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Marijuana, Receptors and Immunomodulation

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The Brain Immune Axis and Substance Abuse

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 373))

Abstract

It is now widely accepted that drugs of abuse, such as opiates, cocaine and marijuana, as well as other abuse drugs, both recreational and psychoactive, are potent immunomodulators, suppressing and sometimes enhancing the immune response. A wide variety of models have been used both in vivo and in vitro to demonstrate the immunomodulatory properties of such drugs and the mechanisms involved (Bacynsky et al., 1983a, b, Cushman, and Khurana, 1976, Friedman et al., 1991, 1994, Hollister, 1988, Petersen, 1976, Zimmerman, et al., 1977). In recent years it has been shown in various studies that morphine, cocaine, marijuana and also alcohol have marked effects on various parameters of immunity, including those mediated by T cells, i.e., cell mediated immunity, B cells, i.e., humoral immunity such as antibody formation, as well as natural killer cells, macrophages and PMN cell mediated killing of microbes like bacteria, viruses and fungi. For example, recent studies in this laboratory have shown that marijuana and its components are markedly immunomodulatory (Blanchard et al., 1986, Djeu et al., 1991, Kawakami, 1988 a, b, Klein et al., 1985, 1987, 1993, 1994, Lopez-Cepero, et al., 1986, Pross et al., 1990, 1992, Shivers et al., 1994, Zhu et al., 1993, 1994).

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Authors and Affiliations

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

    Herman Friedman, Thomas W. Klein, Catherine Newton & Yehia Daaka

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  1. Herman Friedman
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  2. Thomas W. Klein
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  3. Catherine Newton
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  4. Yehia Daaka
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Hennepin County Medical Center and University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

    Burt M. Sharp

  2. Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

    Toby K. Eisenstein

  3. Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

    John J. Madden

  4. University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa, Florida, USA

    Herman Friedman

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Friedman, H., Klein, T.W., Newton, C., Daaka, Y. (1995). Marijuana, Receptors and Immunomodulation. In: Sharp, B.M., Eisenstein, T.K., Madden, J.J., Friedman, H. (eds) The Brain Immune Axis and Substance Abuse. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 373. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-1951-5_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-1951-5_15

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-5801-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-1951-5

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