
Health & Wellness
Cannabis can reduce allergic skin reactions, a new study suggests. The findings may lead to new drugs based on tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient in the plant, to treat allergy and autoimmune disorders.
Andreas Zimmer at the University of Bonn in Germany, and colleagues created a group of mice that lack the receptor for endocannabinoids - forms of THC produced naturally in the body. The team noticed that the mice soon developed a severe skin allergy to the nickel in the metal tags the researchers had fastened to their ears.
Zimmer set up a series of experiments to test the anti-allergy effect of natural and synthetic THC compounds.
Immune suppressant
For example, he exposed the ears of mice with normal endocannabinoid receptors to a chemical irritant called dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB), which causes a severe skin reaction similar to that caused by poison ivy in humans.
Within a matter of minutes, the amount of an endocannabinoid called anandamide jumped from undetectable levels to about 300 picomoles per gram of analysed tissue.
When Zimmer's team applied 30 micrograms of synthetic THC to the animals' ears it reduced the skin irritation by half. For comparison, a cannabis cigarette contains as much as 150 milligrams of THC.
Endocannabinoids may be produced by the body to dampen the immune response and so prevent allergic reactions, Zimmer believes. He also found that mouse skin cells exposed to synthetic THC release fewer cytokines, chemicals that attract immune cells to the site of infection or irritation.
Lowered attraction
Ramesh Ganju at the Harvard Cancer Center in Boston, Massachusetts, US, believes that a study he published in 2006 could also help explain what the European researchers found.
He revealed that dunking T cells - immune cells that flag foreign particles in the body and trigger allergy - into a solution containing synthetic THC caused them to become up to 70% less attracted to cytokine signals (Molecular Immunology, DOI:10.1016/j.molimm.2006.01.005).
Ganju says that Zimmer's findings provide further evidence that endocannabinoids "probably have a role in autoimmune diseases".
Zimmer agrees, suggesting that people with inflammatory conditions such as asthma and eczema might not produce enough endocannabinoids or related cell receptors. He adds that one day therapies based on THC-like compounds might be used to treat such disorders.
Researchers stress that people who currently suffer from autoimmune disease should not try to self-medicate with marijuana because of its side-effects.
Andreas Zimmer at the University of Bonn in Germany, and colleagues created a group of mice that lack the receptor for endocannabinoids - forms of THC produced naturally in the body. The team noticed that the mice soon developed a severe skin allergy to the nickel in the metal tags the researchers had fastened to their ears.
Zimmer set up a series of experiments to test the anti-allergy effect of natural and synthetic THC compounds.
Immune suppressant
For example, he exposed the ears of mice with normal endocannabinoid receptors to a chemical irritant called dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB), which causes a severe skin reaction similar to that caused by poison ivy in humans.
Within a matter of minutes, the amount of an endocannabinoid called anandamide jumped from undetectable levels to about 300 picomoles per gram of analysed tissue.
When Zimmer's team applied 30 micrograms of synthetic THC to the animals' ears it reduced the skin irritation by half. For comparison, a cannabis cigarette contains as much as 150 milligrams of THC.
Endocannabinoids may be produced by the body to dampen the immune response and so prevent allergic reactions, Zimmer believes. He also found that mouse skin cells exposed to synthetic THC release fewer cytokines, chemicals that attract immune cells to the site of infection or irritation.
Lowered attraction
Ramesh Ganju at the Harvard Cancer Center in Boston, Massachusetts, US, believes that a study he published in 2006 could also help explain what the European researchers found.
He revealed that dunking T cells - immune cells that flag foreign particles in the body and trigger allergy - into a solution containing synthetic THC caused them to become up to 70% less attracted to cytokine signals (Molecular Immunology, DOI:10.1016/j.molimm.2006.01.005).
Ganju says that Zimmer's findings provide further evidence that endocannabinoids "probably have a role in autoimmune diseases".
Zimmer agrees, suggesting that people with inflammatory conditions such as asthma and eczema might not produce enough endocannabinoids or related cell receptors. He adds that one day therapies based on THC-like compounds might be used to treat such disorders.
Researchers stress that people who currently suffer from autoimmune disease should not try to self-medicate with marijuana because of its side-effects.
