Potent Anti-Inflammatory and Pro-Resolving Effects of Anabasum in a Human Model of Self-Resolving Acute Inflammation

Anabasum is a synthetic analog of Δ⁸ -tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)-11-oic acid that in preclinical models of experimental inflammation exerts potent anti-inflammatory actions with minimal central nervous system (CNS) cannabimimetic activity. Here we used a novel model of acute inflammation driven by i.d. UV-killed E. coli in healthy humans and found that anabasum (5 mg) exerted a potent anti-inflammatory effect equivalent to that of prednisolone in terms of inhibiting neutrophil infiltration, the hallmark of acute inflammation. These effects arose from the inhibition of the neutrophil chemoattractant LTB₄ , while the inhibition of antiphagocytic prostanoids (PGE₂ , TxB₂ , and PGF₂ α) resulted in enhanced clearance of inflammatory stimulus from the injected site. Anabasum at the higher dose of 20 mg possessed the additional properties of triggering the biosynthesis of specialized pro-resolving lipid mediators including LXA₄ , LXB₄ , RvD1, and RvD3. Collectively, we demonstrate for the first time a striking anti-inflammatory and pro-resolution effects of a synthetic analog of THC in healthy humans.