Abstract The discovery of cannabinoid receptors in the immune system and a family of endogenous ligands of these receptors provides a basis for understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms of cannabis-induced immunotoxicity. The present study was conducted on 90 nonsmoker males of high school and university students living in Tanta city of matched age and socioeconomic lifestyle. They were divided into a control group (30 males) and a bhang user group (60 males), which used bhang by eating its sweet juice after boiling with a little water and drying in an oven, 'fola'. The bhang group was divided equally into two subgroups: subgroup 1...

Abstract Cannabinoid research underwent a tremendous increase during the last 10 years. This progress was made possible by the discovery of cannabinoid receptors and the endogenous ligands for these receptors. Cannabinoid research is developing in two major directions: neurobehavioral properties of cannabinoids and the impact of cannabinoids on the immune system. Recent studies characterized the cannabinoid-induced response as a very complex process because of the involvement of multiple signalling pathways linked to cannabinoid receptors or effects elicited by cannabinoids without receptor participation. The objective of this review is to present this complexity as it applies to immune response. The functional properties of cannabinoid receptors,...

Abstract Cannabinoid modulation of immune responses is a pathological consequence of marijuana abuse and a potential outcome of therapeutic application of the drug. Moreover, endogenous cannabinoids are physiological immune regulators. In the present report, we describe alterations in gene transcription that occur after cannabinoid exposure in a mast cell line, RBL2H3. Cannabinoid exposure causes marked changes in the transcript levels for numerous genes, acting both independently of and in concert with immunoreceptor stimulation via Fc epsilon RI. In two mast cell lines, we observed mRNA and protein expression corresponding to both CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptor isoforms, contrary to the prevailing view that CB1...

Abstract Introduction: Cannabidiol (CBD) as Epidiolex® (GW Pharmaceuticals) was recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat rare forms of epilepsy in patients 2 years of age and older. Together with the increased societal acceptance of recreational cannabis and CBD oil for putative medical use in many states, the exposure to CBD is increasing, even though all of its biological effects are not understood. Once such example is the ability of CBD to be anti-inflammatory and immune suppressive, so the purpose of this review is to summarize effects and mechanisms of CBD in the immune system. It includes a consideration of reports...

Summary—Cannabinoid receptor activation by agents such as Δ 9 -tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is known to trigger immune suppression. Here, we show that administration of THC in mice leads to rapid and massive expansion of CD11b+Gr-1+ myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) expressing functional arginase and exhibiting potent immunosuppressive properties both in vitro and in vivo. The induction of MDSC by THC was associated with a significant increase in granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF). Moreover, administration of anti-G-CSF antibody inhibited the induction of MDSC by THC. THC was able to induce MDSC in TLR4 mutant C3H and C57BL10/ScN mice and hence acted independently of TLR4. Accumulation of MDSC in...

Pneumococcal meningitis is a life-threatening disease characterized by an acute infection affecting the pia matter, arachnoid and subarachnoid space. The intense inflammatory response is associated with a significant mortality rate and neurologic sequelae, such as, seizures, sensory-motor deficits and impairment of learning and memory. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of acute and extended administration of cannabidiol on pro-inflammatory cytokines and behavioral parameters in adult Wistar rats submitted to pneumococcal meningitis. Male Wistar rats underwent a cisterna magna tap and received either 10 ml of sterile saline as a placebo or an equivalent volume of S. pneumoniae suspension. Rats subjected...

Abstract Cannabinoids are a group of compounds present in Cannabis plant (Cannabis sativa L.). They mediate their physiological and behavioral effects by activating specific cannabinoid receptors. With the recent discovery of the cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2) and the endocannabinoid system, research in this field has expanded exponentially. Cannabinoids have been shown to act as potent immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory agents and have been shown to mediate beneficial effects in a wide range of immune-mediated diseases such as multiple sclerosis, diabetes, septic shock, rheumatoid arthritis, and allergic asthma. Cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) is mainly expressed on the cells of the central nervous system as well...

The effect of cannabimimetic agents on the function of immune cells such as T and B lymphocytes, natural killer cells and macrophages has been extensively studied over the past several decades using human and animal paradigms involving whole animal models as well as tissue culture systems. From this work, it can be concluded that these drugs have subtle yet complex effects on immune cell function and that some of the drug activity is mediated by cannabinoid receptors expressed on the various immune cell subtypes. However, the overall role of the cannabinoid system of receptors and ligands in human health and disease is still unclear...

Since the discovery of the cannabinoid receptors and their endogenous ligands, significant advances have been made in studying the physiological function of the endocannabinoid system. The presence of cannabinoid receptors on cells of the immune system and anecdotal and historical evidence suggesting that cannabis use has potent immuno-modulatory effects, has led to research directed at understanding the function and role of these receptors within the context of immunological cellular function. Studies from chronic cannabis smokers have provided much of the evidence for immunomodulatory effects of cannabis in humans, and animal and in vitro studies of immune cells such as T cells and macrophages have...

How cannabinoids influence immune function has been examined extensively in the last 30 years. Studies on drug-abusing humans and animals, as well as in vitro models employing immune cell cultures, have shown that marijuana, natural and endogenous cannabinoid compounds are immunomodulators. These substances modulate host resistance to bacterial, protozoan and viral infections as well as they can profoundly affect the Th1/Th2 response. Recently, two types of cannabinoid receptor, CB1 and CB2, have been discovered. While CB1 is expressed primarily in the brain, CB2 is peculiar of the immune cells. Cannabinoid receptors have been shown to be involved in some but not all of immune...