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UK: Cannabis may stop heart disease
The Telegraph Friday 08 Apr 2005 The active ingredient of cannabis can prevent blood vessels from becoming blocked by atherosclerosis, the inflammation that is the primary cause of heart disease and stroke. The disease is halted when mice are given low doses of the substance, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, THC, according to a study published today in the journal Nature by Prof Francois Mach and colleagues at the Geneva University Hospital. Atherosclerosis occurs when the build-up of immune cells in blood vessels causes narrowing of the arteries. THC, seems to prevents the recruitment of immune cells called leukocytes by binding to proteins called CB2 receptors on the surface of cells in the vessels. Because atherosclerosis is rare in younger people who tend to smoke cannabis, there is no evidence of this protective effect from earlier epidemiological studies of the health effects, said Prof Mach. He added that his research will spur drug companies to look for compounds which can bind to CB2 receptors like THC but without CB1 activity and thus the psychotropic effects. Prof Michael Roth, from the University of California, urged caution in the same issue of Nature. "The findings are striking, but they should not be taken to mean that smoking marijuana is beneficial to the heart. Also, no studies have been performed in humans to evaluate the effects of THC on atherosclerosis."
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