Best of the Week...
A review of cannabis concentrates rich in THC vs rich in CBD find that the CBD dominant concentrates caused positive mood effects, lowered intoxication & displayed an absence of undesirable effects
Acute objective and subjective intoxication effects of legal-market high potency THC-dominant versus CBD-dominant cannabis concentrates
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34741088/
In mice experiencing trauma to the head, THC helped to restore working memory & locomotor function
Administration of Δ 9-Tetrahydrocannabinol Following Controlled Cortical Impact Restores Hippocampal-Dependent Working Memory and Locomotor Function
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34747647/
In a mouse model of multiple sclerosis, CBD lowered neuroinflammation, improved gut health & attenuated the strength of the disease
Effects of Orally Administered Cannabidiol on Neuroinflammation and Intestinal Inflammation in the Attenuation of Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34757526/
Clinical Studies & Reviews of CBD & the Endocannabinoid System (ECS)
A review of CBD & THC for periodontal disease
Cannabinoids as Adjuncts in Periodontal Therapy
https://decisionsindentistry.com/article/cannabinoids-adjuncts-periodontal-therapy/
A review of using cannabinoids for pain
Cannabinoids, the endocannabinoid system, and pain: a review of preclinical studies
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33729211/
A review of the helpful effects of molecules (like CBD) that stop endocannabinoids from being degraded or prevent them from being reabsorbed
On the Biomedical Properties of Endocannabinoid Degradation and Reuptake Inhibitors: Pre-clinical and Clinical Evidence
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34741755/
The recreational use of cannabis found to be linked to lower levels of the bacteria that causes ulcers
Relationship Between Recreational Cannabis Use and Helicobacter pylori Infection
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34748370/
Preclinical Research & Cannabinoid Chemistry
In a mouse model of heart failure, CBD nanoparticles protected against the formation of scar tissue
Cannabidiol Loaded Nanoparticles Exhibit an Anti-Fibrotic Effect in a Mouse Model of Non-Ischemic Heart Failure
https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/abs/10.1161/circ.144.suppl_1.10708
THC shows efficacy against the parasite that causes malaria
THC shows activity against cultured Plasmodium falciparum
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0960894X21006697
In rats, males & females show differential endocannabinoid effects related to fear behaviors
Sexually dimorphic expression of fear-conditioned analgesia in rats and associated alterations in the endocannabinoid system in the periaqueductal grey
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34774710/
In mouse brains & in cell cultures, CB2 receptors shown to form heteromer complexes with NMDA receptors (which control glutamate)
N-Methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and cannabinoid CB2 receptors form functional complexes in cells of the central nervous system: insights into the therapeutic potential of neuronal and microglial NMDA receptors
https://alzres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13195-021-00920-6
Heteromer complexes are a crazy thing. It turns out that if you take two wildly different receptors like the CB2 receptor & the NMDA receptor, they naturally link up in the cellular membranes of the neurons. When they form these complexes, the complexes have different downstream effects than either receptor acting alone. In this case, it seems to help explain the strong neuroprotection properties of the cannabinoids via their ability to work with glutamate, the brain's primary excitatory neurotransmitter.