-----Oorspronkelijk bericht-----
Van: Brian L. Carlson <[log in to unmask]>
Aan: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Datum: zondag 26 maart 2000 18:19
Onderwerp: Re: thc
http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/living/DailyNews/
marijuana_brain980706.html
Cannabinoids may block the effects of other chemicals that kill cells when
oxygen is cut off.
W A S H I N G T O N, July 6 — Researchers said today that some of the
chemicals in marijuana may protect the brain from the damage caused by
injuries and stroke.
The chemicals, known as cannabinoids, work independently of marijuana’s
better-known effects, which include a dreamy state, distortion of the senses
and a euphoric feeling known as a “high,” Aidan Hampson and colleagues at
the National Institute of Mental Health found.
Writing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Hampson
’s team said cannabinoids could block the effects of other chemicals that
kill cells when oxygen is cut off—which is what happens in a stroke caused
by a blood clot.
Hampson’s findings were made using brain cells from fetal rats in a
test-tube, so they are a long way from any tests on humans. But he said the
results were intriguing.
Similar to Antioxidants
The two cannabinoids tested are cannabidiol and THC—the active ingredient in
marijuana that causes its psychoactive effects.
They are already known to have other effects, too. They can relieve
nausea and are used by AIDS patients and patients taking strong drugs for
cancer. They can relieve pain and they also relieve pressure on the eye and
have been tested against glaucoma, for instance.
There is also evidence they worked to protect nerve cells against
damage. Hampson’s team tested this idea.
In a stroke, blood flow is blocked by a clot. Cells release huge
amounts of glutamate, a neurotransmitter or message-carrying chemical. This
overstimulates nerve cells and kills them.
Chemicals known as antioxidants can block this effect, but so can
cannabinoids, Hampson’s team wrote.
They said cannabidiol seemed an especially promising candidate.
Copyright 1998 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be
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