“Approximately 25 % of HIV patients use marijuana for its putative therapeutic benefit…
Previously, a surrogate in vitro mouse model was established, which induced CD8+ T cell proliferation and gp120-specific IFNγ production. ∆9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the predominant psychoactive compound in marijuana, suppressed or enhanced the responses depending on the magnitude of cellular activation.
The purpose of the current study was to investigate whether THC produced similar effects in vivo and therefore a mouse model to induce HIVgp120-specific immune responses was established…
Collectively, our findings demonstrate that under certain conditions, THC enhances HIV antigen-specific immune responses, which occurs through CB1/CB2-dependent and -independent mechanisms.”