Cannabis sativa: A Source of Antiparasitic Compounds?

Abstract

Cannabis sativa (hemp, marijuana, ganja) is a plant with industrial, medicinal, and recreational uses that synthesizes phytocannabinoids, a group of compounds from which tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) outstand by their known high and low psychoactive properties. These and other cannabinoids (endocannabinoids and synthetic derivatives with modulating effects over cannabinoid receptors CB1/2) have been tested in vitro using cultured parasites and in vivo in rodent models of protozoosis affecting the central nervous system as are amoebic encephalopathy, cerebral malaria, brain toxoplasmosis as well as Chagas disease and Leishmaniasis. Helminthiasis mainly includes Nippotrongyloidosis and Schistosomiasis and even their effects on ticks as Boophilus have been reported. The parasiticidal effect of C. sativa extracts and cannabinoids is consistently found although some points of concern arise from animal models because CB1 or CB2 inactivation/inhibition led to distinct outcomes -beneficial or deleteriousin parasite load and host survival, depending on the organism studied. Possible parasitic targets of cannabinoids include arginase, acetylcholinestherase and haemozoin, a product of hemoglobin digestion. Collectively, these data highlight that the potential use of cannabinoids against parasitic infections should consider the effects of these compounds on their known targets at the endocannabinoid system (CB1/2) and the likely target(s) in parasites.

Anthelmintic Effect of Cannabidiol against Echinococcus granulosus sensu stricto

“…It is used for the treatment of different pathologies, such as inflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, schizophrenia and cancer [ 34 ]. Moreover, very recently the potential use of CBD against parasitic infection has been highlighted [ 35 ]. It has been reported that treatment with CBD (30 mg/kg for 7 days) in a murine model of cerebral infection with Plasmodium berghei, caused lower parasite load in the brain and prevented memory deficits and anxiety behavior leading to a higher survival rate [ 19 ].…”