Presence Of THC Research Articles

Suppression of lymphocyte adenosine 3':5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) by delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol.

Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the major psychoactive component of marijuana. Suppression of mitogen-stimulated blastogenesis of human lymphocytes in vitro by THC was previously demonstrated. This effect was shown to be concentration dependent with the non-toxic concentrations 5, 7.5, and 10 micrograms THC/ml showing the greatest suppression. However, the mechanism(s) by which THC induces suppression are still unclear. The current study examines the effect of THC on the adenosine 3':5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) pathway second messenger system, which is involved in activation of human peripheral blood lymphocytes. Lymphocyte cAMP levels were stimulated using three hormone receptor stimulators, isoproterenol, histamine, or 5'-N-ethylcarboxamide adenosine (NECA), each of which utilizes a different receptor to enhance cAMP production. THC suppressed cAMP levels independently of the hormone and receptor utilized. Levels of cAMP in non-mitogen-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells and plastic non-adherent lymphocytes, as well as cells stimulated with phytohemmagglutinin, were suppressed by THC. Suppression of cAMP production by THC was further examined to determine whether inhibition involved a GTP-binding protein (Gi), which is known to down-regulate cAMP production. Cells were pre-treated with pertussis toxin to inhibit Gi activity; this blocked the THC-induced suppression of cAMP production. These results suggest that THC can exert its effects on second messenger systems at the lymphocyte membrane level, and that a pertussis toxin-sensitive Gi protein may be involved. Thus, second messenger regulated pathways may be involved in THC-induced immune suppression. However, the relationship between alteration of cAMP production and suppression of lymphocyte function due to the presence of THC in the medium remains to be established.

Biogenic aromatic hydrocarbon geochemistry in the Rhone river delta and in surface sediments from the open North-Western Mediterranean sea

The origin, evolution and transport of biogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) were studied in the Rhone river delta and the Gulf of Lions (North-western Mediterranean). Sediments and riverborne suspended particulate matter were collected and analysed for PAH using a combination of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), gas chromatography (GC) and GC/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Special attention was given to aromatic hydrocarbons from natural sources: retene and its precursors related to abietic acid found in the resins of conifers, and pentacyclic triterpenoids derived from α - and β -amyrins, constituents of terrestrial plants. Retene concentrations varied in the following ranges: 15–59 ng g −1 in river-borne particulate material, 20–70 ng g −1 in deltaic sediments, 3–16 ng g −1 in open-sea sediments. Retene precursor concentrations were generally higher than those of retene in the delta, whereas the inverse was observed in open-sea sediments. In these sediments the low concentrations or the absence of precursors suggested a predominant transport of pre-formed retene by aerosols and fine particles issued from the Rhone river. In the deltaic area, both retene and its precursors are transported by river waters from the forest runoff of the drainage basin. Transformation of precursors to retene occurred during transport by river waters and/or fast after deposition in surface deltaic sediments. Pentacyclic triterpenoid concentrations varied from 54 to 296 ng g −1 in deltaic sediments and from 0 to 21 ng g −1 in open-sea sediments. Concentrations of tetrahydrochrysenes (3,3,7-THC and 3,4,7-THC) decreased with increasing distance from the Rhone river mouth. The presence of THC in the riverine particulate matter (10–105 ng g −1 ) indicated that the degradation of terrestrial organic matter by microbial activity had begun before the deposition of particulate matter in the surface sediment. A good correlation was observed between ΣTHC and δ 13 C ( r 2 = 0·89; n = 9), which suggests that the THC tracer information was representative of natural continental organic carbon inputs.

Occurrence of natural hemagglutinins in Halys dentata (hemiptera) during development

Agglutinating activity of insect hemolymph against vertebrate erythrocytes and microorganisms has been reported by many workers (1,3,7,9,11,12,14). Recently, Bellah et al. (1) have detected thc presence of hemolymph agglutinin in 5-day-old last instar larvae of Philosamia ricini. They concluded that trier variations were related essentially to larval age. In holometabolous insects, complete reconstruction occurs during metamorphosis. Suzuki and Natori (14) reported a rhythmic pattern in the activity of hemagglutinins during larvalpupal and pupal-adult ecdysis in Bombyx mori. They further suggested that agglutinins may be absorbed to the surface of decomposed larval tissues and, therefore, may be functional in the immune surveillance of old tissue. Studies on the interrelationship of age (i.e., development) and titer of hemagglutinins in hemimetabolus insects are limited. Jurenka et al. (6) studied hemagglutination titer in relation to age in Melanoplus sanguinipes and reported the occurrence of lectins from 4th instar and throughout adulthood. They further concluded that hemagglutination liter varies with age and sex in this insect. In the present study, the hemagglutination titer was screened in 3rd, 4th, 5th instars and adults in relation to moulting and the age of insect to determine if there is a correlation between agglutination titer and development in hemimetabolous insect. The other objective of this study was to investigate the hemagglutinating activity of the serum of Halys dentata against the erythrocytes of different species of vertebrates and m i c r o o r g a n i s m s to d e t e r m i n e the binding specificities of the agglutinins.

Drugs which stimulate or facilitate central cholinergic transmission interact synergistically with delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol to produce marked catalepsy in mice

In experiments in which mice were placed with their forepaws over a 4 cm high horizontal bar, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC; 10 mg/kg i.p.) delayed descent from the bar. This effect on descent latency was markedly enhanced by physostigmine (0.05 or 0.25 mg/kg s.c.) and oxotremorine (0.04 or 0.08 mg/kg s.c.), administered immediately before THC. These interactions were attenuated by atropine (2.0 mg/kg s.c.) and (−)-scopolamine (1.9 mg/kg s.c.) but not by atropine methyl nitrate (2.11 mg/kg s.c.), which does not readily cross the blood-brain barrier. However, atropine methyl nitrate did prevent salivation induced by oxotremorine in the presence of THC. No synergism was detected between THC and neostigmine (0.047 mg/kg s.c.). Atropine and (−)-scopolamine also decreased the ability of chlordiazepoxide (10 mg/kg s.c.) to enhance the effect of THC on descent latency. The interaction was not antagonized by atropine methyl nitrate or mecamylamine (1.17 or 2.34 mg/kg s.c.). These results point to an involvement of central acetylcholine-releasing pathways in the cataleptic response of mice to THC.