See Also:
Latest News
- Project Veritas: Merrill Lynch whistleblower leaks phone call about Robinhood and Gamestop trade restriction
- Abbott announces Texas will deploy National Guard to combat the 'border crisis' escalating due to Biden administration
- Stark divide on race, policing emerges since George Floyd's death - Poll
- The emerging totalitarian dystopia: Interview with Professor Mattias Desmet
- The Maoist Roots of Social Justice in Higher Education
- Up to 2 feet of March snowfall in upper reaches of Kashmir - temperature drops 7 degrees Celsius below normal
- Hail, yes: Chunks of ice rain down during storm in Florida
- Xi tells authorities in Inner Mongolia to 'solve ethnic problems' and promote use of Mandarin
- The shape of things to come in China
- 'Biden showers money on Americans'?! WaPo mocked for 'Dear Leader' vibes in Covid stimulus story
- Nigel Farage quits politics - says this time he means it
- Trump orders GOP's three biggest fundraisers to STOP using his name on emails, branding, merchandise by Reps who voted to impeach him
- Biden preparing to launch series of 'clandestine' cyberattacks against Russia, the New York Times reports
- Joe Biden's executive order on voting tells agencies to push vote-by-mail, 'combat misinformation'
- Tulsi Gabbard calls out the US dirty war on Syria that Biden, aides admit to
- Georgia fails to produce chain of custody for 404,000 absentee ballots months after contested election
- Biden is transforming ICE detention facilities into 'rapid-processing' centers
- Israel's 'secret evidence' serves as my chains, lock and key
- Organizers of Newsom recall claim to have enough signatures for special election
- Meet the 'Jeff Bezos' of MAGA merchandise, so lucrative he funded pro-Trump candidates across America
- Xi tells authorities in Inner Mongolia to 'solve ethnic problems' and promote use of Mandarin
- The shape of things to come in China
- 'Biden showers money on Americans'?! WaPo mocked for 'Dear Leader' vibes in Covid stimulus story
- Nigel Farage quits politics - says this time he means it
- Trump orders GOP's three biggest fundraisers to STOP using his name on emails, branding, merchandise by Reps who voted to impeach him
- Biden preparing to launch series of 'clandestine' cyberattacks against Russia, the New York Times reports
- Joe Biden's executive order on voting tells agencies to push vote-by-mail, 'combat misinformation'
- Tulsi Gabbard calls out the US dirty war on Syria that Biden, aides admit to
- Serbian president & family illegally wiretapped over 1,500 times, including by 'high-ranking officials' & foreigners investigation reveals
- Biden to formally establish new Gender Policy Council
- "We'll level Tel Aviv": Iran responds to Israel 'preparing' strike plans against nuclear sites
- Psaki says Joe Biden is just too busy handling the 'covid crisis' right now so he will hold a full press conference by the end of the month
- UK PM claims reopening schools with masks and swab tests twice a week 'a step towards normality'
- Pelosi-ordered review of Jan. 6 riot calls for 24/7 'Quick Reaction Force' at U.S. Capitol, report
- Israel updating plans to unilaterally strike Iranian nuclear sites - Israeli defense minister
- Senate narrowly passes COVID relief bill after sleepless, tumultuous night
- As the insurrection narrative crumbles, Democrats cling to it more desperately than ever
- Ukrainian oligarch with US real estate empire hit with sanctions by Biden administration
- New US administration stands for same grotesque, brutal policies against Venezuela, shows how little they actually care for people
- NY legislature passes bill stripping Cuomo of emergency powers, sending it to his desk to sign
- Project Veritas: Merrill Lynch whistleblower leaks phone call about Robinhood and Gamestop trade restriction
- Abbott announces Texas will deploy National Guard to combat the 'border crisis' escalating due to Biden administration
- Stark divide on race, policing emerges since George Floyd's death - Poll
- The Maoist Roots of Social Justice in Higher Education
- Georgia fails to produce chain of custody for 404,000 absentee ballots months after contested election
- Biden is transforming ICE detention facilities into 'rapid-processing' centers
