Study: Cannabinoids Play a Protective Role Against Colitis

Study: Cannabinoids Play a Protective Role Against Colitis

Cannabinoids can have anti-inflammatory effects and can play a protective role in patients with colitis; colitis is in an inflammatory reaction in the colon which is often infection or autoimmune.

This is according to a study published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology, and published online by the U.S. National Institute of Health.

According to researchers, the study’s aim was to; “investigate the anti-inflammatory effect and the possible mechanisms of an agonist of cannabinoid (CB) receptors, WIN55-212-2 (WIN55) [meant to mimic the effects of natural cannabinoids], in mice with experimental colitis, so as to supply experimental evidence for its clinical use in future.

The results of the research demonstrated that the agonist “improved the pathological changes in mice with DSS [dextran sulfate sodium] colitis, decreased the plasma levels of TNF-α, and IL-6, and MPO activity in colon.”

These results “confirmed the anti-inflammatory effect and protective role of WIN55 on the mice with experimental colitis, and revealed that this agent exercises its action at least partially by inhibiting p38MAPK.”

The study, conducted at Tongji University School of Medicine in Shanghai, China, can be found by clicking here.

The results help to confirm those of a study published last year in the journal ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters; that study also found that activation of the cannabinoid receptors can protect against colitis.

A study published last month in the FASEB Journal also found that cannabis has anti-inflammatory properties; the study didn’t relate to colitis, but found that cannabinoids may help treat chronic inflammation.