Interactions between THC and cannabidiol in mouse models of cannabinoid activity.
Stephen A Varvel, J L Wiley, R Yang, D T Bridgen, Kelly A Long, Aron H Lichtman, B R Martin
Psychopharmacology June 2006 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-006-0356-9 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Preclinical animal study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Mice |
| Interventions | Cannabidiol (CBD) Marijuana smoke |
| Dose | THC 0.3 mg/kg and 3 mg/kg; CBD 3 mg/kg, 30 mg/kg, and ED50 = 7.4 mg/kg |
| Topics | Cannabis CBD |
| Key points | CBD at a dose equal to an effective THC dose (3 mg/kg) did not alter THC's effects on hypoactivity, antinociception, catalepsy, or hypothermia, but higher CBD doses (ED50 = 7.4 mg/kg) dose-dependently potentiated THC-induced antinociception and 30 mg/kg CBD raised THC blood and brain levels. The authors suggest that CBD concentrations typical of most US marijuana strains exert little, if any, modulatory effect on THC's CB1-receptor-mediated pharmacological effects. |
Abstract
Interest persists in characterizing potential interactions between Delta(9)-tetrahydocannabinol (THC) and other marijuana constituents such as cannabidiol (CBD). Such interactions may have important implications for understanding the long-term health consequences of chronic marijuana use as well as for attempts to develop therapeutic uses for THC and other CB(1) agonists. We investigated whether CBD may modulate the pharmacological effects of intravenously administered THC or inhaled marijuana smoke on hypoactivity, antinociception, catalepsy, and hypothermia, the well characterized models of cannabinoid activity. Intravenously administered CBD possessed very little activity on its own and, at a dose equal to a maximally effective dose of THC (3 mg/kg), failed to alter THC's effects on any measure. However, higher doses of CBD (ED(50)=7.4 mg/kg) dose-dependently potentiated the antinociceptive effects of a low dose of THC (0.3 mg/kg). Pretreatment with 30 mg/kg CBD, but not 3 mg/kg, significantly elevated THC blood and brain levels. No interactions between THC and CBD were observed in several variations of a marijuana smoke exposure model. Either quantities of CBD were applied directly to marijuana, CBD and THC were both applied to placebo plant material, or mice were pretreated intravenously with 30 mg/kg CBD before being exposed to marijuana smoke. As the amount of CBD found in most marijuana strains in the US is considerably less than that of THC, these results suggest that CBD concentrations relevant to what is normally found in marijuana exert very little, if any, modulatory effects on CB(1)-receptor-mediated pharmacological effects of marijuana smoke.
Comparable studies
Other preclinical and animal studies on CBD, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 17
- Preparation of neoclerodane diterpenes as probes for the opioid receptor system July 1, 2010
- Effects of Δ9-THC and cannabidiol vapor inhalation in male and female rats. Psychopharmacology September 2018
- Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol changes the brain lipidome and transcriptome differentially in the adolescent and the adult. Biochimica et biophysica acta. Molecular and cell biology of lipids May 2018
- Clinical and Preclinical Evidence for Functional Interactions of Cannabidiol and Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol. Neuropsychopharmacology January 2018
- Pharmacokinetic and behavioural profile of THC, CBD, and THC+CBD combination after pulmonary, oral, and subcutaneous administration in rats and confirmation of conversion in vivo of CBD to THC. European Neuropsychopharmacology December 2017
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