Researchers from Friedrich Schiller University in Jena, in collaboration with researchers from Italy, Austria and the US, have identified the mechanism of anti-inflammatory action of hemp cannabinoids. The anti-inflammatory properties of cannabidiol and other hemp cannabinoids had already been observed in scientific studies, but only now have researchers clarified the exact mode of action of these compounds on the immune system.
Anti-inflammatory effects of CBD
W article published August 29, 2023 in the journal Cell Chemical Biology, researchers from the University of Jena describe their findings on the mechanism of hemp's anti-inflammatory effects. It was already known from previous studies that hemp cannabinoids, including CBD, exhibit this effect, but the exact cause was not clear.
CBD inhibits pro-inflammatory response and activates anti-inflammatory response
The researchers studied how various cannabinoids, including CBD and psychoactive THC, affect human immune cells. They found that all of the compounds studied inhibit the formation of pro-inflammatory transmitter substances in cells, while activating the production of substances that soothe inflammation.
They found that CBD induces a change in immune cells and switches the pro-inflammatory response to an inflammation-inhibiting response. The researchers found that CBD activates the enzyme 15-lipoxygenase-1, which triggers the production of transmitter substances that calm inflammation.
In the article's conclusion, the researchers write that: "Switching the production of pro-inflammatory substances in cells to the production of anti-inflammatory substances is the likely mode of action CBD and a promising strategy for treating conditions inflammatory".
Results of animal studies
The results obtained on cell cultures were successfully confirmed in vivo in a mouse study. In the long term, the results could result in new therapeutic strategies for treating diseases involving inflammation, including autoimmune diseases.
Fewer side effects
Treatment with non-psychoactive CBD additionally solves the problem of side effects (e.g., in the form of a daily feeling of intoxication in the patient/s during therapy), which must be reckoned with in the case of cannabis drugs containing THC.
The endocannabinoid system, cannabis and the immune system - previous research
Structure and function of the endocannabinoid system
The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is a complex system involving the entire human body, which, most generally, is responsible for maintaining the body's balance (homeostasis).
It consists of three basic elements:
- endocannabinoids AEA and 2-AG, which are substances produced by the human body that have a structure analogous to the cannabinoids found in cannabis,
- scattered all over the body CB1 and CB2 receptors, which link to endocannabinoids and hemp cannabinoids,
- enzymes (fatty acid amide hydrolase and monoacylglycerol acid lipase) responsible for the breakdown of endocannabinoids, which have already done their job.
Receptors of the endocannabinoid system mediate the effects of cannabis on the immune system. It can be said that hemp cannabinoids THC and CBD replace endocannabinoids in activating the immune system and modulating its function.
Anti-inflammatory effects of CBD - research
One of the analyses research has shown that the endocannabinoid system plays an important role in the process of organ regeneration involving stem cells. Researchers have shown that receptors of the CB2 endocannabinoid system are involved in restoring lymphocyte levels in bone marrow transplant patients and retaining B lymphocytes in the bone marrow responsible for producing antibodies - for example, to fight pathogens.
The same CB2 receptor is also involved in the mobilization of one group of white blood cells (neutrophils) to defend the body against bacteria. Another study described in the aforementioned analysis showed that AEA (an endocannabinoid produced by the body) activates the immune response to pathogenic antigens appearing in cells. On the other hand, 2-AG (a second endocannabinoid), which has been studied in animal models, participates in the modulation of inflammation with the help of T and B lymphocytes.
In 2020, it was published research analysis, which concludes that CBD inhibits the inflammatory response. One theory is that CBD may cause the degradation of malfunctioning immune cells to protect the body from excessive inflammatory reactions. ZThe inferiority of hemp cannabinoids to stop or slow down the immune response can be used to treat diseases in which the immune system is dysregulated.
This is not the only cannabis news from across our western border. In late August 2023, the German federal government decided to decriminalize the acquisition and possession of small amounts of cannabis. There are claims that this is already a straight road to the full legalization of the sale, acquisition and possession of recreational marijuana in Germany. Recall that medical marijuana has been a legal prescription drug in the country since 2017.
