The compounds — THC and cannabidiol — seem to react with the body’s system that controls “gut function”.

Dr Karen Wright, Peel Trust Lecturer in Biomedicine at Lancaster University, presented her soon-to-be published work at The British Pharmacological Society’s Winter Meeting in London this week.

She said: “The lining of the intestines provides a barrier against the contents of the gut but in people with Crohn’s Disease this barrier leaks and bacteria can escape into the intestinal tissue leading to an inappropriate immune response.

“If we could find a way to restore barrier integrity in patients we may be able to curb the inflammatory immune response that causes these chronic conditions.”

Dr Wright, working with colleagues at the School of Graduate Entry Medicine and Health in Derby, has shown that cells that react to cannabinoid compounds play an important role in normal gut function as well as the immune system’s inflammatory response.

This may give more ammunition to pro-legalization forces when California voters go to the polls next year to decide if marijuana should be made legal.

Source: The Medical News

The study, appearing in the journal Neurology, reviewed six randomized, controlled trials that used marijuana to treat MS patients.

Researchers Shaheen Lakhan and Marie Rowland of the Global Neuroscience Initiative Foundation in Los Angeles said they looked for trials evaluating two marijuana extracts — delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol — THC — and cannabidiol — CBD.

“We found evidence that combined THC and CBD extracts may provide therapeutic benefit for MS spasticity symptoms,” Lakhan said in a statement. “The therapeutic potential of cannabinoids in MS is comprehensive and should be given considerable attention.”

Source: OfficialWire