Drugs and immunity: cannabinoids and their role in decreased resistance to infectious disease.
Marijuana, Cannabis sativa, elicits a variety of effects in experimental animals and humans. Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the major psychoactive component in marijuana. This substance has been shown, also, to be immunosuppressive and to decrease host resistance to bacterial, protozoan, and viral infections. Macrophages, T lymphocytes, and natural killer cells appear to be major targets of the immunosuppressive effects of THC. Definitive data which directly link marijuana use to increased susceptibility to infection in humans currently is unavailable. However, cumulative reports indicating that THC alters resistance to infection in vitro and in a variety of experimental animals support the hypothesis that a similar effect occurs in humans.
Cabral
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GA
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Virginia/Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond 23298-0678, USA. gacabral@gems.vcu.edu
Dove Pettit
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DA
D000818:Animals; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D002186:Cannabinoids / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007107:Immune System / Q000187:drug effects*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000276:immunology*
D002186:Cannabinoids