- Israel's 'secret evidence' serves as my chains, lock and key
- Organizers of Newsom recall claim to have enough signatures for special election
- Meet the 'Jeff Bezos' of MAGA merchandise, so lucrative he funded pro-Trump candidates across America
- The latest episode of the vapid Harry and Meghan saga shows they've replaced the Kardashians as the world's biggest reality show
- So woke: Urban Dictionary and Google censor 'Blue Anon' after widespread mockery of lunatic left conspiracy theories - UPDATE: Entry restored
- Regulators caution Ontario doctor for 'irresponsible' tweets about COVID-19
- Mumford & Sons banjo player deemed a 'Nazi sh**bag' for praising book condemning Antifa
- Lyon burns for 3rd night in a row, as unrest and violence continues in protest against ongoing coronavirus restrictions
- People on 'right' would trade tax cuts for ability to openly say 'N' word, Joy Reid claims
- Tucker Carlson: The mainstream media doomsday cult and the growth of the police state
- US agency probes Facebook for 'systemic' racial bias in hiring, promotions
- NYT columnist: Pepe Le Pew 'added to rape culture'—time to buy old cartoons before they're banned
- Global food prices continue to rise, climate shocks, lockdowns and low reserves partly to blame
- Ballots in Arizona's Maricopa County found shredded and in dumpster - days before senate audit to begin
- Africa's lost Empire - The Kingdom of Aksum
- Ancient settlements associated with 'Polish Pyramids' discovered
- Laos mysterious plain of jars
- Ex-CIA chief gives JFK assassination some QAnon-style spin
- Neanderthals possessed ability to perceive and produce human speech
- Pompeii's House of the Ceii restored revealing Roman frescoes glowing with color
- Nazi Industrialism, Technocracy, Social Engineering: A History of Klaus Schwab's Family Values
- Ancient Roman 'Lamborghini' chariot unearthed at Pompeii in immaculate condition
- Ancient Egyptian manual reveals new details about mummification
- Roman port of Altinum discovered in the North lagoon, Venice
- China's Global Times decries the white supremacist Five Eyes surveillance state
- New revelations shed light on the British roots of the Deep State
- Putin, crusaders and barbarians - Not a good idea for 'civilized' NATO to pick a fight with the heirs of the Great Khan
- SOTT Focus: MindMatters: 1984: Doubleplusgood Prolefeed You Must Watch!
- Petrified tree up to 20M-years-old found intact in Lesbos
- How Britain stole $45T from India and lied about it
- Ancient Egyptian art reveals extinct goose
- Culture of bovine farming revealed in bronze age Maltese pottery
- Kangaroo painting is now Australia's oldest known rock art
- Brutal murder of warrior Pharaoh reconstructed using CT scans
- Microbes deep beneath seafloor survive on byproducts of radioactive process
- A Theory of Reality as more than the sum of its parts
- 'Total-surveillance shopping experience' with Amazon Fresh as new till-less grocery store opens in London
- Unknown magnetospheric mechanisms in the polar aurora revealed
- Woolly mammoths lived alongside first humans in New England
- SOTT Focus: Pfizer CEO Admits Israel's Exclusive Use of mRNA Vaccine Makes it 'World's Lab' as Covid-19 Mortality Rate Spikes
- Supercomputer shows doubling masks offers little help preventing viral spread
- First time organic materials essential for life on Earth found on surface of asteroid
- European domestic dog may have originated in Southwestern Germany
- SOTT Focus: The Stats on Covid-Vaccine Injury and Death Don't Add Up
- Academic intolerance on the rise, study finds, highlighting growth of wokeness in younger scholars
- Mystery of monster star's dimming detailed in new Hubble study
- 'Swirlonic' super particles baffle physicists
- Source of hazardous high-energy particles located in the Sun
- Of cuttlefish and crows: A cephalopod has passed a cognitive test designed for human children
- Volcanic activity below desert discovered in Utah
- Cyclical mountain 'tsunamis' have been occurring in Chilean Patagonia for last 10,000 years
- Moscow Metro to introduce 'Facepay' tech by end of 2021
- Google claims it won't adopt new tracking tech after phasing out cookies
- The Cambridge study testing asymptomatics is the gift that keeps on giving ....
