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Natural cannabinoids suppress the cytokine storm in sepsis-like in vitro model

European Cytokine Network volume 31, pages 50–58 (2020)Cite this article

Abstract

Natural cannabinoids may have beneficial effects on various tissues and functions including a positive influence on the immune system and the inflammatory process. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of natural cannabinoids on the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated whole human blood cells. Levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were measured before and after exposure of LPS-stimulated whole blood to different concentrations of Cannabidiol (CBD) or a combination of CBD and Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) extract. LPS stimulated the production of the pro-inflammatory cytokines. Exposure to both CBD and CBD/THC extracts significantly suppressed cytokine production in a dose-dependent manner. Exposure to cannabinoid concentrations of 50 µg/ml or 100 µg/ml resulted in a near-complete inhibition of cytokine production. This study demonstrates that natural cannabinoids significantly suppress pro-inflammatory cytokine production in LPS-stimulated whole blood in a dose-dependent manner. The use of human whole blood, rather than isolated specific cells or tissues, may closely mimic an in vivo sepsis environment. These findings highlight the role that natural cannabinoids may play in suppressing inflammation and call for additional studies of their use as possible novel therapeutic agents for acute and chronic inflammation.

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Abbreviations

CBD:

Cannabidiol

CNS:

Central Nervous System

DMSO:

Dimethyl Sulfoxide

EDTA:

Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid

IL:

Interleukin

LPS:

Lipopolysaccharide

NSAIDs:

Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs

RPMI:

Roswell Park Memorial Institute medium

THC:

Tetrahydrocannabinol

TNF-α:

Tumor Necrosis Factor-α

WBC:

White Blood Cells

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine J, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Yishay Szekely, Merav Ingbir, Ohad S. Bentur, Ohad Hochner & Reuven Porat

  2. Department of Medicine, J Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, 6 Weizmann Street, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Yishay Szekely

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  1. Yishay Szekely
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  2. Merav Ingbir
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  3. Ohad S. Bentur
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  4. Ohad Hochner
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Correspondence to Yishay Szekely.

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This author takes responsibility for all aspects of the reliability and freedom from bias of the data presented and their discussed interpretation.

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We wish to confirm that there are no known conflicts of interest associated with this publication and there has been no significant financial support for this work that could have influenced its outcome.

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Szekely, Y., Ingbir, M., Bentur, O.S. et al. Natural cannabinoids suppress the cytokine storm in sepsis-like in vitro model. Eur Cytokine Netw 31, 50–58 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1684/ecn.2020.0445

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Key words

  • cannabidiol
  • cannabinoids
  • inflammation
  • pro-inflammatory cytokines
  • sepsis
  • tetrahydrocannabinol