Cannabis Extracts Reduced Gut Inflammation Better Than Pure THC or CBD Alone in Mice

What the researchers found

Both pure cannabinoids and cannabis extracts inhibited macrophage nitric oxide and pro-inflammatory cytokine release and reduced expression of cell surface inflammatory markers in vitro. In the colitis mouse model, treatments improved clinical scores and reduced macrophage infiltration in the colon. Cannabis extracts showed higher activity compared to pure cannabinoids, suggesting additional plant compounds contribute to the therapeutic effect.

Why it matters

This study provides laboratory evidence that whole cannabis extracts may work better than isolated cannabinoids for gut inflammation, supporting the idea that other compounds in the plant contribute to therapeutic effects. It also shows that THC and CBD have distinct immune profiles.

The numbers in context

Cannabis extracts showed higher activity than pure cannabinoids; both THC and CBD suppressed NO and cytokine release; colon macrophage infiltration reduced in treated mice; each treatment produced a unique cytokine profile

How the study worked

In vitro experiments with macrophages from young and aged C57BL/6 mice activated with LPS and IFN-gamma, treated with pure THC, pure CBD, or cannabis extracts. In vivo murine colitis model assessed clinical scores, colon macrophage infiltration, and inflammatory cytokines in blood.

What this study cannot tell us

Animal study with in vitro components; results may not translate to human IBD. Specific extract compositions and doses were not fully detailed. The colitis model does not perfectly replicate human Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis.

How to read the evidence

Preclinical study with both in vitro and in vivo components, but animal model findings need human confirmation

When this study was published

2022 study

The bigger picture

Inflammatory bowel disease affects millions worldwide, and current treatments have significant side effects. If whole-plant cannabis preparations prove more effective than isolated compounds, it could influence how medical cannabis products are formulated for gut conditions.

Questions still open

• Which specific non-cannabinoid compounds in the extracts contribute to the enhanced effect? Would these findings translate to human IBD patients? How do THC-dominant and CBD-dominant extracts compare for different types of gut inflammation?

Common questions

Read the original research

Differential Effects of D9 Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)- and Cannabidiol (CBD)-Based Cannabinoid Treatments on Macrophage Immune Function In Vitro and on Gastrointestinal Inflammation in a Murine Model.

Biomedicines, 10(8)

Citation

Yekhtin, Zhanna; Khuja, Iman; Meiri, David; Or, Reuven; Almogi-Hazan, Osnat. (2022). Differential Effects of D9 Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)- and Cannabidiol (CBD)-Based Cannabinoid Treatments on Macrophage Immune Function In Vitro and on Gastrointestinal Inflammation in a Murine Model.. Biomedicines, 10(8). https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines10081793

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