Effects of the synthetic cannabinoid XLR-11 on the viability and migration rates of human brain microvascular endothelial cells in a clinically-relevant model.

Abstract

Synthetic cannabinoids (SCs) are a group of newly-developed drugs that bind and activate endocannabinoid system receptors. Angiogenesis is a biological process in which new blood vessels are formed from preexistent blood vessels. It plays a vital role in tissue growth, wound healing, and embryogenesis. This study aims to investigate the effects of the synthetic cannabinoid XLR-11 on specific cellular functions such as viability and angiogenesis in vitro. Human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMECs) were cultured in DMEM/F12 medium supplemented with an endothelial cell growth kit. The MTT assay was used to investigate the viability of endothelial cells. An endothelial cell migration assay was used to investigate migration ability, while a tube formation assay was used to investigate the angiogenic capacity of the endothelial cells. XLR-11 was found to enhance the viability of HBMECs. Moreover, the migration rate and angiogenic capacity significantly increased in the presence of various concentrations of XLR-11 compared to the control. The current study shows that XLR-11 increases the viability of human brain microvascular endothelial cells and enhances angiogenesis in the brain in vitro, suggesting that XLR-11 could potentially be used as a therapeutic angiogenic drug in human brain injury treatment.