Cannabidiol exhibits therapeutic potential against ischemia/reperfusion liver injury in rats. - GreenMedInfo Summary
Therapeutic potential of cannabidiol against ischemia/reperfusion liver injury in rats.
Eur J Pharmacol. 2011 Nov 16 ;670(1):216-23. Epub 2011 Sep 14. PMID: 21930120
Department of Biomedical Sciences, Pharmacology Division, College of Medicine, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia. [email protected]
The therapeutic potential of cannabidiol, the major non-psychotropic Cannabis constituent, was investigated in rats exposed to ischemia/reperfusion liver injury. Ischemia was induced by clamping the pedicle of the left hepatic lobe for 30 min, and cannabidiol (5mg/kg, i.v.) was given 1h following the procedure and every 24h thereafter for 2 days. Ischemia/reperfusion caused significant elevations of serum alanine aminotransferase and hepatic malondialdehyde, tumor necrosis factor-α and nitric oxide levels, associated with significant decrease in hepatic reduced glutathione. Cannabidiol significantly attenuated the deterioration in the measured biochemical parameters mediated by ischemia/reperfusion. Histopathological examination showed that cannabidiol ameliorated ischemia/reperfusion-induced liver damage. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that cannabidiol significantly reduced the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase, cyclooxygenase-2, nuclear factor-κB, Fas ligand and caspase-3, and increased the expression of survivin protein in ischemic/reperfused liver tissue. These results emphasize that cannabidiol represents a potential therapeutic option to protect the liver against hypoxia-reoxygenation injury.