Endocannabinoids avoid triggering an allergic reaction may be harmful excessive when the body suffers inflammation.
A topical solution with a component of cannabis, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), reduces allergic skin reactions in an experimental model, according to a study by researchers at the University of Bonn (Germany) published in the journal Science. According to investigators, an ointment may be applied in the treatment of human skin diseases without the toxic effects possessing cannabis because they include a very small dose of THC. The study’s authors explain that endocannabinoids seem to play an important role in regulating inflammatory processes. In popular culture has been traditionally used plant extracts of cannabis as a remedy against inflammation, to the point that in early twentieth-century formulations of this type are found in pharmacies. Due to the intoxicating effects of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the plant ceased to be dispensed in these facilities in the 30′s.
The researchers found that in transgenic animals in which cannabinoid receptors are not allergic reactions usually occur in the skin are much more intense. This type of rash that usually suffer minor, the researchers explain, but there was a similar decline if cannabinoid receptors are blocked by medication. THC acts on cannabinoid receptors in the human brain, of which there are two types, CB1 and CB2. The effects of hashish, cannabis and marijuana in the brain cause a toxic effect. Explains Andreas Zimmer, director of the study and a student of the endocannabinoid system, subjects have no CB1 receptors show psychological abnormalities, yet the CB2 receptor regulates bone growth. The scientists made their discovery to chance and that while conducting experiments on genetically modified animals lacking cannabinoid receptors, the animals applied to a clip in one ear to distinguish them from normal animals. This technique for identifying the animals is common in laboratories and usually does not pose physical problems in them, however, transgenic individuals showed an unusual inflammation around these clips. According to investigators, when inflammation occurs the endocannabinoids prevent the body develops an allergic reaction that can be harmful too. The finding is consistent with the fact that the onset of infection the endocannabinoid concentration increased. The results open a new avenue for the treatment of allergies and skin inflammation in principle with drugs that prevent the breakdown of endocannabinoids that makes the body.
The researchers applied a solution of THC to the skin before and after exposure to an allergen and subsequent inflammation were much lower. THC, the authors of the work, binds to and activates cannabinoid receptors, so the active substance reduces the allergic reaction. According to investigators, an ointment like this would not necessarily have a toxic effect because the amount of THC would be very small.
