Pubdate: Wed, 17 Nov 2010
Source: Orange County Register, The (CA)
Copyright: 2010 The Orange County Register
Contact:  http://www.ocregister.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/321
Author: Pat Brennan
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal)

MEDICAL MARIJUANA WITHOUT THE 'HIGH?'

New research shows that marijuana, long a symbol of tie-dyed 
inebriation, could one day become a respectable prescription drug 
with no intoxicating effects.

A Chapman University scientist reveals in two recent studies that 
nausea-reducing chemicals in marijuana can be separated from the 
chemicals that produce euphoria.

While use in humans is years away, the findings by Keun-Hang Susan 
Yang and her fellow researchers could be especially good news for 
chemotherapy patients, she says. Separate research has shown that 
marijuana sharply curbs the nausea induced by chemotherapy.

Her recent work focuses on two major chemicals found in marijuana -- 
THC (tetraydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol).

"One of the things marijuana does is to reduce vomiting and nausea 
problems," said Yang, a professor who specializes in bioscience and 
computational biology. "People found out that THC is a problem 
because of the psychological actions of it. But CBD alone can 
potentially be used for treatment of this condition."

Yang's first paper, published last year in the Journal of 
Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, shows that CBD alone can 
reduce vomiting by blocking serotonin receptors in the brain. The 
second paper, published this month in Neuroscience, confirms that THC 
has a similar effect.

Both papers lay the groundwork for future experiments on animals, and 
perhaps one day for clinical trials in humans, to determine whether 
CBD alone can be used to treat nausea -- potentially removing the 
stigma surrounding medical use of marijuana.

More work is needed on the therapeutic potential of other chemicals 
found in marijuana, Yang said.

She and her colleagues tested their idea on animal cells. The cells 
contained a protein that acts as a chemical receptor in the human 
brain and plays a role in the onset of vomiting and nausea.

By bathing the cells in the marijuana chemicals, they were able to 
track the chemicals' effects on the receptors. They did it by 
measuring tiny changes in electrical current -- a method called 
electrophysiology.

THC, for example, showed reduced voltage compared to a control group 
of cells that were not treated with chemicals, demonstrating that it 
effectively blocked the receptors.

Blocking those receptors in the brain is a well-known method for 
treating vomiting and nausea, and is already used to treat patients.

"The target for us is to conduct careful and well-controlled 
experiments in humans, which will take some time," Yang said. But the 
goal of her research group is to neutralize marijuana's troublesome 
psychoactive effects while taking advantage of its potential medical benefits.

"That's what we're hoping for," she said.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom