Oral administration of cannabis with lipids leads to high levels of cannabinoids in the intestinal lymphatic system and prominent immunomodulation.

ABSTRACT: Cannabidiol (CBD) and ∆⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) have well documented immunomodulatory effects in vitro, but not following oral administration in humans. Here we show that oral co-administration of cannabinoids with lipids can substantially increase their intestinal lymphatic transport in rats. CBD concentrations in the lymph were 250-fold higher than in plasma, while THC concentrations in the lymph were 100-fold higher than in plasma. Since cannabinoids are currently in clinical use for the treatment of spasticity in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and to alleviate nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy in cancer patients, lymphocytes from those patients were used to assess the immunomodulatory effects of cannabinoids. The levels of cannabinoids recovered in the i

SUBMITTER: Zgair A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5674070 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature