Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an incurable disease which affects millions of people in industrialized countries. Anecdotal and scientific evidence suggests that Cannabis use may have a positive impact in IBD patients. Here, we investigated the effect of cannabigerol (CBG), a non-psychotropic Cannabis-derived cannabinoid, in a murine model of colitis. Colitis was induced in mice by intracolonic administration of dinitrobenzene sulphonic acid (DNBS). Inflammation was assessed by evaluating inflammatory markers/parameters (colon weight/colon length ratio and myeloperoxidase activity), by histological analysis and immunohistochemistry; interleukin-1β, interleukin-10 and interferon-γ levels by ELISA, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) by western blot and RT-PCR; CuZn-superoxide dismutase...

D9 -Tetrahydrocannabinol (D9 -THC) is the major psychoactive component of marijuana and elicits pharmacological actions via cannabinoid receptors. Anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoyl-glycerol (2-AG) are endogenous ligands for cannabinoid receptors, which because of their structural similarities to arachidonic acid (AA), AEA, and 2-AG could serve as substrates for lipoxygenases and cyclooxygenases (COXs) that metabolize polyunsaturated fatty acids to potent bioactive molecules. In this study, we have compared the effects of D9 -THC, AEA, 2-AG, and another cannabinoid agonist, indomethacin morpholinylamide (IMMA), on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)- induced NO, IL-6, and PGE2 release from J774 macrophages. D9 -THC, IMMA, and AEA diminish LPS-induced NO and IL-6 production in...

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a multifunctional cytokine which contributes to inXammation and tissue injury in several diseases. Thus, inhibition of IL-6 production may be a useful strategy for treatment of patients with diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). A synthetic nonpsychoactive cannabinoid, ajulemic acid (AjA), prevents joint damage in experimental arthritis. Results of experiments presented here indicate that addition of AjA (3–30 M) to human monocyte derived macrophages in vitro reduces steady state levels of IL-6 mRNA and the subsequent secretion of IL-6 from LPS stimulated cells. Although AjA binds to and activates PPAR, its anti IL-6 eVects are PPAR...