Posted by ed_uk on August 12, 2005, at 14:49:00
Cannabis relief in IBD
Scientists investigating anecdotal evidence that patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) find relief from using cannabis have found a possible explanation for this effect.
After examining bowel tissue samples from healthy people and IBD patients and analysing the concentrations of cannabinoid receptors in the colon, researchers found that colon tissue samples from healthy people tested positive for the CB1 receptor, while the tissue from IBD sufferers became more positive for CB2 receptors as their disease progressed.
The researchers propose that the CB2 receptor is a potential target for the development of cannabis-based drugs to treat IBD. They also found that the CB1 receptor helps promote wound healing in the gut lining (Gastroenterology 2005;129:437).
poster:ed_uk
thread:540746
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050811/msgs/540746.html