---<br /> <br /> A COMPOUND derived from the cannabis plant protects blood vessels from <br /> dangerous clogging, a study of mice has shown. The discovery could lead to <br /> new drugs to ward off heart disease and stroke.<br /> <br /> The compound, called delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), combats the <br /> blood-vessel disease atherosclerosis in mice. This disease occurs when <br /> damage to blood vessels, by nicotine from cigarettes, for example, causes <br /> an immune response that leads to the formation of fatty deposits in arteries.<br /> These deposits form because the immune cells can linger too long, <br /> recruiting others and leading to an inflamed blockage that snares fatty <br /> molecules. The disease is the leading cause of heart disease and stroke in <br /> the developed world.<br /> <br /> THC seems to tone down this immune response, reports Francois Mach of the <br /> University Hospital Geneva, Switzerland, and his colleagues. The compound <br /> binds to a protein called CB2 that is present on the surfaces of certain <br /> immune cells.<br /> <br /> Mach's team administered tiny amounts of pure THC to mice. The treatment <br /> reduced the progression of blood-vessel blockage formation by more than <br /> one-third, the researchers reported in Nature (2005;434:782-786).<br /> <br /> Furthermore, feeding the mice a compound that interferes with binding to <br /> CB2 abolished the therapeutic effect of THC. This proves that the process <br /> involves the CB2 protein rather than a similar protein called CB1, which is <br /> found on cells in the brain and nervous system and is responsible for <br /> cannabis's psychological effects.<br /> <br /> The benefits for atherosclerosis occurred only at a certain dosage, Mach <br /> adds - at higher and lower doses THC has no therapeutic effect on blood <br /> vessels. He notes the similarly moderated effects of alcohol on heart <br /> disease, adding that one glass of Bordeaux may reduce risk while <br /> overindulgence can increase it.<br /> <br /> The team also emphasises that the THC dose required to protect blood <br /> vessels is lower, relative to body weight, than that which would produce <br /> the mind-altering altering effects of cannabis in humans. "This paper has <br /> nothing to do with smoking marijuana," Mach stresses.<br /> <br /> "It does not mean that smoking cannabis is beneficial to the cardiovascular <br /> system, as cannabis smoke contains many toxins which may actually lead to <br /> cardiovascular diseases," says Michael Randall of the University of <br /> Nottingham Medical School, UK, who has studied cardiovascular disease and <br /> cannabinoids.<br /> <br /> "The body also produces its own cannabis-like chemicals and whether they <br /> may play a role in the above beneficial effects is unclear," he adds.<br /> <br /> THC could be deployed alongside currently used cholesterol-controlling <br /> drugs called statins to fight atherosclerosis, Mach suggests. "I don't <br /> think this will replace statins. But we may add another compound that will <br /> fight against inflammation," he explains.<br /> <br /> Because THC might suppress the immune system in a general way, there is a <br /> danger that it may harm the body's ability to fight infection. To avoid <br /> this, Mach says, it may be necessary to identify similar compounds that <br /> specifically target the CB2 protein.<br /> <br /> Still, the discovery adds to the range of potential medicinal benefits of <br /> cannabis compounds. Besides its well-publicised use for pain relief, the <br /> drug is also given to anorexics to stimulate appetite, and cancer patients <br /> to combat the nauseating side-effects of chemotherapy<br /> <br /> <br />Aurora Indica |  B52 |  Big Bud |  California Orange Bud |  Citral |  Four Way |  Haze |  Hindu Kush |  Indoor Mix |  Jock Horror |  K2 |  Maroc x Afghan |  Northern Light x Big Bud |  Northern Light x Haze |  Northern Light x Shiva |  Shiva |  Skunk #1 |  Skunk Red Hair |  Skunk Special |  Papaya |  White Rhino |  Haze 19 x Skunk |  Afghan |  Master Kush |  Northern Light |  Super Skunk |  Top 44 |  Durban Poison |  Early Bud |  Early Girl |  Early Misty |  Early Special |  Hawaii x Maui Waui |  Hawaii x Skunk #1 |  Hollands Hope |  KC 33 x Master Kush |  Mixed Sativa |  New Purple Power |  Swazi |  Swiss Miss |  Northern Bright |  Snow White (fem.) |  Supergirl |  Venus |  Wonder Woman |  Kaya |  PPP (fem.) |  Medusa |  Blue Mystic |  Chrystal |  Ice |  Misty |  PPP |  White Widow |  Nirvana Special |  White Rhino |  Snow White |  AK-48 |  Bubblelicious |  Silver Pearl |  Haze |  Jock Horror |  Northern Light x Haze |  White Rhino |  Haze 19 x Skunk |