Evaluation of Marijuana Compounds on Neuroimmune Endpoints in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis

Development of an in vitro peptide-stimulated T cell assay to evaluate immune effects by cannabinoid compounds

Previous studies demonstrated that cannabinoids exhibit immunosuppressive effects in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), the animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS). To ask questions about treatment timing and investigate mechanisms for immune suppression by the plant-derived cannabinoids, cannabidiol (CBD) and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), an in vitro peptide stimulation of naive splenocytes (SPLC) was developed to mimic T cell activation in EAE. The peptide was derived from the myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) protein, which is one component of the myelin sheath. MOG peptide is typically used with an immune adjuvant to trigger MOG-reactive T cells that attack MOG-containing tissues, causing demyelination and clinical disease in EAE. To develop the in vitro model, naïve SPLC were stimulated with MOG peptide on day 0 and restimulated on day 4. Cytokine analyses revealed that CBD and THC suppressed MOG peptide-stimulated cytokine production. Flow cytometric analysis showed that intracellular cytokines could be detected in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. To determine if intracellular calcium was altered in the cultures, cells were stimulated for 4 days to assess the state of the cells at the time of MOG peptide restimulation. Both cannabinoid-treated cultures had a smaller population of the calcium-positive population as compared to vehicle-treated cells. These results demonstrate the establishment of an in vitro model that can be used to mimic MOG-reactive T cell stimulation in vivo.

Cannabis- and Substance-Related Carcinogenesis in Europe: A Lagged Causal Inferential Panel Regression Study

Recent European data facilitate an epidemiological investigation of the controversial cannabis-cancer relationship. Of particular concern were prior findings associating high-dose cannabis use with reproductive problems and potential genetic impacts. Cancer incidence data age-standardised to the world population was obtained from the European Cancer Information System 2000-2020 and many European national cancer registries. Drug use data were obtained from the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction. Alcohol and tobacco consumption was sourced from the WHO. Median household income was taken from the World bank. Cancer rates in high-cannabis-use countries were significantly higher than elsewhere (β-estimate = 0.4165, p = 3.54 × 10^-115). Eighteen of forty-one cancers (42,675 individual rates) were significantly associated with cannabis exposure at bivariate analysis. Twenty-five cancers were linked in inverse-probability-weighted multivariate models. Temporal lagging in panel models intensified these effects. In multivariable models, cannabis was a more powerful correlate of cancer incidence than tobacco or alcohol. Reproductive toxicity was evidenced by the involvement of testis, ovary, prostate and breast cancers and because some of the myeloid and lymphoid leukaemias implicated occur in childhood, indicating inherited intergenerational genotoxicity. Cannabis is a more important carcinogen than tobacco and alcohol and fulfills epidemiological qualitative and quantitative criteria for causality for 25/41 cancers. Reproductive and transgenerational effects are prominent. These findings confirm the clinical and epidemiological salience of cannabis as a major multigenerational community carcinogen.

Clinical Epigenomic Explanation of the Epidemiology of Cannabinoid Genotoxicity Manifesting as Transgenerational Teratogenesis, Cancerogenesis and Aging Acceleration

As global interest in the therapeutic potential of cannabis and its' derivatives for the management of selected diseases increases, it is increasingly imperative that the toxic profile of cannabinoids be thoroughly understood in order to correctly assess the balance between the therapeutic risks and benefits. Modern studies across a number of jurisdictions, including Canada, Australia, the US and Europe have confirmed that some of the most worrying and severe historical reports of both congenital anomalies and cancer induction following cannabis exposure actually underestimate the multisystem thousand megabase-scale transgenerational genetic damage. These findings from teratogenic and carcinogenic literature are supported by recent data showing the accelerated patterns of chronic disease and the advanced DNA methylation epigenomic clock age in cannabis exposed patients. Together, the increased multisystem carcinogenesis, teratogenesis and accelerated aging point strongly to cannabinoid-related genotoxicity being much more clinically significant than it is widely supposed and, thus, of very considerable public health and multigenerational impact. Recently reported longitudinal epigenome-wide association studies elegantly explain many of these observed effects with considerable methodological sophistication, including multiple pathways for the inhibition of the normal chromosomal segregation and DNA repair, the inhibition of the basic epigenetic machinery for DNA methylation and the demethylation and telomerase acceleration of the epigenomic promoter hypermethylation characterizing aging. For cancer, 810 hits were also noted. The types of malignancy which were observed have all been documented epidemiologically. Detailed epigenomic explications of the brain, heart, face, uronephrological, gastrointestinal and limb development were provided, which amply explained the observed teratological patterns, including the inhibition of the key morphogenic gradients. Hence, these major epigenomic insights constituted a powerful new series of arguments which advanced both our understanding of the downstream sequalae of multisystem multigenerational cannabinoid genotoxicity and also, since mechanisms are key to the causal argument, inveighed strongly in favor of the causal nature of the relationship. In this introductory conceptual overview, we present the various aspects of this novel synthetic paradigmatic framework. Such concepts suggest and, indeed, indicate numerous fields for further investigation and basic science research to advance the exploration of many important issues in biology, clinical medicine and population health. Given this, it is imperative we correctly appraise the risk-benefit ratio for each potential cannabis application, considering the potency, severity of disease, stage of human development and duration of use.

