Cannabinoids spell relief in colon inflammation

Max Planck researchers and collaborators from the University in Munich identify the body’s own cannabinoid receptor as a protective system against colon inflammation

In the current issue of The Journal of Clinical Investigation (15 April 2004 ) a researcher team from the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry and from the Ludwig-Maximilans-University Munich were able to show that mutant mice lacking the cannabinoid receptor are much more prone to experimentally induced colon inflammation as compared to wild-type control mice. Moreover, colon muscle activities become uncontrolled after inflammation in these mutant mice. The treatment with cannabinoids was able to alleviate inflammation in wild-type animals. Thus, these results suggest that the endogenous cannabinoid system represents a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

well, it was the current issue