Researchers Tackle Mrsa Using Cannabis Extracts

[EDDIEKIRK]

Researchers Tackle MRSA Using Cannabis Extracts

Marijuana has long been associated with having potent anti-bacterial properties, but paradoxically, marijuana abuse has been associated with an increase in opportunistic infection. According to a new study, published August 6, 2008 in the Journal of Natural Products, cannabis has powerful antibiotic properties against several forms of MRSA strains, of clinical relevance.



In the 1950s, topical preparations from cannabis sativa were explored for treating skin and mouth infections and for tuberculosis treatment. Recent research shows that both psychotropic (THC) forms, as well non-psychotropic forms of cannabis might be used as antibiotic. The current researchers isolated THC, CBD, and CBG from three strains of cannabis sativa to produce a single major cannabinoid. Powder was extracted from the plant, heated, and the active ingredients were then extracted and purified. The researchers then used MRSA cultures to test the effectiveness of the purified cannabis extracts - All compounds showed potent antibacterial activity, and the researchers saw potent activity demonstrated against EMRSA-15 and EMRSA-16, the major epidemic methicillin-resistant S. aureus strains occurring in U.K. hospitals.



MRSA is not the only bacterium that has become drug-resistant. Concerns about extremely drug resistant strains of tuberculosis have also recently been in the spotlight. According to the current research authors, plants are still a substantially untapped source of antimicrobial agents, as only one new class of antibacterial has been introduced in the last 30 years, making C. sativa a potential source of compounds to address antibiotic resistance, one of the most urgent issues in antimicrobial therapy.



Large-scale studies are still needed, but the researchers write, Given the availability of C. sativa strains producing high concentrations of nonpsychotropic cannabinoids, this plant represents an interesting source of antibacterial agents to address the problem of multidrug resistance in MRSA and other pathogenic bacteria. Furthermore, Although the use of cannabinoids as systemic antibacterial agents awaits rigorous clinical trials and an assessment of the extent of their inactivation by serum, their topical application to reduce skin colonization by MRSA seems promising, since MRSA resistant to mupirocin, the standard antibiotic for this indication, are being detected at a threatening rate. semipurified mixtures of cannabinoids could also be used as cheap and biodegradable antibacterial agents for cosmetics and toiletries, providing an alternative to the substantially much less potent synthetic preservatives, many of which are currently questioned for their suboptimal safety and environmental profile.



source: http://current.com/i...is_extracts.htmAccording to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, colloquially known as MRSA or the superbug, is now responsible for more annual US deaths than AIDS.



Yet despite this sobering statistic, its unlikely that either JAMA or anyone in the mainstream US media will report on the findings of a forthcoming Italian study you didnt actually think I was going to say that this took place in America did you? demonstrating that compounds in cannabis possess exceptional antibacterial activity against multi-drug resistant pathogens, including MRSA.



Although the use of cannabinoids as systemic antibacterial agents awaits rigorous clinical trials, their topical application to reduce skin colonization by MRSA seems promising, the studys authors write. Cannabis sativa represents an interesting source of antibacterial agents to address the problem of multidrug resistance in MRSA and other pathogenic bacteria.



(You can read the full text ahead of publication here.)



Ironically, the study notes that preparations from cannabis were investigated extensively in the 1950s as highly active topical antiseptic agents.



Predictably in yet another victory for prohibition authors declare that little, if any, research into this potential clinical application has taken place since.



Several years ago, when I first began writing the booklet Emerging Clinical Applications for Cannabis and Cannabinoids, I mused about what sort of advancements in the treatment of disease may have been achieved over the past 70+ years had U.S. government chosen to advance rather than stifle clinical research into the therapeutic effects of cannabis.



Now, more than ever, this is a question that our elected officials both Republican and Democrat must answer.



source: http://pr.cannazine....a-superbug.html



A New MRSA Defense

Marijuana extracts kill antibiotic-resistant MRSA without a high.



