Cannabinoid Receptor Activation May Protect Against Acute Lung Injury
A study published recently by the Journal BioMed Research International has found that cannabinoid receptor activation
may protect against acute lung injury caused by the herbicide Paraquat.
According to researchers at the Department of Emergency Medicine at Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University; “Paraquat, a widely used herbicide, is well known to exhibit oxidative stress and lung injury. In the present study, we investigated the possible underlying mechanisms of cannabinoid receptor-2 (CB2) activation to ameliorate the proinflammatory activity induced by PQ [Paraquat] in rats.”
For the study, researchers injected rats which had PQ-induced ALI (acute lung injury) with synthetic cannabinoids. In doing so, they found that; “activating CB2 receptor exerted protective activity against PQ-induced ALI, and it potentially contributed to the suppression of the activation of MAPKs and NF- κ B pathways.”
According to the National Institute of Health there are roughly 200,000 annual incidences of acute lung injury, with a mortality rate of around 43%.
The full study can be found by clicking here.
– TheJointBlog