Cannabidiol lowers incidence of diabetes in non-obese diabetic mice

Abstract

Cannabidinoids are components of the Cannabis sativa (marijuana) plant that have been shown capable of suppressing inflammation and various aspects of cell-mediated immunity. Cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive cannabidinoid has been previously shown by us to suppress cell-mediated autoimmune joint destruction in an animal model of rheumatoid arthritis. We now report that CBD treatment significantly reduces the incidence of diabetes in NOD mice from an incidence of 86% in non-treated control mice to an incidence of 30% in CBD-treated mice. CBD treatment also resulted in the significant reduction of plasma levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines, IFN-g and TNF-a. Th1-associated cytokine production of in vitro activated T-cells and peritoneal macrophages was also significantly reduced in CBD-treated mice, whereas production of the Th2-associated cytokines, IL-4 and IL-10, was increased when compared to untreated control mice. Histological examination of the pancreatic islets of CBD-treated mice revealed significantly reduced insulitis. Our results indicate that CBD can inhibit and delay destructive insulitis and inflammatory Th1-associated cytokine production in NOD mice resulting in a decreased incidence of diabetes possibly through an immunomodulatory mechanism shifting the immune response from Th1 to Th2 dominance.

Cannabidiol Protects against Doxorubicin-Induced Cardiomyopathy by Modulating Mitochondrial Function and Biogenesis

“…CBD also attenuated the DOX-induced increased myocardial inflammation. These results are in agreement with the attenuation of proinflammatory response by CBD in diabetic hearts (20) or in human cardiomyocytes (20) or coronary artery endothelial cells (36) exposed to high glucose, likewise with beneficial effects of CBD in rodent models of myocardial infarction, primary diabetes and diabetic complications (17,(38)(39)(40).…”

Cannabidiol attenuates delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions via suppressing T-cell and macrophage reactivity

“…The observed attenuation of T cell-mediated responses is in line with previous reports showing the immunosuppressive effect of CBD in two T cell-related murine models, including type-1 diabetes and collagen-induced arthritis [10,12,16] . In these models, a common feature of CBD-mediated effect is a marked attenuation of IFN-γ production and the subsequent immune/ inflammatory responses elicited by this cytokine.…”

“…Previous reports showed that CBD affected both humoral and cell-mediated immune responses in a number of experimental models [6,10,12,16,24] . In these reports, CBD demonstrated a broad spectrum of effects on the serum production of inflammatory cytokines and the expression of cytokines by lymphocytes activated by the T cell mitogen ConA.…”

“…The effect of CBD on T cells has been investigated extensively in vitro and in some murine models, such as type-1 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis [7,8,10,12,16] . CBD attenuated the disease progression in non-obese diabetes mice, which was closely associated with a reduction of the plasma levels of the proinflammatory cytokines IFN-γ and TNF-α [10,16] . Likewise, CBD diminished the proliferation and IFN-γ production by T cells in a model of collagen-induced arthritis [12] .…”

Cannabidiol: from an inactive cannabinoid to a drug with wide spectrum of action

“…Histological examination of the pancreatic islets of CBD-treated mice revealed significant reduction of the inflammation. 97 It was also observed that administration of CBD to 11-14 week old female NOD mice, which were either in a latent diabetes stage or had initial symptoms of diabetes, ameliorated the manifestations of the disease. In addition, the level of the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-12 produced by splenocytes was significantly reduced, whereas the level of the anti-inflammatory IL-10 was significantly elevated after CBD treatment.…”