Synthetic cannabinoids found in "spice" products alter body temperature and cardiovascular parameters in conscious male rats.
Charles W. Schindler, Benjamin R Gramling, Zuzana Justinova, Eric B. Thorndike, Michael H Baumann
Drug and Alcohol Dependence October 1, 2017 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2017.07.029 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Preclinical controlled experiment Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Male rats |
| Interventions | THC CP55 940 JWH-018 AM2201 XLR-11 rimonabant AM4113 hexamethonium prazosin |
| Duration | 3 h session |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Keywords | Blood pressure Body temperature Cannabinoids |
| Key findings | THC and the synthetic cannabinoids CP55,940, JWH-018, AM2201 and XLR-11 produced dose-related hypothermia that rimonabant antagonized. The synthetic cannabinoids also elevated blood pressure during the first hour without affecting heart rate; this pressor effect was not blocked by rimonabant or AM4113 but was blocked by hexamethonium or prazosin, which the authors interpret as a cannabinoid-receptor-independent mechanism involving central sympathetic outflow. |
Abstract
The misuse of synthetic cannabinoids is a persistent public health concern. Because these drugs target the same cannabinoid receptors as the active ingredient of marijuana, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), we compared the effects of synthetic cannabinoids and THC on body temperature and cardiovascular parameters. Biotelemetry transmitters for the measurement of body temperature or blood pressure (BP) were surgically implanted into separate groups of male rats. THC and the synthetic cannabinoids CP55,940, JWH-018, AM2201 and XLR-11 were injected s.c., and rats were placed into isolation cubicles for 3h. THC and synthetic cannabinoids produced dose-related decreases in body temperature that were most prominent in the final 2h of the session. The rank order of potency was CP55,940>AM2201=JWH-018>THC=XLR-11. The cannabinoid inverse agonist rimonabant antagonized the hypothermic effect of all compounds. Synthetic cannabinoids elevated BP in comparison to vehicle treatment during the first h of the session, while heart rate was unaffected. The rank order of potency for BP increases was similar to that seen for hypothermia. Hypertensive effects of CP55,940 and JWH-018 were not antagonized by rimonabant or the neutral antagonist AM4113. However, the BP responses to both drugs were antagonized by pretreatment with either the ganglionic blocker hexamethonium or the α1 adrenergic antagonist prazosin. Our results show that synthetic cannabinoids produce hypothermia in rats by a mechanism involving cannabinoid receptors, while they increase BP by a mechanism independent of these sites. The hypertensive effect appears to involve central sympathetic outflow.
Comparable studies
Other preclinical and animal studies on cannabis, most cited first.
Citations in the library
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- Optogenetic brain‐stimulation reward: A new procedure to re‐evaluate the rewarding versus aversive effects of cannabinoids in dopamine transporter‐Cre mice Addiction Biology February 3, 2021
- Positive Allosteric Modulation of the 5-HT1A Receptor by Indole-Based Synthetic Cannabinoids Abused by Humans ACS Chemical Neuroscience April 23, 2020
- Repeated Exposure to the “Spice” Cannabinoid JWH-018 Induces Tolerance and Enhances Responsiveness to 5-HT1A Receptor Stimulation in Male Rats Frontiers in Psychiatry February 27, 2018
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- Feelings of Knowing - Fundamental Interoceptive Patterns (FoK-FIP): a magnetic monopole-like "pure mental" process fundamental to subjective feelings and self-awareness. Communicative & Integrative Biology 2022
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- Novel halogenated derivates of JWH-018: Behavioral and binding studies in mice. Neuropharmacology August 2015
- Synthetic cannabinoids: epidemiology, pharmacodynamics, and clinical implications. Drug and Alcohol Dependence November 1, 2014
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