ChemInform Abstract: α,β‐Unsaturated Thio Compounds. Part 19. Synthesis of Monothiocarbonyl Analogues of 2‐Benzoyl‐1,3‐indanedione.

AbstractThe title compound (I) is converted to (h; in danethione (II) by HZS/H . The reactions of (I) with HCl or HBr in the pfesenoc P2O5 yield the Z‐(a‐halobenzylidenc)‐indane‐1,3‐diones (IIIa) or(IIIb), These m casily with H2S in thc presence of NEt3 to form 2‐thiobenzoyl derivatives a; 5110m by the conversion of (IIIb) 1o the novel compound (IV).

In vitro and in vivo suppressive effects of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol on interferon production by murine spleen cells

Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the major psychoactive component in marijuana, has been reported to be suppressive on some immune functions. Since interferons (IFNs) are important immunomodulatory proteins, the effect of in vivo or in vitro administration of THC on induction of IFN by various mitogens was examined. Splenocytes from normal mice in the presence of THC produced significantly less IFN when stimulated by phytohemagglutinin (PHA), concanavalin A (Con A), or Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Induction of IFN by a bacterial antigen, Legionella pneumophila bacterial cells, was also suppressed by THC. Also, splenocytes which were incubated up to 24 h in the presence of THC partially recovered responses to mitogens when cells were washed before stimulation. This suggested that THC must be present in order to mitigate IFN induction. Splenocyte cultures from mice which were chronically injected with THC for 6 – 8 weeks were also less responsive to induction of IFN by the various mitogens. These results suggest that at least part of the immunosuppressive effects of THC may be related to depressed IFN production by stimulated lymphocytes. Since Con A and PHA are T cell mitogens and LPS is considered to be a macrophage and B cell stimulator, suppression of IFN production by these classes of cells indicate a wide range of effects of THC.

Cannabinoid concentrations in plasma after passive inhalation of marijuana smoke.

delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and its metabolite, 9-carboxy-THC, were detected in the plasma of a subject during a one-hour passive exposure to the smoke from four marijuana cigarettes containing a total of 104.8 mg of THC. Plasma concentrations of THC were determined by RIA and reached an apparent steady-state concentration of 2.2 ng/mL after 20 minutes of exposure. The presence of THC was confirmed by GC/MS analysis. Results from the two analyses exhibited excellent correlation (r = 0.990), although the concentrations determined by GC/MS were higher than those determined by RIA. Concentrations of 9-carboxy-THC were also determined by GC/MS, and remained consistently below the GC/MS determined concentrations of THC. By administering an infusion of THC, the dose that was inhaled and absorbed during the passive exposure was estimated to be 3.2 micrograms/min.

Effect of Tetrahydrocannabinol on the Hypothalamic-Pituitary Axis in the Ovariectomized Rhesus Monkey

Single doses of delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) (5.0, 2.5, 1.25, or 0.625 mg/kg) can decrease the levels of both luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in the ovariectomized rhesus monkey. The inhibition of gonadotropins (50% to 88%) lasts for 6 to 24 hours depending upon the dose of THC. There are no great differences in the responses of the two gonadotropins to THC. The inhibition of gonadotropin levels by THC appears to be at the level of the hypothalamus, since both LH and FSH are released from the pituitary gland in response to LH- releasing factor in the presence of THC.

Dimerization kinetics of cyclopentadiene contained in gasoline distillates from high-temperature cracking of petroleum derivatives

CYCLOPENTADIENE is the starting product for numerous syntheses. Thc presence in its molecule of a system of conjugated double bonds and a labile hydrogen atom of the methylene group explains the tendency of cyclopentadiene to polymerization, condensation, addition and organo-metaltic compound formation. From cyclopentadiene, synthesis resins, plastics, dyes, insecticides, drugs, plasticizers, anti-knock compounds and Ziegler type catalysts [1-9] can be obtained. However, the manufacture of these valuable products on a large scale is limited by the available supplies of cyclopentadiene which is, at present, mainly obtained from coal tar [10]. The raw material supplies can be increased substantially by using cyclopentadiene cantained in liquid distillates from high-temperature conversion of petroleum and petroleum derivatives to lower olefins. The extent of this process, as is well known, has rapidly increased in recent years in view of the demand for ethylene, propylene, dJvinyl and other lower olefins and dienes. It follows from the data of papers [11-13] and investigations carried out in our laboratory [14, 22, 23] that a substantial quantity of cyclopentadiene is contained in the liquid distillate from the cracking of petroleum derivatives; mainly low-octane gasolines and liquefied gases. Table 1 shows the results of studying the composition of hydrocarbon fractions C e from rapid contact cracking of various petroleum raw materials. Similar results were obtained by studying products of pyrolysis in tube heaters [24]. The figures given in Table 1 taking into account the rates of manufacturing olefins, indicate that the problem of satisfying the requirements of organic synthesis of cyclopentadiene can be solved quickly; the problem involves separation of cyclopentadiene from cracked distillates. It can be concluded from the patent literature [11-13] that cyclopentadienc can be readily separated from gasoline distillate and petroleum cracking by a method based on processes of dimerization, rectification, and sub-