Cannabidiol, a safe and non-psychotropic ingredient of Cannabis is protective against Inflammatory bowel disease
Saturday, August 22nd, 2009On August 20th 2009, researchers from Italy published an article in the Journal of Molecular Medicine on the benefits of cannabidiol (CBD) to treat Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), in a mouse model of colitis. CBD dramatically reduced tissue damage and inflammation in vivo.
The research team showed, for the first time that CBD reduced radical oxygen species (ROS) and lipid peroxidation in intestinal cells of mice. ROS production is a hallmark of IBD, as oxidative stress is the leading tissue destructive force that contributes to the development of IBD. The article also features pictures of treated and untreated intestinal tissue.
Of additional interest is the pharmacology of CBD. CBD was most effective at 5mg/kg. However, there wasn’t much difference at higher doses, even a dose of 10mg/kg did not exert a further protective effect. Lower doses (1-2.5mg/kg) were not significantly effective.
Also, the researchers found that CBD inhibited Nitric Oxide Synthase, an enzyme with produces Nitric oxide (NO). High levels of NO correlate correlate well with IBD activity, and previous experiments have shown that other Nitric Oxide Synthase Inhibitors can also improve symptoms of IBD.
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Jahan
