Low-Dose THC Improved Gut Health and Reduced Inflammation in HIV-Positive Monkeys on Treatment

In SIV-infected rhesus macaques on ART, long-term low-dose THC significantly increased plasma and gut serotonin and indole-3-propionate (enhancing gut-brain communication), enriched cholesterol-metabolizing bacteria (Oscillibacter), reduced plasma cholesterol and toxic secondary bile acids, increased beta-hydroxybutyrate (suggesting improved fatty acid metabolism), and restored inflammatory acylcholines to pre-infection levels. THC-treated animals maintained viral suppression despite reduced plasma ART levels.

SIV-infected rhesus macaques receiving ART were supplemented with long-term low-dose THC. Researchers measured plasma and tissue serotonin, gut microbiome composition, cholesterol and bile acid profiles, beta-hydroxybutyrate levels, and acylcholine concentrations. Mechanistic pathways were identified through receptor-specific analyses (CBR1 and CBR2 mediated). Published in Science Advances.

Despite effective ART, people with HIV face persistent inflammation and metabolic problems that increase risk for heart disease and other conditions. This Science Advances study provides detailed mechanistic evidence that THC supplementation could address multiple pathways of chronic inflammation and metabolic dysfunction simultaneously.

This study provides perhaps the most comprehensive mechanistic picture of how cannabinoids could benefit people with HIV. The simultaneous improvements across gut health, cholesterol metabolism, inflammation, and serotonin signaling suggest THC acts on multiple interconnected pathways, and the maintained viral suppression despite lower ART levels hints at potential drug interaction benefits.

Non-human primate model; results need human validation. Small sample typical of primate studies. Specific THC dosing in macaques may not translate directly to human dosing. Long-term safety of combined THC+ART not fully characterized. Cannot determine if benefits persist after THC cessation.