Epigenomic and Other Evidence for Cannabis-Induced Aging Contextualized in a Synthetic Epidemiologic Overview of Cannabinoid-Related Teratogenesis and Cannabinoid-Related Carcinogenesis

BACKGROUND

Twelve separate streams of empirical data make a strong case for cannabis-induced accelerated aging including hormonal, mitochondriopathic, cardiovascular, hepatotoxic, immunological, genotoxic, epigenotoxic, disruption of chromosomal physiology, congenital anomalies, cancers including inheritable tumorigenesis, telomerase inhibition and elevated mortality.

METHODS

Results from a recently published longitudinal epigenomic screen were analyzed with regard to the results of recent large epidemiological studies of the causal impacts of cannabis. We also integrate theoretical syntheses with prior studies into these combined epigenomic and epidemiological results.

RESULTS

Cannabis dependence not only recapitulates many of the key features of aging, but is characterized by both age-defining and age-generating illnesses including immunomodulation, hepatic inflammation, many psychiatric syndromes with a neuroinflammatory basis, genotoxicity and epigenotoxicity. DNA breaks, chromosomal breakage-fusion-bridge morphologies and likely cycles, and altered intergenerational DNA methylation and disruption of both the histone and tubulin codes in the context of increased clinical congenital anomalies, cancers and heritable tumors imply widespread disruption of the genome and epigenome. Modern epigenomic clocks indicate that, in cannabis-dependent patients, cannabis advances cellular DNA methylation age by 25-30% at age 30 years. Data have implications not only for somatic but also stem cell and germ line tissues including post-fertilization zygotes. This effect is likely increases with the square of chronological age.

CONCLUSION

Recent epigenomic studies of cannabis exposure provide many explanations for the broad spectrum of cannabis-related teratogenicity and carcinogenicity and appear to account for many epidemiologically observed findings. Further research is indicated on the role of cannabinoids in the aging process both developmentally and longitudinally, from stem cell to germ cell to blastocystoids to embryoid bodies and beyond.

Neuroinflammation and B-Cell Phenotypes in Cervical and Lumbosacral Regions of the Spinal Cord in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis in the Absence of Pertussis Toxin

OBJECTIVES

The active experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model is often initiated using myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) immunization followed by pertussis toxin (PTX) to study multiple sclerosis. However, PTX inactivates G protein-coupled receptors, and with increasing knowledge of the role that various G protein-coupled receptors play in immune homeostasis, it is valuable to establish neuroimmune endpoints for active EAE without PTX.

METHODS

Female C57BL/6 mice were immunized with MOG35-55 peptide in Complete Freund's Adjuvant and neuroinflammation, including central nervous system B-cell infiltration, was compared to saline-injected mice. Since it was anticipated that disease onset would be slower and less robust than EAE in the presence of PTX, both cervical and lumbosacral sections of the spinal cord were evaluated.

RESULTS

Immunohistochemical analysis showed that EAE without PTX induced immune infiltration, CCL2 and VCAM-1 upregulation. Demyelination in the cervical region correlated with the infiltration of CD19+ B cells in the cervical region. There was upregulation of IgG, CD38, and PDL1 on B cells in cervical and lumbosacral regions of the spinal cord in EAE without PTX. Interestingly, IgG was expressed predominantly by CD19- cells.

CONCLUSIONS

These data demonstrate that many neuroimmune endpoints are induced in EAE without PTX and although clinical disease is mild, this can be used as an autoimmune model when PTX inactivation of G protein-coupled receptors is not desired.