Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 8, 2026

Assessment of Open Probability of the Mitochondrial Permeability Transition Pore in the Setting of Coenzyme Q Excess
07:35

Assessment of Open Probability of the Mitochondrial Permeability Transition Pore in the Setting of Coenzyme Q Excess

Published on: June 1, 2022

2.6K

Cannabidiol induced apoptosis in human monocytes through mitochondrial permeability transition pore-mediated ROS

Hsin-Ying Wu1, Chung-Hsiung Huang2, Yi-Hsuan Lin3

  • 1Department and Graduate Institute of Veterinary Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Laboratory Animal Center, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli, Taiwan.

Free Radical Biology & Medicine
|June 26, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Cannabidiol (CBD) induces apoptosis in human monocytes by triggering mitochondrial damage and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. This process involves the opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (MPTP), leading to programmed cell death.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Cannabidiol (CBD) is known to induce apoptosis in immune cells.
  • Oxidative stress is a proposed mechanism for CBD-induced cell death.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the specific cellular mechanisms underlying CBD-induced apoptosis and oxidative stress in human monocytes.
  • To elucidate the role of mitochondria in CBD-mediated cell death.

Main Methods:

  • Human monocytes were exposed to varying concentrations and durations of CBD.
  • Assays were performed to measure reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) depolarization, cardiolipin oxidation, and cytochrome c release.
  • Inhibitors such as cyclosporin A (CsA) and FK506 were used to probe mechanistic pathways.

Main Results:

  • CBD induced apoptosis in human monocytes in a time- and concentration-dependent manner.
  • CBD exposure led to rapid mitochondrial membrane potential depolarization and cardiolipin oxidation, followed by ROS generation and cytochrome c release.
  • CBD-induced apoptosis and mitochondrial dysfunction were significantly inhibited by CsA, implicating the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (MPTP) in the process.

Conclusions:

  • CBD induces apoptosis in human monocytes primarily through the opening of the MPTP.
  • Mitochondrial dysfunction, including ROS generation and MMP depolarization, is a key event in CBD-induced monocyte apoptosis.
  • These findings provide critical insights into the molecular mechanisms of CBD's effects on immune cells.
Keywords:
ApoptosisCannabidiolMitochondrialMonocyteOxidative stress

More Related Videos

Multi-parameter Measurement of the Permeability Transition Pore Opening in Isolated Mouse Heart Mitochondria13:42

Multi-parameter Measurement of the Permeability Transition Pore Opening in Isolated Mouse Heart Mitochondria

Published on: September 7, 2012

22.1K
Flow Cytometric Measurement Of ROS Production In Macrophages In Response To FcγR Cross-linking13:20

Flow Cytometric Measurement Of ROS Production In Macrophages In Response To FcγR Cross-linking

Published on: March 7, 2019

16.6K

Related Concept Videos

Phase Transitions02:31

Phase Transitions

Whether solid, liquid, or gas, a substance's state depends on the order and arrangement of its particles (atoms, molecules, or ions). Particles in the solid pack closely together, generally in a pattern. The particles vibrate about their fixed positions but do not move or squeeze past their neighbors. In liquids, although the particles are closely spaced, they are randomly arranged. The position of the particles are not fixed—that is, they are free to move past their neighbors to...
23.3K
Apoptosis01:30

Apoptosis

Apoptosis is a combination of two Greek words, 'apo' and 'ptosis,' meaning separation and falling off, respectively. Hippocrates used this word to describe gangrene, which was caused due to bandaging of fractured bones. Apoptosis was distinguished from necrosis in 1970 when John Kerr reported observations of morphological changes occurring during apoptosis. During one experiment, he observed that the disruption of blood supply to the liver tissue resulted in a size...
15.2K
Properties of Transition Metals02:58

Properties of Transition Metals

Transition metals are defined as those elements that have partially filled d orbitals. As shown in Figure 1, the d-block elements in groups 3–12 are transition elements. The f-block elements, also called inner transition metals (the lanthanides and actinides), also meet this criterion because the d orbital is partially occupied before the f orbitals.
30.0K
Animal Mitochondrial Genetics02:59

Animal Mitochondrial Genetics

Among all the organelles in an animal cell, only mitochondria have their own independent genomes. Animal mitochondrial DNA is a double-stranded, closed-circular molecule with around 20,000 base pairs. Mitochondrial DNA is unique in that one of its two strands, the heavy, or H, -strand is guanine rich, whereas the complementary strand is cytosine rich and called the light, or L, -strand. Compared to nuclear DNA, mitochondrial DNA has a very low percentage of non-coding regions and is marked by...
9.3K
Export of Mitochondrial and Chloroplast Genes02:19

Export of Mitochondrial and Chloroplast Genes

A eukaryotic cell can have up to three different types of genetic systems: nuclear, mitochondrial, and chloroplast. During evolution, organelles have exported many genes to the nucleus; this transfer is still ongoing in some plant species. Approximately 18% of the Arabidopsis thaliana nuclear genome is thought to be derived from the chloroplast’s cyanobacterial ancestor, and around 75% of the yeast genome derived from the mitochondria’s bacterial ancestor. This export has occurred...
4.2K
Comparing Mitochondrial, Chloroplast, and Prokaryotic Genomes02:16

Comparing Mitochondrial, Chloroplast, and Prokaryotic Genomes

The present-day mitochondrial and chloroplast genomes have retained some of the characteristics of their ancestral prokaryotes and also have acquired new attributes during their evolution within eukaryotic cells. Like prokaryotic genomes, mitochondrial and chloroplast genomes neither bind with histone-like proteins nor show complex packaging into chromosome-like structures, as observed in eukaryotes. Unlike mitotic cell divisions observed in eukaryotic cells, mitochondria and chloroplasts...
16.5K