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Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol on isolated human bronchioles
Archives Internationales De Pharmacodynamie Et De Therapie
|July 1, 1980
Summary
Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) showed no direct bronchodilating effects on human lung tissue. Observed bronchoactivity in vivo is likely due to indirect or central mechanisms, not direct smooth muscle action.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacology
- Respiratory Medicine
- Cannabinoid Research
Background:
- Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is a primary psychoactive component of cannabis.
- Previous studies suggest potential bronchodilating effects of cannabinoids.
- Human bronchial smooth muscle responses to various agonists and antagonists are well-characterized.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the direct bronchodilating action of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on isolated human bronchial smooth muscle.
- To determine if THC modulates responses to common bronchoconstrictors (histamine, carbachol) and a bronchodilator (isoproterenol).
Main Methods:
- Experiments utilized isolated human bronchiolar tissue post mortem.
- Tissue responses to histamine, carbachol, and prostaglandin F(2a) were measured.
- The effects of THC, atropine, propranolol, and methapyrilene on these responses were assessed.
Main Results:
- THC (5 X 10(-4)M) did not alter bronchial responses to histamine.
- THC showed a minor, but significant, effect on carbachol-induced responses, less than atropine.
- THC partially antagonized isoproterenol-induced relaxation, to a lesser extent than propranolol.
- THC did not relax resting or contracted bronchial tissues.
Conclusions:
- THC does not appear to have significant direct bronchodilating effects on human bronchial smooth muscle.
- In vivo bronchoactivity associated with THC is likely mediated by indirect or central nervous system mechanisms.
- These findings suggest that direct action on airway smooth muscle is not the primary mechanism for any observed bronchodilation by THC.