THC may prevent inflammation of the respiratory tract

A new study published in the Biochemical Pharmacology shows that THC, the psychoactive compound in cannabis, may be beneficial in preventing inflammation caused by various respiratory diseases such as bronchitis or emphysema.

«Despite pharmacological treatment, bronchial hyperreactivity continues to worsen, while airway remodeling persists amid airway inflammation,» the researchers state. «Previous studies have shown that delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol reverses bronchoconstriction through its anti-inflammatory action. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of THC on the permeability of bronchial epithelial cells following exposure to a pro-inflammatory cytokine.».

As part of the study, bronchial epithelial cells were cultured at the air-liquid interface. The pro-inflammatory cytokine is normally thought to weaken the junctions between bronchial cells—which ensure the permeability of the bronchi—and to mimic the effect of bronchitis on the lungs. The researchers then applied THC to the bronchial epithelial cells to determine whether or not it reduced inflammation.

The study concludes: «These data indicate that THC prevents cytokine-induced increases in airway epithelial permeability through activation of the CB2 receptor. This highlights that THC, or other cannabinoid ligands for the receptor, could be beneficial in preventing inflammation-induced changes in the permeability of airway epithelial cells, an important feature of airway diseases.».

To put it simply and clearly, inflammation of lung cells is reduced by the application of THC and its effect on the CB2 endocannabinoid receptor. Air pollution is currently the leading cause of respiratory diseases in France and is estimated to cause approximately 48,000 deaths per year.

This study is not the first to examine the effects of cannabis on the lungs. Previous studies had examined the possibility of Treating lung cancer with cannabis (Of course, don't go imagining yourself smoking a big joint in this case) by activating immune cells through cannabinoids, or on the The Dangers of Cannabis to the Lungs, which turns out to have no serious effects, a far cry from the well-studied and recognized dangers of tobacco.