Research Article On Cannibas & Mast Cells? Interesting Find: Need Input "roles Of Cb1 And Cb2 Cannabinoid Receptors In Mast Cells"

[hilbiligrl]

Ok.... here's the thing. Please take this seriously........ I have chronic DYS/ MCAD/ CFS.... those are the main diseases i have. Now, for years i have taken these severe 'attacks' that consist of a sudden onset of severely hard time breathing (the hard time breathing was always present, but these attacks sent them into a severe state like none other..... there was never any real true way to describe this inability to breath, other than, all i could do is lay flat and pant like a dog for either hours or days or in and out for weeks)..... also, with these attacks were/are severe weakness..... most often i would go into a quick 'comatose' state..... in this state i could not walk, move, talk, communicate, breath, lift even a finger, nothing..... i am always mentally aware, but unable to speak or hardly keep eyes open. I just was like paralyzed, but in a very severe suffering state.... usually all i could do was have tears streaming down my face as i lay in this state in severe state of suffering...... everytime i went to the doc or to the er in this state: no one ever checked me for anaphactic shock, since i had no known allergies. However, if i had mcad the whole time, this could easily justify my 'attacks'..... especially now, since taking the mcad med regimen starting in feb of last year... i have noticed, my attacks are in a whoooooole lot more control now.

Ok..... now to get to my point. What my doc and I found was: in these attacks, If i took 'THC' when an attack started, or even if i was in a comatose state for days.... it would abruptly stop the attack dead in its tracks. So, we/I started to 'experiment' with every attack..... sure enough, as soon as it was 'intook' within less than 3 mins i was up walking talking and all fine and felt a million times better. Still works the same way till this day.

So, my doc and I have been pondering with each other all year..... how on earth is this affecting me to the point that it stops these attacks dead in it's tracks and exactly how it works in doing so. Then I found this article:

http://www.jimmunol....70/10/4953.full

There's alot i think i understand in this article and alot that i don't...... i would have to look up alot of terms to put alot of it together. BUT i want to point a few paragraphs out, so i will copy and paste them:

"The presence of CB2 (and CB1) in immune system cells strongly suggests that endocannabinoids are immunomodulators (7, 8, 24, 25). Indeed, cells of the immune system produce a range of endocannabinoids, but the role of these lipids in immunity is not clear. In the context of cannabinoid abuse, immune targets may contribute to associated pathology and increase the health care and societal costs of marijuana usage. In the context of marijuana-based therapeutics, immunomodulation may be a desired clinical effect or a potentially detrimental side effect. Exogenously applied cannabinoids have a generally immunosuppressive effect (7, 8, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29). Documented in vivo effects include impaired responses to viral, bacterial, or protozoan challenge. If translatable to a physiological role for endocannabinoids, these studies suggest that cannabinoid lipids may down-regulate the intensity or duration of an ongoing immune response, or increase the threshold for initiation of immunoactivity.

Mast cells are strategically placed (30, 31, 32, 33) in tissues that interface with the external environment (e.g., airways, gastrointestinal tract). A variety of stimuli impact mast cells, including challenges to innate and acquired immunity, CNS-derived agents, and physical stressors. Mast cells release inflammatory mediators that act to increase local vascular permeability, perform limited killing function, and recruit other leukocytes to establish an effective inflammatory site. It is also becoming clear that, in the absence of explicit challenge, mast cells may contribute to the biology of their host tissue through the production of cytokines and growth factors (31, 32). In asthma and allergic disorders, the physiological role of mast cells is subverted and the cells react to innocuous stimuli with devastating results (30, 31, 32).

