Effect of cannabinoid ingestion (in the form of bhang) on the immune system of high school and university students

Abstract

The discovery of cannabinoid receptors in the immune system and a family of endogenous ligands of these receptors provides a basis for understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms of cannabis–induced immunotoxicity. The present study was conducted on 90 nonsmoker males of high school and university students living in Tanta city of matched age and socioeconomic lifetyle. They were divided into a control group (30 males) and a bhang user group (60 males), which used bhang by eating its sweet juice after boiling with a little water and drying in an oven, ‘fola’. The bhang group was divided equally into two subgroups: subgroup 1 used bhang for 6–24 months (average 199–1.2) and subgroup 2 used bhang for 24 / 36 months (average 319–1.7). The immunotoxic effects of using bhang appeared in the form of a significant decrease in serum immunoglobulins (IgG and IgM), and C3 and C4 complement protein concentrations (P<0.05). In addition, our results demonstrated a significant decrease in the absolute number of functionally different subsets of peripheral blood mononuclear lymphocytes, T and B lymphocytes and natural killer (NK) cells in bhang users as compared to controls (P<0.05). Moreover, the fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) showed significant decrease in bhang users as compared to controls and in subgroup 2 as compared to subgroup 1 (P<0.05), indicating that the decrease in FAAH protein level is closely related to the duration of bhang use. Positive correlations were found between FAAH level and the absolute number of mononuclear cells (T, B lymphocytes and NK cells) among bhang user subgroups. The present study is the first study to report on the effect of bhang on complement proteins and immunoglobulins in humans. Our study revealed that bhang–induced immunotoxicity could be attributed to decrease in FAAH protein.