Tag Archives: medicinal

Acute and short-term administrations of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol modulate major gut metabolomic regulatory pathways in C57BL/6 mice.

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Scientific Reports “Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the primary psychoactive compound in Cannabis, which is studied extensively for its medicinal value. A central gap in the science is the underlying mechanisms surrounding THC’s therapeutic effects and the role of gut metabolite profiles. Using a mass-spectrometry based metabolomics, we show here that intraperitoneal injection of THC in C57BL/6 mice modulates metabolic profiles that have previously been identified as integral to health. Specifically, we investigated the effects of acute (single THC injection denoted here as ‘1X’) and short -term (five THC injections on alternate days denoted as ‘5X’) THC administration on fecal and intestinal tissue metabolite profiles. Results are consistent with the hypothesis that THC administration alters host metabolism by targeting two prominent lipid metabolism pathways: glycerophospholipid metabolism and fatty acid biosynthesis.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31324830

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-46478-0

Model-based analysis on systemic availability of coadministered cannabinoids after controlled vaporised administration.

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“The most important two medicinal cannabinoids are Δ9 -tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD).

The results observed in this study are useful for guiding future pharmacokinetic studies of medicinal cannabinoids, and for development of dosing guidelines for medical use of cannabis in the ‘real world’ setting.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31264294

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/imj.14415

Cannabis and cannabinoids on treatment of inflammation: a patent review

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The inflammatory process is a physiological response to a vast number harmful stimulus that takes place in order to restore homeostasis. Many drugs used in pharmacotherapy are effective to control inflammatory responses, however there is a range of adverse effects attributed to steroidal and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

In this sense, herbal medicine and derivatives gain more adepts because of their effectiveness and safety, showing the importance of medicinal plants, especially the Cannabis genus and the cannabinoid derivatives.
The aim of this prospection was to identify data related to patents involving Cannabis and cannabinoids for the treatment of inflammation.
A total of 370 patents were found, of which 17 patents met the inclusion criteria.
Although reports show synergistic effects of the plant components, patents involving Cannabis and cannabinoids focus on isolated substances (CBD e THC). However, patents related to Cannabis and cannabinoids are promising for future use of the plant or its derivatives on the treatment of inflammation.”
“Cannabis-based drugs have been shown to be effective in inflammatory diseases.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29110674
“Cannabinoid-based drugs as anti-inflammatory therapeutics.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15864274
http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/tag/anti-inflammatory/

Omega-3 Endocannabinoid-Epoxides Are Novel Anti-inflammatory and Anti-Pain Lipid Metabolites (FS15-01-19).

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Issue Cover“Omega-3 fatty acid derived endocannabinoids are metabolized by cytochrome P450s to form bioactive endocannabinoid epoxides that are anti-inflammatory.

RESULTS:

Cannabinoids are found in marijuana and also are produced naturally in the body from ω-3 and ω-6 fatty acids. Exocannabinoids in marijuana, are known to be responsible for some of its euphoric effects, but they also exhibit anti-inflammatory benefits. Our study revealed a cascade of enzymatic reactions that convert ω-3 fatty acids into anti-inflammatory endocannabinoid epoxides that act through the same receptors in the body as marijuana (PNAS 2017).

Endocannabinoids are ligands for cannabinoidreceptor 1 and 2 (CB1 and CB2). CB1 receptor agonists exhibit psychotropic properties while CB2 receptor agonists have anti-inflammatory effects. Consequently, there is a strong interest in the discovery of CB2 selective agonists to mitigate inflammatory pathologies. The work details the discovery and characterization of naturally occurring ω-3-derived endocannabinoid epoxides that are formed via enzymatic oxidation of ω-3 endocannabinoids by cytochrome P450 epoxygenases. These dual functional ω-3 endocannabinoid epoxides exhibit preference towards binding to CB2 receptor and are anti-inflammatory and vasodilatory and reciprocally modulate platelet aggregation. Some of the other regioisomers of ω-3 endocannabinoid epoxides are partial agonists of CB1 and stop tumor cell metastasis (J. Med. Chem 2018). By virtue of their physiological properties, they are expected to play important roles in neuroinflammation and pain.

CONCLUSIONS:

This finding demonstrates how omega-3 fatty acids can produce some of the same medicinal qualities as marijuana, but without a psychotropic effect. In summary, the ω-3 endocannabinoid epoxides are found at concentrations comparable to those of other endocannabinoids and are expected to play critical roles during inflammation in vivo.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31223777

https://academic.oup.com/cdn/article/3/Supplement_1/nzz031.FS15-01-19/5518049

A systematic review of cannabidiol dosing in clinical populations.

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British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology banner“Cannabidiol is a cannabis-derived medicinal product with potential application in a wide-variety of contexts, however its effective dose in different disease states remains unclear. This review aimed to investigate what doses have been applied in clinical populations, in order to understand the active range of cannabidiol in a variety of medical contexts.

RESULTS:

A total of 1038 articles were retrieved, of which 35 studies met inclusion criteria covering 13 medical contexts. 23 studies reported a significant improvement in primary outcomes (e.g. psychotic symptoms, anxiety, seizures), with doses ranging between <1 – 50 mg/Kg/day. Plasma concentrations were not provided in any publication. Cannabidiol was reported as well tolerated and epilepsy was the most frequently studied medical condition, with all 11 studies demonstrating positive effects of cannabidiol on reducing seizure frequency or severity (average 15 mg/Kg/day within randomised controlled trials). There was no signal of positive activity of CBD in small randomised controlled trials (range n=6-62) assessing diabetes, Crohn’s disease, ocular hypertension, fatty liver disease or chronic pain. However, low doses (average 2.4 mg/Kg/day) were used in these studies.

