorded in the chloroquine treatment group, whereas recrudescence in chloroquine group occurred on day 7. There were slight histomorphological changes in the PFC and cell densities of the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus of animals that were fed C. sativa.
Conclusions: C. sativa displayed mild antimalarial activity in vivo. There was evident reduction in symptomatic manifestation of malaria disease, though unrelated to levels of parasitemia. This disease tolerance status may be beneficial, but may also constitute a transmission burden through asymptomatic carriage of parasites by habitual cannabis users.”
miR-23b-3p and miR-130a-5p affect cell growth, migration and invasion by targeting CB1R via the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in gastric carcinoma.
“Gastric cancer (GC) is the most common malignancy and third leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. The identification of a sensitive biomarker as well as effective therapeutic targets for the treatment of GC is of critical importance. microRNAs play significant roles in the development of cancer and may serve as promising therapeutic targets.
RESULTS:
In the present study, it was demonstrated that the cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1R) was overexpressed, and miR-23b-3p and miR-130a-5p were downregulated, in GC cells. In addition, the results revealed that these effects are associated with malignant biological behaviors exhibited by GC cells. Furthermore, miR-23b-3p and miR-130a-5p may regulate CB1R expression via the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.
CONCLUSION:
Our results suggested dysregulation of CB1R expression is closely related to the malignant biological behavior of gastric cancer cells. miRNA/CB1R-based therapy may represent a promising therapeutic strategy for the clinical treatment of GC patients.”