Cannabis-Derived Drugs May Offer Benefit in Bowel Disease
Smoked marijuana has been reported to ease symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease, but these reports have primarily been anecdotal and not supported by research.
However, there may be a cellular basis for using cannabis-derived drugs, possibly including smoked marijuana, as adjunct therapy to treat inflammatory bowel disease, according to a recent study published in the journal Gastroenterology (August issue) and reported by MedPage Today on 16 August 2005.
Researchers K. Wright et al. used colon-tissue samples from healthy people and people with inflammatory bowel disease, performing histological examinations, cellular signaling experiments and wound-healing assays. Their report describes the discovery of two possible cellular targets for cannabis-derived drugs: G-protein–coupled cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2.
Study Results
The study revealed the CB1 and CB2 receptors were activated by several synthetic and natural cannabis-derived compounds. The researchers believe that these receptors may be involved in wound-healing and in the physiological response to inflammatory bowel disease.
Histology: Healthy tissue samples showed the CB1 receptor to be present in colonic smooth muscle and epithelial cells; the CB2 receptor was present in immune-system cells, including plasma cells and macrophages. In contrast, diseased tissue samples showed a relatively elevated number of CB2 receptors, which appeared in epithelial cells, particularly in cells bordering ulcerated tissue. CB2 receptors are known to playa role in immune-system suppression.
Researchers speculate that these results suggest the CB2 receptor plays a role in helping the body to bring inflammatory bowel disease under better control, helping to restore a health in the gut.
Signaling Experiments: Results of signaling experiments showed that cannabinoids (such as anandamide and noladin ether) bound to and activated both CB1 and CB2 receptors, suggesting that these receptors were activated in the human colon.
Wound-Healing: Using cultured cells, researchers performed wound-healing experiments that suggested CB1 agonists may promote wound-closure, but CB2 agonists did not, suggesting the CB1 receptor may be involved in healing ulcers caused by inflammatory bowel disease.
Implications of Results
The researchers concluded that cannabinoids "may have a direct influence on the human large intestine", and that CB1 and CB2 receptors may be useful targets for treating inflammatory bowel disease with cannabis-derived drugs.
Although it focused on cannabis-derived substances, the experiment did not directly address the issue of smoked marijuana. An accompanying press release stated that smoking marijuana as part of treatment for inflammatory bowel disease would be “inappropriate,” according to the MedPage Today report.
Sources:
Differential expression of cannabinoid receptors in the human
colon: cannabinoids promote epithelial wound healing. Wright K
et al., Gastroenterology Volume 129, pages 437-453,
2005.
Bowel Disease May Respond To Cannabis-Derived Drugs, MedPage
Today, 16 August 2005.
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