Substances harvested from cannabis plants could soon outshine conventional antibiotics in the escalating battle against drug-resistant bacteria. The compounds, called cannabinoids, appear to be unaffected by the mechanism that superbugs like MRSA use to evade existing antibiotics. Scientists from Italy and the United Kingdom, who published their research in the Journal of Natural Products last month, say that cannabis-based creams could also be developed to treat persistent skin infections.



Cannabis has long been known to have antibacterial properties and was studied in the 1950s as a treatment for tuberculosis and other diseases. But research into using cannabis as an antibiotic has been limited by poor knowledge of the plant's active ingredients and by the controversy surrounding its use as a recreational drug.



Now Giovanni Appendino of the Piemonte Orientale University, in Italy, and Simon Gibbons of the School of Pharmacy at the University of London, U.K., have revisited the antibiotic power of marijuana by systematically testing different cannabinoids' ability to kill MRSA.



MRSA, short for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is a bacterium that can cause difficult-to-treat infections since it does not respond to many antibiotics. Many healthy people carry S. aureus on their skin, but problems arise when multi-drug-resistant strains infect people with weak immune systems through an open wound. In the worst cases, the bug spreads throughout the body, causing a life-threatening infection.



To make matters worse, resistance to antibiotics is rapidly increasing, and some strains are now even immune to vancomycin, a powerful antibiotic that is normally used only as a last resort when other drugs fail.



But when Appendino, Gibbons, and their colleagues applied extracts from five major cannabinoids to bacterial cultures of six strains of MRSA, they discovered that the cannabinoids were as effective at killing the bugs as vancomycin and other antibiotics.



"The cannabinoids even showed exceptional activity against the MRSA strain that makes extra amounts of the proteins that give the bugs resistance against many antibiotics," says Gibbons. These proteins, he explains, allow the bacteria to "hoover up unwanted things from inside the cell and spit them out again."



Conveniently, of the five cannabinoids tested by the researchers, the two most effective ones also happen to be nonpsychoactive, meaning that they cannot cause a high. "What this means is, we could use fiber hemp plants that have no use as recreational drugs to cheaply and easily produce potent antibiotics," says Appendino.



In an attempt to discover how the cannabinoids kill MRSA, the team manipulated several chemical groups within the compounds. Most of the changes did not affect the antibiotic activity at all, and those that did seemed to influence only how well the cannabinoid is taken up by the bacterial cells.



"Everything points towards these compounds having been evolved by the plants as antimicrobial defenses that specifically target bacterial cells," says Gibbons. "But the actual mechanism by which they kill the bugs is still a mystery. We've tested whether the cannabinoids affect common antibiotic targets like fatty acid synthesis or the [DNA-bending enzyme] DNA gyrase, but they don't. I really cannot hazard a guess how they do it, but their high potency as antibiotics suggests there must be a very specific mechanism."



Appendino and Gibbons say that cannabinoids could quickly be developed as treatments for skin infections, provided the nonpsychoactive varieties are used. "The most practical application of cannabinoids would be as topical agents to treat ulcers and wounds in a hospital environment, decreasing the burden of antibiotics," says Appendino.



Whether the cannabinoids could also be delivered in the form of an injection or in pills is less clear, the pair says, because they may be inactivated by blood serum.



Frank Bowling of the University of Manchester, who has had success treating MRSA-infected wounds with maggots, says that "any alternative treatment that removes MRSA from the wound and prevents it from spreading into the body is fantastic and preferable to using antibiotics that have strong side effects and against which resistance is already developing." He cautions, however, that the researchers still need to show that the cannabinoids are safe to use.



This is not something that Appendino is too concerned about: "The topical use of cannabis preparations has a long tradition in European medicine, and no allergies have been reported."



Mark Rogerson of GW Pharmaceuticals, a U.K.-based company that develops cannabinoid-based drugs to treat severe pain caused by multiple sclerosis and cancer, says that the discovery that cannabinoids kill MRSA "really underlines the potentially great diversity of medical applications that cannabis-based medicine can have. You can almost think of the cannabis plant as a mini pharma industry in its own right." But Rogerson says that it is unlikely that existing cannabis-based medicines could be used to treat MRSA because the exact effect will depend on the correct combination and dosage of cannabinoids.



