Abstract 10022: Marijuana Smoke or Vaporizer Aerosol Impairs Endothelial Function Regardless of Drying Regimen or Cannabinoid Profile

Abstract

Introduction: Marijuana smoke and vaporizer aerosol adversely affect the cardiovascular system. Most US marijuana research has used research marijuana from the University of Mississippi supplied through the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). NIDA marijuana is dried at high temperature with maximum of 10% THC, but real-world material is gently dried and is ~20% THC. Because NIDA marijuana differs from what is currently used by the public in terms of THC content and drying regimen, skepticism regarding relevance to the real world is limiting the impact of results obtained from this material. Here, we validated the use of NIDA research marijuana in the study of vascular effects of cannabis. Hypothesis: Exposure to marijuana smoke or vaporizer aerosol, regardless of the cannabinoid profile or drying regimen, impairs endothelial function. Methods: We exposed groups of rats (n=8) to smoke or Volcano vaporizer aerosol from materials obtained from U Miss (Placebo (<0.01% THC hot), 4.2% THC hot and gentle dried pair, 10% THC hot), from Biopharmaceutical Research Company (Castroville, CA) (20% THC gentle dried), commercial hemp with negligible THC content, and clean air. Exposure was pulsatile, 5s/min over 5 mins. Endothelial function was measured as flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and pre- vs. post-exposure FMD (10 and 30 mins after end of exposure) differences were analyzed. Results: We observed significant impairment of FMD after exposure to pulsatile smoke from marijuana with varied cannabinoid profiles and drying regimens (p≤.006), with no effect from clean air (p=.13). No significant recovery of FMD was observed in any group 30 mins after marijuana smoke exposure (p≥.32). Pulsatile exposure to aerosol generated from the same materials impaired FMD in all groups (p≤.001) except clean air (p=.23). Conclusions: Acute exposure to marijuana smoke/aerosol impairs endothelial function regardless of the drying regimens or the cannabinoid profile of the marijuana product.