Hashish & marijuana may help to fight inflammation & allergies

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Marijuana :: Hashish & marijuana may help to fight inflammation & allergies
Endocannabinoids seem to play an important role in regulating inflammation processes. Scientists from the University of Bonn have discovered this in experiments on mice.

Their results will be published in the distinguished scientific journal 'Science' on Friday, 8 June. The study may also have implications for therapy. In animal experiments, a solution with an important component made from cannabis reduced allergic reactions of the skin.

Extracts of the hemp plant cannabis are traditionally used as a popular remedy against inflammation. At the beginning of the last century this natural remedy was even available at every chemist’s. But due to the intoxicating effect of the component THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) the plant was taken off the chemist’s shelves in the 1930s.

THC acts on the cannabinoid receptors, of which there are two types, CB1 and CB2. Both receptors are made such that THC can attach itself to them. In the brain this causes the intoxicating effect of hashish, cannabis and marijuana. But why does the body have CB1 and CB2 anyway" For two decades it has been known that the human body also produces its own cannabinoids. Like THC they can attach themselves to the receptors. The brain scientist Professor Andreas Zimmer from the Bonn Institute of Molecular Psychiatry is investigating what the function of this endocannabinoid system is. ‘Mice without CB1 receptors show psychological abnormalities,’ he explains. ‘By contrast, CB2 regulates the growth of bones, for example.’

Coincidence

However, according to these most recent results, endocannabinoids also seem to play an important part in regulating inflammation processes. As is often the case with important discoveries, coincidence was involved. In scientific experiments mice are given an ear clip, so that researchers can tell them apart.‘ In most cases the mice can handle this without problems,’ Dr. Meliha Karsak, a member of Professor Zimmer’s team, explains. ‘With our mice this was different. The skin around the ear clips became inflamed.’ There are genetically modified strains of mice in which both cannabinoid receptors are dysfunctional.‘ And it was in precisely these strains that the inflammation occurred,' she explains.

Together with the Bonn dermatologists Dr. Evelyn Gaffal and Professor Thomas Tüting the researchers investigated these findings. Skin rash can be caused by allergens in laboratory mice. 'However, normally these rashes are only minor,' Dr. Gaffal emphasises. 'However, strains of mice in which the cannabinoid receptors are missing react much more intensely. We observed something similar when we blocked the receptors with medication.'

Step on the brakes

When inflammation occurs the endocannabinoids act like someone stepping on the brakes. They prevent the body from doing too much of a good thing and the immune reaction from getting out of control. This is consistent with the fact that at the beginning of the infection the endocannabinoid concentration increased in the mice. 'Apart from that there are strains of mice in which the breakdown of these active substances produced by the body is malfunction-ing,' Evelyn Gaffal says. 'They have an increased endocannabinoid concen-tration in their skin. In our experiments these animals also showed a less marked allergic reaction.'

The results open up new options for the treatment of skin allergies and inflammation. Firstly, drugs which prevent the breakdown of endocannabin-oids look promising. But the old household remedy cannabis could also make a comeback as an ointment. In the experiment on mice this approach has already been successful. 'If we dabbed THC solution on to the animals' skin shortly before and after applying the allergen, a lot less swelling occurred than normal,' Professor Thomas Tüting explains. 'THC attaches itself to cannabin-oid receptors and activates them. In this way the active substance reduces the allergic reaction.' Incidentally, ointment like this would probably not have an intoxicating effect, for this the amount of THC contained would be much too small.



SpiritIndia.com

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In a news report and research article published this week by the journal Science, researchers from the University of Bonn in Germany have discovered that the chemicals found in marijuana might be helpful for alleviating skin allergies.
This finding could prove useful for treatment of individuals suffering from chronic dermatitis, as well as other inflammatory and allergic skin conditions.

Cannabinoids, the active ingredients in marijuana, are best known for their induction of euphoric states of mind in individuals who smoke or ingest these substances. However, there are over seventy known cannabinoids, and not all are psychoactive. Many others are therapeutic, relieving anxiety, nausea, and convulsions. Furthermore, the body produces these substances naturally, where they are thought to play a role in learning, and in the nervous and immune systems. Now, another potentially therapeutic use for cannabinoids has been shown: as a relief for inflammation and allergy.

Cannabinoids bind two primary classes of receptors in the body, initiating a cascade of events leading to their effects: the CB1 and CB2 receptors. CB1 receptors are found primarily in the brain, as well as the male and female reproductive systems. CB2 receptors are found almost exclusively in the immune system.

Andreas Zimmer and his colleagues created a mouse strain deficient for both the CB1 and CB2 receptors and found that these mice scratched their nickel-based ear tags to the point where the skin around the tags became covered in sores. When these ear tags were replaced with non-allergenic brass ear tags, the scratching ceased. Similar results were found in mice deficient for either CB1 or CB2, suggesting a redundant role for these receptors, at least in terms of inflammation control.

These results also suggest that cannabinoids may be involved in alleviating and possibly preventing the allergic response. To test this idea further, Zimmer and his group then applied the cannabinoid delta-THC (one of the psychoactive cannabinoids) along with the known allergen DNFB (2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene) to mouse skin. Mice that received both compounds showed a diminished allergic response compared with mice that received DNFB alone.

