Effect of hashish compounds on mouse peritoneal macrophages

Light microscopy reveals an induction of extensive vacuolation in the macrophage after exposure to either delta 1-tetrahydrocannabinol or cannabidiol. Numerous small vacuoles appear in the cell periphery as early as 15 minutes after exposure (at 37degrees C.) to either of the compounds in 20 per cent newborn calf serum-Dulbecco's modified Eagle medium. The small lucent vacuoles coaleasce and yield enormous vacuoles which dominate the the cytoplasm. At approximately 3 hours, many of the vacuoles seem to burst with a concomitant expulsion of cell interior. The effect of hashish compounds on macrophages is essentially irreversible; exposure for 15 minutes to 10(-5) m of delta 1-THC or cannabidiol and a thorough wash in 20 per cent serum-medium, suffices to trigger the sequence of vacuolation and total cell death in the culture. Two major processes involving early reorganization of cellular membranes have been observed using electron microscopy. One relates to the formation of numerous autophagic vacuoles full of organelles, the other relates to the appearance of cytoplasmic inclusions representing extensive destruction of intracellular constituents. Both types of cytoplasmic change have been observed in alveolar macrophages of hashish smokers. Thus, the conditions in the in vitro studies are similar to conditions in people exposed to hashish smoke.