- Up to 2 feet of March snowfall in upper reaches of Kashmir - temperature drops 7 degrees Celsius below normal
- Hail, yes: Chunks of ice rain down during storm in Florida
- Record 93 dolphin and whale deaths reported in first 2 months of 2021 in Ireland
- Heavy rainfall and flash flood in Malacca, Malaysia
- Dozens rescued after flash floods in south Spain - 5 inches of rain in 24 hours
- Swarm of 20,000 earthquakes could trigger Iceland's volcanoes to erupt
- Best of the Web: Mount Etna erupts for the 10th time in 3 weeks, raining rocks and ash down on Catania, Sicily
- Flash flood in Aguilas, Spain
- Cyclone Niran causes extensive damage in New Caledonia
- 10 dead or missing after flash floods in Chlef Province, Algeria
- Fata morgana: Rare 'hovering ship' superior mirage photographed off coast of Cornwall, UK
- SOTT Focus: SOTT Earth Changes Summary - February 2021: Extreme Weather, Planetary Upheaval, Meteor Fireballs
- Ecuador's Sangay volcano erupts with ash plume 27000 ft high
- Kermadec Islands region hit by 6.1 magnitude earthquake - 10th of such or greater intensity in last 2 days
- At least 14 killed in Northern Afghanistan avalanche
- Street dogs attack and kill boy in Kashmir
- Shallow earthquake of magnitude of 6.3 hits off Gisborne, New Zealand - 2nd strong quake there in 2 days
- Restless Mount Etna spews more clouds of ash over Sicily's skies
- Burst-like swarm of earthquakes under dormant Oregon volcano triggers fears of 'uptick' in activity
- Thousands cut off by floods in Piura Region, Peru
- Vermonters see, hear, feel meteor fireball speeding over state
- Meteor fireball over Sakurajima Volcano, Japan on March 3
- Best of the Web: Blazing meteor fireball observed across UK - Update: Sonic boom reported
- Meteor fireball caught on camera over Ontario, Canada
- Meteor fireball streaks across Central Arkansas sky
- Meteor fireball turns night into day in Mallorca, Spain
- Bright meteor fireball lights up night sky over Alberta, Canada
- Residents throughout UK observe bright meteor fireball
- Meteor fireball over the south of Spain (Feb. 16)
- Meteor fireball over Andalusia, Spain (Feb. 13)
- Bright meteor fireball streaks over Melbourne, Australia
- Large meteor fireball reported over UK and Western Europe
- Meteor fireball streaks over California
- Asteroid bigger than Statue of Liberty set for Earth flyby, but BIG ONE of 2021 to come in March, NASA warns
- Video shows meteor fireball blazing over Derbyshire, UK
- Meteor fireball flies across Kansas sky
- Loud blast recorded on dashcam as meteorite explodes over Sarawak, Indonesia - Locals felt earth shake
- Blazing meteor fireball streaks through the sky over Granada, Spain
- Meteor fireball seen over northern Europe
- Meteor fireball filmed by dash cam over Zagreb, Croatia
- Swollen lymph nodes after COVID-19 vaccines may cause cancer false alarms
- South Korean government investigates 7 deaths that followed Covid-19 vaccination with AstraZeneca's jab
- Blood pressure lowering drugs
- British and Israeli government data confirm Covid-19 vaccine risk: Infections INCREASE in fortnight after jab
- Best of the Web: Pfizer vaccine in Israel: Mortality rate 'hundreds of times greater in vaccinated young people'
- Impossible things - and COVID19
- Vegan diet may lead to poorer bone health
- Rare case of baby infected with Covid-19 in the womb, virus mutated 5 days later - study
- SOTT Focus: Objective:Health - Viruses Exist and The Earth is Not Flat
- Covid-19 measures of isolation and excess sanitizing has deleterious effect on human microbiome
- NHS warns against Gwyneth Paltrow's 'kombucha and kimchi' Covid advice
- Medical Reversals
- Amid COVID-19 pandemic, flu has disappeared in the US
- Oxford-AstraZeneca eugenics links - James Corbett interviews Whitney Webb
- 'Papers, please': Vaccine Passports have officially arrived
- Flesh-eating ulcer spreads to inner Melbourne suburbs
- How childhood infections can provide protection against future pandemics
- SOTT Focus: Objective:Health - The Rise of Medical Technocracy and the Suppressed Truth of Viral Treatments - Interview with Dr. Lee Merritt
- COVID-19 appears to be dying off. Was this the plan? [Video]
- New bird flu strain H5N8 detected in humans, 7 poultry workers in Southern Russia were infected
- The emerging totalitarian dystopia: Interview with Professor Mattias Desmet
- SOTT Focus: MindMatters: Joshua Slocum: We're Living in a Cluster B World
- You're not trans. You're just weird.
- Scientists designing method to remove fear, boost 'confidence' and alter individual preferences via brain simulation
- Study provides detailed look on the neuroscience of placebo effects
- Psychological 'signature' for the extremist mind uncovered by Cambridge researchers
- Scientists 'talk' to sleeping people by invading their dreams
- Women better at reading minds than men says new study
- Suspense novelist Michael Prescott explores the non-fiction of life after death
- Best of the Web: What humans can learn from the mice utopia experiment
- Study finds neural benefits of early music training
- Study: Generational trauma can change brain circuitry of an unborn baby
- Bigelow Institute for Consciousness Studies offers prize money to find out if there is life after death
- The death of critical thought by 1,000 cuts
- Scientists shed light on how and why some people report 'hearing the dead'
- Brain paralyzes you while you sleep
- The Woke Breaking Point
- SOTT Focus: MindMatters: Dr. George Simon: The Character Disturbance Epidemic and What We Can Do About It
- The failed strategy of lockdown sceptics: We appealed to reason, not emotion
- Level 3 Thinking: A unified theory of self-improvement
- Airliner encountered unidentified fast-moving cylindrical object over New Mexico
- Pentagon sort of but not really admits it has been testing wreckage from UFO crashes & findings may 'change our lives forever,' expert says
- Intriguing cigar-shaped object spotted hovering motionless above California
- String of lights seen in sky near Charlotte sparks UFO debate. What was it?
