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Marijuana and Host Resistance to Herpesvirus Infection

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Drugs of Abuse, Immunity, and AIDS

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 335))

Abstract

The marijuana plant contains in excess of 400 chemical entities, of which 60 or more are cannabinoids (1). Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the major psychoactive cannabinoid in marijuana and has been shown to induce immunosuppressive effects both in vivo and in vitro. The drug inhibits lymphocyte responsiveness to mitogens and particulate antigens (2), decreases T-cell rosette formation (3,4), suppresses leukocyte migration (5), and alters macrophage morphology, function, motility, and protein expression (6–8).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Virginia/Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, 23298-0678, USA

    G. A. Cabral, D. A. Dove Pettit & K. Fischer-Stenger

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  1. G. A. Cabral
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  2. D. A. Dove Pettit
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  3. K. Fischer-Stenger
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA

    Herman Friedman , Thomas W. Klein  & Steven Specter ,  & 

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Cabral, G.A., Pettit, D.A.D., Fischer-Stenger, K. (1993). Marijuana and Host Resistance to Herpesvirus Infection. In: Friedman, H., Klein, T.W., Specter, S. (eds) Drugs of Abuse, Immunity, and AIDS. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 335. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-2980-4_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-2980-4_14

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-6297-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-2980-4

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