title: Protection against septic shock and suppression of tumor necrosis factor alpha and nitric oxide production by dexanabinol (HU-211), a nonpsychotropic cannabinoid.
abstract: Dexanabinol, HU-211, a synthetic cannabinoid devoid of psychotropic effects, improves neurological outcome in models of brain trauma, ischemia and meningitis. Recently, HU-211 was found to inhibit brain tumor necrosis factor (TNFalpha) production after head injury. In the present study, we demonstrate the ability of HU-211 to suppress TNFalpha production and to rescue mice and rats from endotoxic shock after LPS (Escherichia coli 055:B5) inoculation. In BALB/c mice, a dose of 10 mg/kg LPS, injected i.p., caused 57% and 100% mortality, at 24 and 48 hr, respectively. HU-211, administered i.p. 30 min before lipopolysaccharide (LPS), reduced lethality to 9 and 67% at these time points (P < .05). When coinjected with D-galactoseamine (i.p.), LPS was 100% lethal within 24 hr, whereas eight hourly injections of HU-211 caused mortality of C57BL/6 mice to drop to 10% (P < .001). Administration of LPS to Sprague-Dawley rats resulted in a 30% reduction in the mean arterial blood pressure within 30 min, which persisted for 3 hr. HU-211, given 2 to 3 min before LPS, completely abolished the typical hypotensive response. Furthermore, the drug also markedly suppressed in vitro TNFalpha production and nitric oxide generation (by >90%) by both murine peritoneal macrophages and rat alveolar macrophage cell line exposed to LPS. HU-211 may, therefore, have therapeutic implications in the treatment of TNFalpha-mediated pathologies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, The Hebrew University, Faculty of Medicine, Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gallily
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yamin
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Waksmann
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ovadia
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Weidenfeld
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bar-Joseph
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Biegon
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mechoulam
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Shohami
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D002460:Cell Line; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000097:blood; D013759:Dronabinol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000633:toxicity; D008264:Macrophages / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012772:Shock, Septic / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D013759:Dronabinol; C062018:HU 211; D003345:Corticosterone