|
Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
|
|
Switzerland: Cannabis compound benefits blood vessels
Roxanne Khamsi Nature
Wednesday 06 Apr 2005 Low dose helps combat formation of arterial blockages. A compound derived from the cannabis plant protects blood vessels from=20 dangerous clogging, a study of mice has shown. The discovery could lead to= =20 new drugs to ward off heart disease and stroke. The compound, called delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), combats the=20 blood-vessel disease atherosclerosis in mice. This disease occurs when=20 damage to blood vessels, by nicotine from cigarettes, for example, causes=20 an immune response that leads to the formation of fatty deposits in= arteries. These deposits form because the immune cells can linger too long,=20 recruiting others and leading to an inflamed blockage that snares fatty=20 molecules. The disease is the leading cause of heart disease and stroke in= =20 the developed world. THC seems to tone down this immune response, report Fran=E7ois Mach of the= =20 University Hospital Geneva, Switzerland and his colleagues. The compound=20 binds to a protein called CB2 that is present on the surfaces of certain=20 immune cells. Block buster Mach's team administered tiny amounts of pure THC to mice. The treatment=20 reduced the progression of blood-vessel blockage formation by more than=20 one-third, the researchers report in this week's Nature1. Furthermore, feeding the mice a compound that interferes with binding to=20 CB2 abolished the therapeutic effect of THC. This proves that the process=20 involves the CB2 protein rather than a similar protein called CB1, which is= =20 found on cells in the brain and nervous system and is responsible for=20 cannabis's psychological effects. The benefits for atherosclerosis occurred only at a certain dosage, Mach=20 adds. At higher and lower doses, THC has no therapeutic effect on blood=20 vessels, he says. He notes the similarly moderated effects of alcohol on=20 heart disease, adding that a single glass of Bordeaux may reduce risk while= =20 overindulgence can increase it. The team also emphasises that the THC dose required to protect blood=20 vessels is lower, relative to body weight, than that which would produce=20 the mind-altering altering effects of cannabis in humans. "This paper has=20 nothing to do with smoking marijuana," Mach stresses. "It does not mean that smoking cannabis is beneficial to the cardiovascular= =20 system, as cannabis smoke contains many toxins which may actually lead to=20 cardiovascular diseases," says Michael Randall of the University of=20 Nottingham Medical School, UK, who has studied cardiovascular disease and=20 cannabinoids. "The body also produces its own cannabis-like chemicals and whether they=20 may play a role in the above beneficial effects is unclear," he adds. Future drugs THC could be deployed alongside currently used cholesterol-controlling=20 drugs called statins to fight atherosclerosis, Mach suggests. "I don't=20 think this will replace statins. But we may add another compound that will= =20 fight against inflammation," he explains. Because THC might suppress the immune system in a general way, there is a=20 danger that it may harm the body's ability to fight infection. To avoid=20 this, Mach says, it may be necessary to identify similar compounds that=20 specifically target the CB2 protein. Still, the discovery adds to the range of potential medicinal benefits of=20 cannabis compounds. Besides its well-publicized use for pain relief, the=20 drug is also given to anorexics to stimulate appetite, and cancer patients= =20 to combat the nauseating side-effects of chemotherapy. References 1. Steffens S., et al. Nature, 434. 782 - 786 (2005).
After you have finished reading this article you can click here to go back.
|
This page was created by the Cannabis Campaigners' Guide.
Feel free to link to this page!