Meanwhile, Appendino and Gibbons hope that antibacterial effectiveness could also make cannabinoids suitable preservatives for cosmetics and toiletries. "The golden standards of preservatives are parabens and chlorinated phenols," says Appendino, but these compounds do not degrade well in the environment and are strongly suspected to be hormonal modifiers. He also argues that, since all major cannabinoids are similarly effective, complete purification of a single compound isn't necessary. So semipurified cannabinoid mixtures extracted from nonpsychoactive plants could make a cheap and easy alternative to conventional preservatives.



source: http://www.technolog.../Biotech/21366/





Cannabis plant extracts can effectively fight drug-resistant bacteria.

Scientists Say Substances Derived From Cannabis Could Outdo Conventional Antibiotics In Killing Some Bacteria



Substances harvested from cannabis plants could soon outshine conventional antibiotics in the escalating battle against drug-resistant bacteria. The compounds, called cannabinoids, appear to be unaffected by the mechanism that superbugs like MRSA use to evade existing antibiotics. Scientists from Italy and the United Kingdom, who published their research in the Journal of Natural Products last month, say that cannabis-based creams could also be developed to treat persistent skin infections.



Cannabis has long been known to have antibacterial properties and was studied in the 1950s as a treatment for tuberculosis and other diseases. But research into using cannabis as an antibiotic has been limited by poor knowledge of the plant's active ingredients and by the controversy surrounding its use as a recreational drug.



Now Giovanni Appendino of the Piemonte Orientale University, in Italy, and Simon Gibbons of the School of Pharmacy at the University of London, U.K., have revisited the antibiotic power of marijuana by systematically testing different cannabinoids' ability to kill MRSA.





MRSA, short for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is a bacterium that can cause difficult-to-treat infections since it does not respond to many antibiotics. Many healthy people carry S. aureus on their skin, but problems arise when multi-drug-resistant strains infect people with weak immune systems through an open wound. In the worst cases, the bug spreads throughout the body, causing a life-threatening infection.





To make matters worse, resistance to antibiotics is rapidly increasing, and some strains are now even immune to vancomycin, a powerful antibiotic that is normally used only as a last resort when other drugs fail.



But when Appendino, Gibbons, and their colleagues applied extracts from five major cannabinoids to bacterial cultures of six strains of MRSA, they discovered that the cannabinoids were as effective at killing the bugs as vancomycin and other antibiotics.



"The cannabinoids even showed exceptional activity against the MRSA strain that makes extra amounts of the proteins that give the bugs resistance against many antibiotics," says Gibbons. These proteins, he explains, allow the bacteria to "hoover up unwanted things from inside the cell and spit them out again."



source: http://abcnews.go.co...=5787866&page=1





Chemicals in Marijuana May Fight MRSA

Study Shows Cannabinoids May Be Useful Against Drug-Resistant Staph Infections

By Caroline Wilbert

WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD



Sept. 4, 2008 -- Chemicals in marijuana may be useful in fighting MRSA, a kind of staph bacterium that is resistant to certain antibiotics.



Researchers in Italy and the U.K. tested five major marijuana chemicals called cannabinoids on different strains of MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). All five showed germ-killing activity against the MRSA strains in lab tests. Some synthetic cannabinoids also showed germ-killing capability. The scientists note the cannabinoids kill bacteria in a different way than traditional antibiotics, meaning they might be able to bypass bacterial resistance.



At least two of the cannabinoids don't have mood-altering effects, so there could be a way to use these substances without creating the high of marijuana.



MRSA, like other staph infections, can be spread through casual physical contact or through contaminated objects. It is commonly spread from the hands of someone who has it. This could be in a health care setting, though there have also been high-profile cases of community-acquired MRSA.



It is becoming more common for healthy people to get MRSA, which is often spread between people who have close contact with one another, such as members of a sports team. Symptoms often include skin infections, such as boils. MRSA can become serious, particularly for people who are weak or ill.