As to how cannabinoids affect allergy and immunity, Zimmer and his colleagues postulate that the compounds may alter the expression of a chemokine protein called monocyte chemotactic protein 2 (MCP-2)/chemokine (C-C motif)ligand 8 (CCL8). Chemokines are known to promote inflammation.
These findings provide hope for individuals suffering from chronic allergic skin conditions such as contact dermatitis, whose current treatment involves steroids and immunosuppressants.
A cannabinoid-based skin cream would be a welcome relief from such drugs, which cause eventual skin thinning and drug tolerance. However, the experiments listed above would have to first be repeated in humans before such a cream could be deemed effective for development and use.

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Researchers at Harvard University report that THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, reduces lung cancer tumor growth by at least 50%, and also reduces the ability of the lung cancer tumors to metastasize, or spread, to other areas.
These findings are being reported at the current annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, in Los Angeles, CA.

Delta-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the key hallucinogenic compound in marijuana, was found to inhibit non-small cell lung cancer by targeting and binding to the cells' cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2. The body can naturally produce a class of compounds similar in function to THC, called endocannabinoids, which also bind the same receptors. When CB1 and CB2 are bound, they are less responsive to the effects of epidermal growth factor (EGF), a compound involved in the growth, survival, proliferation, and differentiation of mammalian cells. Since lung tumors that over-express the receptor for EGF are aggressive, and usually unresponsive to chemotherapy, blockage of this pathway by THC or similar compounds may become one therapeutic option for cancer patients.

Anju Preet, one of the researchers conducting this study, tested lung cancer cell lines and patient tumor samples by treating them with non-lethal doses of THC, finding that the substance prevented their growth and spread. Preet and her colleagues then implanted mice with tumors derived from lung cancer patients and injected the mice with THC for three weeks. The tumors shrunk by at least 50% in the animals injected with THC, compared with controls. There was also a significant reduction in protein markers found associated with tumor growth and metastasis.

While a derivative of THC, called Marinol, is already approved for medicinal use as an appetite stimulant in cancer patients, there is very little evidence that THC can treat cancer itself. Interestingly, an earlier study of long-term, heavy marijuana users found that smoking marijuana did not increase their risk of developing lung cancer. Smoking marijuana also did not increase the risk of head and neck cancers, such as those of the throat and esophagus. This was surprising considering that marijuana tar, compared to tobacco tar, contains higher concentrations of compounds linked to lung cancer. On average, a marijuana cigarette deposits four times more tar into the lungs compared with a tobacco cigarette. Also, marijuana smokers tend to hold the smoke longer in their lungs, allowing more particles to infiltrate their tissues. The study hypothesized that the lack of increased lung cancer risk might be due to THC, but did not offer an explanation for THC's mechanism of action.
Now, however, there is a possible explanation for the prior study's results. As Preet stated, "The beauty of this study is that we are showing that a substance of abuse, if used prudently, may offer a new road to therapy against lung cancer."

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from http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/76007.html#

2007-06-25

Hamburg - A hundred years ago, an over-the-counter cannabis extract ointment was sold as a household remedy for eczema and other allergic skin reactions, but was later withdrawn from the market as a quack product. Now scientists in Germany have discovered that cannabis does in fact reduce the itching and swelling of allergic skin reactions and they have called for a reappraisal of granny's household remedy.

The research, conducted on mice, points towards new cannabis-based treatments for irritated skin.

Extracts from the hemp plant were traditionally used to treat inflammation and could be bought from pharmacists in the early 20th century.

But doubts about the efficacy of the untested product along with fears about the intoxicating effects of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the chemical that causes the cannabis high, led to a ban on sales in the 1930s.

The new research suggests that the herbalists who used cannabis ointments to treat eczema knew what they were doing.

Scientists now believe that cannabis skin lotion, in a safe form too diluted to affect the brain, could make a comeback.

The team from the University of Bonn in Germany stumbled on the anti-inflammatory effect of THC while conducting a brain study on mice.

The animals were genetically engineered so they could not respond to cannabinoids, either THC or its natural equivalents generated in the brain.

Unexpectedly, the skin around ear clips placed on the mice to identify them became red and sore.

The scientists realised what this meant - that cannabinoids act like a brake, preventing the immune system from running out of control and triggering inflammation.

For 20 years, scientists have known that the brain produces cannabinoids, but it has not been clear why.

They appear to have psychological effects, and influence bone growth. Another possible explanation now seems to be that they help regulate the immune system.

The German scientists confirmed their suspicions by dabbing THC ointment on the skin of mice exposed to allergens.

Professor Thomas Tuting, a member of the team, said: "If we dabbed THC solution onto the animals' skin shortly before and after applying the allergen, a lot less swelling occurred than normal.

"The THC attaches itself to the cannabinoid receptors and activates them. In this way, the active substance reduces the allergic reaction."

He said the amount of THC needed to treat skin allergies would be far too small to produce intoxicating effects.

Another treatment option was to develop drugs which prevent the breakdown of natural cannabinoids in the brain.