VDR expression in multiple cell lines – Medical Marijuana Program Connection

Introduction

Cannabidiol (CBD) is extensively used for various health problems and marketed as a dietary and wellness product. It does not cause intoxication or euphoria-like Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). This favorable safety profile recently increased massive interest in using CBD products to manage various disorders.¹ Various diseases like myocardial infarction, sickle cell anemia, diabetes, myocardial ischemia, peripheral artery disease, and cerebral ischemia occur due to abnormalities of blood viscosity, elasticity, and RBC morphology. One of the clinical trial data reported that CBD increased red blood cell viscosity and elasticity.² CBD has potent anti-inflammatory,³ immunomodulatory, and analgesic effects through activating cannabinoid-1 and − 2 (CB1 and CB2) receptors. CBD treatment also reduced the production of cytokines in an animal model of chronic asthma, inflammatory lung diseases, etc.⁴ The preclinical animal experiment showed that CBD treatment decreases the levels of Th1 cytokines (TNF-α and IL-6) and modulates the cytokine storm.⁵ An in vitro experiment reported that CBD can reduce inflammatory cytokine production.⁶ Abnormal mitochondrial function leads to the development of a wide variety of neurodegenerative, diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular disorders. CBD modulates mitochondrial activities through voltage-dependent anion channel-I, which functions to exchange important metabolites involved in energy metabolism (ie, ADP and ATP) across…