CONCLUSION:

This review highlights cannabidiol has a potential wide range of activity in several pathologies. Pharmacokinetic studies as well as conclusive phase III trials to elucidate effective plasma concentrations within medical contexts are severely lacking and highly encouraged.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31222854

https://bpspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/bcp.14038

Biosynthesis of cannflavins A and B from Cannabis sativa L.

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Phytochemistry

“In addition to the psychoactive constituents that are typically associated with Cannabis sativa L., there exist numerous other specialized metabolites in this plant that are believed to contribute to its medicinal versatility. This study focused on two such compounds, known as cannflavin A and cannflavin B. These prenylated flavonoids specifically accumulate in C. sativa and are known to exhibit potent anti-inflammatory activity in various animal cell models. However, almost nothing is known about their biosynthesis. Using a combination of phylogenomic and biochemical approaches, an aromatic prenyltransferase from C. sativa (CsPT3) was identified that catalyzes the regiospecific addition of either geranyl diphosphate (GPP) or dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP) to the methylated flavone, chrysoeriol, to produce cannflavins A and B, respectively. Further evidence is presented for an O-methyltransferase (CsOMT21) encoded within the C. sativa genome that specifically converts the widespread plant flavone known as luteolin to chrysoeriol, both of which accumulate in C. sativa. These results therefore imply the following reaction sequence for cannflavins A and B biosynthesis: luteolin ► chrysoeriol ► cannflavin A and cannflavin B. Taken together, the identification of these two unique enzymes represent a branch point from the general flavonoid pathway in C. sativa and offer a tractable route towards metabolic engineering strategies that are designed to produce these two medicinally relevant Cannabis compounds.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31151063

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0031942218303819?via%3Dihub

“U of G Researchers First to Unlock Access to Pain Relief Potential of Cannabis”  https://news.uoguelph.ca/2019/07/u-of-g%E2%80%AFresearchers-first-to-unlock-access-to-pain%E2%80%AFrelief%E2%80%AFpotential-of-cannabis%E2%80%AF/

“Scientists unlock the secrets of marijuana’s pain-relief potential, study says” HTTPS://WWW.NEWSOBSERVER.COM/NEWS/NATION-WORLD/NATIONAL/ARTICLE233045517.HTML

[Medicinal cannabis].

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Image result for Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd.

“The use of cannabis products for medical purposes is rapidly increasing in the Netherlands. Studies suggest that these products have positive effects in the treatment of chronic neuropathic pain, multiple-sclerosis-related spasticity, certain epilepsy syndromes and chemotherapy-related nausea and vomiting.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31120212

The use of cannabinoids for sleep: A critical review on clinical trials.

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APA's header logo

“Cannabis and its pharmacologically active constituents, phytocannabinoids, have long been reported to have multiple medicinal benefits.

One association often reported by users is sedation and subjective improvements in sleep.

Many of the reviewed studies suggested that cannabinoids could improve sleep quality, decrease sleep disturbances, and decrease sleep onset latency.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31120284

https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037/pha0000285

Diverse TRPV1 responses to cannabinoids.

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 Publication Cover“Cannabinoid compounds are potential analgesics. Users of medicinal Cannabis report efficacy for pain control, clinical studies show that cannabis can be effective and opioid sparing in chronic pain, and some constituent cannabinoids have been shown to target nociceptive ion channels. Here, we explore and compare a suite of cannabinoids for their impact upon the physiology of TRPV1. The cannabinoids tested evoke differential responses in terms of kinetics of activation and inactivation. Cannabinoid activation of TRPV1 displays significant dependence on internal and external calcium levels. Cannabinoid activation of TRPV1 does not appear to induce the highly permeant, pore-dilated channel state seen with Capsaicin, even at high current amplitudes. Finally, we analyzed cannabinoid responses at nocioceptive channels other than TRPV1 (TRPV2, TRPM8 and TRPA1), and report that cannabinoids differentially activate these channels. On the basis of response activation and kinetics, state-selectivity and receptor selectivity, it may be possible to rationally design approaches to pain using single or multiple cannabinoids.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31096838

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19336950.2019.1619436

Terpenes in Cannabis sativa – From plant genome to humans.

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Plant Science“Cannabis sativa (cannabis) produces a resin that is valued for its psychoactive and medicinal properties. Despite being the foundation of a multi-billion dollar global industry, scientific knowledge and research on cannabis is lagging behind compared to other high-value crops. This is largely due to legal restrictions that have prevented many researchers from studying cannabis, its products, and their effects in humans. Cannabis resin contains hundreds of different terpene and cannabinoid metabolites. Our understanding of the genomic and biosynthetic systems of these metabolites in cannabis, and the factors that affect their variability, is rudimentary. As a consequence, there is concern about lack of consistency with regard to the terpene and cannabinoid composition of different cannabis ‘strains’. Likewise, claims of some of the medicinal properties attributed to cannabis metabolites would benefit from thorough scientific validation.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31084880 

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168945219301190?via%3Dihub

“Medicinal properties of terpenes found in Cannabis sativa”   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30096653

“Terpene synthases from Cannabis sativa”   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28355238