THC Exposure Shifts Immune Response to Helminth Infection Toward Anti-Inflammatory State in Mice
A mouse study found that sustained THC exposure altered immune responses to helminth (parasitic worm) infection, shifting lung eosinophils and macrophages away from inflammatory pathways without significantly changing parasite burden. Researchers treated mice with 5 mg/kg/day of THC for 14 days before infecting them with Nippostrongylus brasiliensis and then analyzed immune cell activity and gene expression. The findings suggest THC may modulate type 2 immune responses and reduce lung inflammation, with potential implications for understanding cannabis use in people with parasitic infections or inflammatory conditions.
Researchers publishing on bioRxiv investigated how daily THC exposure affects immune responses to helminth infection in mice, motivated by growing global cannabis use and incomplete understanding of THC's immunological effects. C57BL/6J mice received THC (5 mg/kg/day) for 14 days before infection with the helminth Nippostrongylus brasiliensis, which infects both the lungs and small intestine. While THC did not significantly change infection-associated weight loss or parasite burden, it selectively reduced circulating eosinophils and monocytes while increasing regulatory T cells. Bulk RNA sequencing revealed that THC shifted lung eosinophils and macrophage-enriched cells away from inflammatory, fibrotic, and costimulatory gene programs toward stress-response and metabolic-adaptive transcriptional states. Within infected macrophages, THC reduced CD80 expression while upregulating MHC class II and antigen-presentation genes, suggesting an altered mode of T cell activation. Immunofluorescent staining further showed that THC mitigated infection-associated loss of lung collagen, consistent with reduced tissue remodeling activity. The authors conclude that THC reshapes innate and adaptive immune responses to helminth infection without meaningfully affecting parasite clearance.
What's missing
The study is a preprint and has not yet undergone peer review. Key limitations include the use of a single inbred mouse strain (C57BL/6J) and a single THC dose, which limits generalizability to humans or other dosing regimens. The study does not address whether the observed immune shifts are beneficial or harmful to the host overall, nor does it examine long-term outcomes beyond the infection window. The endocannabinoid receptor mechanisms (e.g., CB1 vs. CB2) mediating these transcriptional changes are not fully characterized in this work.
What different sources said
- bioRxivCenter
{triangleup}9-Tetrahydrocannabinol exposure shifts eosinophil and macrophage transcriptional programs towards an anti-inflammatory phenotype in helminth infection
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