Cannabinoid Acids Therapeutic Potential to Treat a Range of Diseases
Published by Jonathan Neilly at May 29, 2018
Cannabinoids are a group of chemicals located in the cannabis plant (cannabis sativa). Raw cannabis extracts have been used in medicine for thousands of years and carboxylic acid metabolites of these cannabinoids were discovered to have little psychotropic properties. This has led to major studies in cannabinoids and their constituents cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Recent studies have seen that these THC and CBD acids can have an anti-inflammatory effect on animal cells and this has led to the view that it can have a therapeutic effect. In this paper, THC metabolism to the acids presented are studied along with the biological actions of cannabinoids.
Main Points
THC can reduce muscle spasticity in mice
Synthetic Cannabis can improve arthritis in rats
It has been seen that these major cannabinoid acid forms are a structurally diverse group of substances that are made by ingestion of cannabinoids. Tissue levels of those metabolites survive a long time after the psychotropic effects fade away and this suggests that THC is a separate entity with its own properties. This has been supported by many animal model experiments. Burstein has found that THC can reduce muscle spascity in mice. This is not due to the competition for binding to the cannabinoid 1 receptor, however it is more likely to be related to mices ability to inhibit eicosanoid synthesis. The mechanism in which this happens is not quite known yet but it could include effects on other systems as well. THC has been seen to produce an increasing level of inhibitors, including the cannabinoid acids over time. Cannabis seems to be more effective on people with higher metabolisms.
It has been seen that synthetic cannabinoid acids can possibly be made into effective drugs to treat a range of diseases including arthritis. It was seen that synthetic acid, DMH-THC-11-oic, produces an anti inflammatory effect in animal models. Synthetic cannabinoids have been seen to have the same potent power as morphine in animals. Synthetic cannabinoids are very efficient in decreasing leukocyte migration and in preventing permanent joint damage in rats with arthritis.