- Airline pilots capture video of 'extremely bright UFO' during flight in Pakistan
- US Government paid millions to chase UFOs and werewolves
- CIA releases UFO 'Black Vault' documents early: How to see them online
- The truth is in there? 'All' of the CIA's files on UFOs are now available for download
- US agencies have less than 6 months to reveal what they know about UFOs thanks to coronavirus relief bill
- Harvard professor says alien technology visited Earth in 2017
- Large blue UFO startles Hawaii residents: Appeared to plunge into ocean
- FAA notified after large blue UFO seen above Oahu, Hawaii appeared to drop into ocean
- Best of the Web: Ex-CIA boss Brennan says Pentagon's declassified UFO videos are 'eyebrow-raising,' advises 'to keep an open mind'
- Jeremy Corbell interviews author of piece on former Israeli Space Program Director, professor Haim Eshed's UFO revelations
- Best of the Web: 'Fast Movers' and Transmedium Vehicles - The Pentagon's Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force
- 'Humanity not yet ready' - Aliens asked not to be revealed says former head of Israel's Space Program
- Best of the Web: Leaked photo surfaces of purported unidentified aerial phenomena
- Jet on approach to UK airport almost collides with mystery object, shocking report finds pilots had 'no time to act'
- Another Chicago Mothman sighting? USPS employee reports seven-foot-tall, red-eyed creature at O'Hare International Airport
- The Phenomenon: New UFO documentary
- Meghan Markle inspires millions of young girls with message that no matter how famous, rich, and powerful they are, they will always be oppressed
- In new Dr. Seuss book, Cat in the Hat gives kids puberty blockers while their mother isn't home
- Congressional Republicans Make Deal: Democrats Get Everything They Want, But Mr. Potato Head Will Stay Male
- With pandemic winding down, people who yell at others to wear masks in danger of never feeling important again
- Octopus steals camera, wins underwater photography competition with selfie
- Activists fight racism by driving all people of color out of pop culture
- Cuomo tries to divert attention from sex scandal by reminding everyone of nursing home scandal
- Secret strategy: Texas removes mask mandate to scare all the Californians away
- Flashback: State of California votes to officially secede from reality
- HHS nominee says kids should decide for themselves whether to stick a knife in a toaster
- Biden clarifies that stimulus checks are 'just an idea'
- Resourceful Russians! Diplomats employ push trolley to depart from North Korea amid covid border restrictions
- Oreo reveals new gender-neutral OreX cookies
- Compassionate Biden: Migrant children moved from cages into humane high-security metal containment cubes
- Hitler vindicated after historians discover his ideas came from Darwin
- How do you do, fellow kids? Biden White House leaves followers baffled after tweeting out-of-touch meme with Canadian PM
- Dr. Fauci reminds everyone that we will only have to wear masks until humans evolve organic face coverings at birth
- Man who doesn't believe in settled science on gender, unborn babies or economics claims 'science on climate change is settled'
- Not satire: Chinese prof argues ancient western civilizations were faked to demean China
- Journalists cheer as Jen Psaki announces the gulags will be run by a woman of color
Quote of the Day
It is one thing to show a man that he is in an error, and another to put him in possession of the truth.
- John Locke
Recent Comments
They bloody well should be mocked. It's not a joke for most folks. Honestly...... -1
"reduce the number of Americans living in poverty by a third." Yeah, starvation has that effect on the population.
" a sophisticated mix of internationalist Marxism with Confucianism (privileging harmony, abhorring conflict) " - Ah! Finally, socialist utopia...
Funny how all the churches keep saying the juice are Gods chosen people when in reality they worship Lucifer.
In Canada they accept line jumpers and import vast numbers of engineers and scientists from Nigeria and Syria. These new productive members of...
From a strictly subjective standpoint (personal observation in the health care field) it appears that inflammatory diseases like allergies, eczema, and asthma are epidemic, or nearly so.
A really interesting part of this article is the mention of the reduced release of cytokines. - If I recall correctly, I think cytokines released in the lungs are posited as being the mechanism for high-fatality viral diseases - like the killer flu epidemics in the past, and bird flu.
perhaps toking up might have a protective effect for a serious flu infection?
Geez - what a thought - getting stoned while already semi-delirious from fever. Doesn't sound like a good time to me.