Inflammation is the root of many of the cognitive-related symptoms people with HIV face. And the reason they rely on cannabis or medical marijuana to manage pain, nausea and more.
These products contain THC, a substance that produces the psychoactive effects that cause a “high” and other side effects, like addiction. Nair, who along with his team have been conducting NIH-funded studies on how drug abuse impacts HIV infections, points out this can exacerbate symptoms.
There’s not been much research into how compounds like THC and CBD — both derived from the same plant — impact the brain at the molecular level. Yndart, who works in Nair’s lab, decided to find out.
She tested different concentrations of THC and CBD on hundreds of HIV-infected microglia cells. Then, cell by cell, she searched for specific markers, or clues, that exposed whether the cells were activated.
CBD-treated cells reduced the numbers of inflammatory molecules and kept the infected cells from activating.
Nair and Yndart emphasize CBD is a promising candidate for new ways to treat neurocognitive disorders and other inflammatory disorders caused by HIV, but more research will be needed, including clinical trials that investigate different CBD formulations.
MMP News Author
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