In the context of smoked marijuana, cannabinoids gain access to the systemic circulation within minutes of inhalation. However, airways and the gastrointestinal tract are immediate points of contact for both cannabinoids and tobacco constituents, and the resident mast cells in these areas will be impacted by marijuana smoke (34). Mast cells express CB2 cannabinoid receptors and a variety of responses to cannabinoid application have been described in these cells (35, 36, 37). In vitro, suppression of mast cell proinflammatory mediator release by both marijuana constituents and endocannabinoids has been described. The marijuana constituent tetrahydrocannabinol is highly suppressive in in vivo models of mast cell proinflammatory function. These models include passive cutaneous anaphylaxis and substance P- or carageenan-induced hyperalgesia and edema (24, 25, 38, 39, 40). In animals where ongoing airway hyperreactivity is being modeled, cannabinoid application has been shown to reduce airway epithelial pathology and decrease the leukocyte infiltrate (24, 25). The fact that mast cells themselves produce endocannabinoids, including anandamide, palmitoylethanolamide (PEA), and 2-arachidonylglycerol, is suggestive of a potential autocrine regulatory loop (37). "

and in their conclusion:

"Taken together, these data suggest that pre-exposure or concurrent exposure to marijuana-derived or endocannabinoids may profoundly alter mast cell-mediated tissue responses."

******Ok..... after reading all of that. Can this be proof that the cannibas suppresses what the mast cells are doing in an anaphylaxis episode/shock therefore stopping the attack?

Interesting stuff on how cannibas does really affect the mast cells.......

I do have some other points from other articles as far as cannibas can be both vasoconstricting and/or vasodiolating in the brain, i think, depending on the areas in the brain..... and a few other key points as well as to why it is working so well for me.

Ok, here is some other key things that sort of relate:

Cerebrovascular Effects:

Matthew & Wilson[xxxiv] found "In experienced marijuana smokers, marijuana smoking was accompanied by a significant bilateral increase in cerebral blood flow (CBF) especially in the frontal regions and cerebral blood velocity."

Bloom et al[xxxviii] found different areas of the brain to have different blood-flow responses to THC · "Changes in regional cerebral blood flow were observed in 16 of the 37 areas measured." Stein et al[xxxix] in the rat, an O"Leary et al[xl] in human recreational users, also found wide variations in cerebrovascular response in different brain regions.

However, it is clear that cannabinoids have a variety of cerebrovascular effects, increasing the blood supply to the brain[xlvi], and can protect against potentially fatal brain cell death following a stroke by reducing tumour necrosis factor, which causes self-destruction in exposed cells.

Cardiovascular effects:

Cannabis increases heart rate in na•ve users although tolerance develops to this effect.

Cannabinoids can also reduce blood pressure via arteriollar dilatation in a variety of tissues, although the effect on blood flow varies at a local level, with some organs or brain regions experiencing vasoconstriction, others vasodilation.

ok, so i put those last few things in there since they were referencing the brain and all and cardio aspects...... since dys and mcad are my two front runners of illness here..... i think if i do have pots, it only shows up in flares perhaps..... not so sure.....

Can anyone in here explain the cannibas and mast cell stuff in this article better than i can??? Or does everyone read it the way i read it?

Anyone who understands this better, please please post a response!!!!!! My main reason for posting this is: 1. is this telling me that cannibas/THS does suppress the mast cells thus result in abruptly stopping anaphylaxis shock?????

i also found an article where gluten can trigger mast cells i guess like an allergic reaction or if we have mcad it can trigger worse episodes, flares, general sick feeling every day........ i need to find that one and post it too..... hmmmmmm

thank u so much!!!

Edited January 31, 2012 by MomtoGiuliana
Removed broken link; illegal use content

[sue1234]

I don't know anything about marijuana or the article, but I have read a few places about gluten setting off the mast cells in the gi tract.

[hilbiligrl]

sue~ yea, it never occurred to me that gluten could be setting mine off, until i was ordered a gluten free diet about 2 mths ago and have had some way cool findings with it.... not a cure all, but improvements....... then i read the other day that gluten can cause the mast cells to 'set off'....... i was excited, cuz i could make the mcad and gluten intolerance connection

thank you sue for your reply!!

[hilbiligrl]

i had found another article that might support cannibas use for mcad sufferers.......

www.biochemj.org/bj/388/0465/3880465.pdf

"Taken together, these results reveal the complexity in signalling of natively co-expressed cannabinoid receptors and suggest that some anti-inflammatory effects of CB1 ligands may be attributable to sustained cAMP elevation that, in turn, causes suppression of mast cell degranulation."

That was their conclusion...... do i understand it correctly that it can be helpful in mcad or in an anaphylactic shock episode?