ANAELI SHOCKEY LÓPEZUNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICODEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY

BIOL 3095

The use of Cannabis sativa as an anti-inflammatory for Crohn’s

Disease.

Crohn’s Disease

What is it? Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

Symptoms Abdominal pain

Inflammation Immune system

Vomiting Diarrhea Loss of appetite/weight loss Rectal pain/rectal bleeding

Crohn’s Disease

ReasonsTreatments

Anti-inflammatory agents Topical Antibiotics Immune-modulators No medical cure. (Schoenfeld & Wu. 2010)

Cannabis sativa

What is it?Composition

Cannabinoids Direct involvement with the anti-inflammatory effect

(Burstein, Zurier. 2009) Cannabidiol

Cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2 (Pertwee. 2008)

CB1 = brain CB2 = immune system

THC (Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol) Mediated by the CB1 receptor (Cooper, Haney. 2009)

How does THC affect the brain? Neurotransmiters Specific effects on each part of the brain

Cannabis sativa

Other sicknesses Multiple sclerosis ADHD AIDS Glaucoma Insomnia Asthma Migraines

Cannabis on IBD

Recent treatmentStudies

Mice Inflammation

Croton oil Dinitrobenzene acid

Results: Cannabidiol is active when there is an inflammatory

stimulus. (Capasso, et al. 2008) Cannabidiol reduces colon injury. (Borrelli, et al. 2009)

Cannabis on IBD

Humans Surveys Results

Relieved abdominal pain, diarrhea and reduced appetite. (Lal, et al. 2011)• Endocannabinoids

Protection of the gut against inflammation. (Sabatino, et al. 2011)

Reduced symptoms• Amount of drugs and surgeries needed were reduced.

(Naftali, et al. 2011)

Legalization Issues

CountriesSynthetic cannabis

Structure State

Health effects Unknown according to the Drug Foundation.

Conclusion

Crohn’s Disease IBD

Cannabis sativa Cannabinoids Cannabidiol

Cannabinoid receptors The brain and immune system

Reduced symptoms

References

1. Borrelli F, Aviello G, Romano B, Orlando P, Capasso R, Maiello F, Guadagno F, Petrosino S, Capasso F, Di Marzo V, Izzo A. 2009. Cannabidiol, a safe and non-psychotropic ingredient of the marijuana plant Cannabis sativa, is protective in a murine model of colitis. J Mol Med 87:1111–1121. Doi :10.1007/s00109-009-0512-x

2. Burstein S, Zurier R. 2009. Cannabinoids, Endocannabinoids, and Related Analogs in Inflammation. [Internet] [Cited 2012 Nov 24] AAPS J.11(1): 109–119. doi:  10.1208/s12248-009-9084-5 Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2664885/

  3. Capasso R, Borrelli F, Aviello G, Romano B, Scalisi C, Capasso F, Izzo AA. 2008.

Cannabidiol, extracted from cannabis sativa, selectively inhibits inflammatory hypermotility in mice. Br J Pharmacol 154(5):1001-8.

  4. Cooper Z, Haney M. 2009. Actions of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol in cannabis.

Int Rev Psychiatry. [Internet] [Cited 2012 Nov 24] 21(2): 104–112. doi: 10.1080/09540260902782752 Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2731700/

References

5. Di Sabatino A, Battista N, Biancheri P, Rapino C, Rovedatti L, Astarita G, Vanoli A, Dainese E, Guerci M, Piomelli D, Pender S, Pender L, Pender F, MacDonald T, MacDonald T, Maccarrone M, Corazza G, Corazza R. 2011. Mucosal Immunology 4: 574–583; doi:10.1038/mi.2011.18 Available from: http://www.nature.com/mi/journal/v4/n5/full/mi201118a.html

  6. Lal S, Prasad N, Ryan M, Tangri S, Silverberg M, Gordon A, Steinhart H. 2011. Cannabis

use amongst patients with inflammatory bowel disease. European Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology 23(10):891-896

7. Naftali T, Bar Lev L, Yableknovitz D, Half E and Konikoff F. 2011. Treatment of Crohn’s Disease with Cannabis: An Observational Study. [Internet]. [Cited 2012 Nov 24] 13:455-457 Available from: http://www.letfreedomgrow.com/cmu/Crohns-ar11aug-01.pdf

8. Pertwee RG. 2008. Ligands that target cannabinoid receptors in the brain: from THC to anandamide and beyond. Institute of Medical Sciences, Aberdeen, UK. 13(2):147-59.

9. Schoenfeld A, Wu G. 2010. Crohn’s Disease. [Internet] [Cited 2012 Nov 24] Available from: http://www.medicinenet.com/crohns_disease/article.htm

10. Synthetic cannabinoids. Available from: http://www.drugfoundation.org.nz/synthetic-cannabinoids

Questions?