In the study, published in the Journal of Natural Products, researchers call for further study of the antibacterial uses of marijuana. There are "currently considerable challenges with the treatment of infections caused by strains of clinically relevant bacteria that show multi-drug resistance," the researchers write. New antibacterials are urgently needed, but only one new class of antibacterial has been introduced in the last 30 years. "Plants are still a substantially untapped source of antimicrobial agents," the researchers conclude.



source: http://www.webmd.com...-may-fight-mrsa









Researchers Tackle MRSA Using Cannabis Extracts



Marijuana has long been associated with having potent anti-bacterial properties, but paradoxically, marijuana abuse has been associated with an increase in opportunistic infection. According to a new study, published August 6, 2008 in the Journal of Natural Products, cannabis has powerful antibiotic properties against several forms of MRSA strains, of clinical relevance.



In the 1950s, topical preparations from cannabis sativa were explored for treating skin and mouth infections and for tuberculosis treatment. Recent research shows that both psychotropic (THC) forms, as well non-psychotropic forms of cannabis might be used as antibiotic. The current researchers isolated THC, CBD, and CBG from three strains of cannabis sativa to produce a single major cannabinoid. Powder was extracted from the plant, heated, and the active ingredients were then extracted and purified. The researchers then used MRSA cultures to test the effectiveness of the purified cannabis extracts - All compounds showed potent antibacterial activity, and the researchers saw potent activity demonstrated against EMRSA-15 and EMRSA-16, the major epidemic methicillin-resistant S. aureus strains occurring in U.K. hospitals.



MRSA is not the only bacterium that has become drug-resistant. Concerns about extremely drug resistant strains of tuberculosis have also recently been in the spotlight. According to the current research authors, plants are still a substantially untapped source of antimicrobial agents, as only one new class of antibacterial has been introduced in the last 30 years, making C. sativa a potential source of compounds to address antibiotic resistance, one of the most urgent issues in antimicrobial therapy.



Large-scale studies are still needed, but the researchers write, Given the availability of C. sativa strains producing high concentrations of nonpsychotropic cannabinoids, this plant represents an interesting source of antibacterial agents to address the problem of multidrug resistance in MRSA and other pathogenic bacteria. Furthermore, Although the use of cannabinoids as systemic antibacterial agents awaits rigorous clinical trials and an assessment of the extent of their inactivation by serum, their topical application to reduce skin colonization by MRSA seems promising, since MRSA resistant to mupirocin, the standard antibiotic for this indication, are being detected at a threatening rate. semipurified mixtures of cannabinoids could also be used as cheap and biodegradable antibacterial agents for cosmetics and toiletries, providing an alternative to the substantially much less potent synthetic preservatives, many of which are currently questioned for their suboptimal safety and environmental profile.



source: http://current.com/i...is_extracts.htm









Pot Versus the 'Superbug'



by Paul Armentano









According to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, colloquially known as MRSA or the superbug, is now responsible for more annual US deaths than AIDS. Yet despite this sobering statistic, its unlikely that either JAMA or anyone in the mainstream US media will report on the findings of a forthcoming Italian study you didnt actually think I was going to say that this took place in America did you? demonstrating that compounds in cannabis possess exceptional antibacterial activity against multi-drug resistant pathogens, including MRSA.



Although the use of cannabinoids as systemic antibacterial agents awaits rigorous clinical trials, their topical application to reduce skin colonization by MRSA seems promising, the studys authors write. Cannabis sativa represents an interesting source of antibacterial agents to address the problem of multidrug resistance in MRSA and other pathogenic bacteria.





Ironically, the study notes that preparations from cannabis were investigated extensively in the 1950s as highly active topical antiseptic agents. Predictably in yet another victory for prohibition authors declare that little, if any, research into this potential clinical application has taken place since.



Several years ago, when I first began writing the booklet Emerging Clinical Applications for Cannabis and Cannabinoids, I mused about what sort of advancements in the treatment of disease may have been achieved over the past 70+ years had U.S. government chosen to advance rather than stifle clinical research into the therapeutic effects of cannabis.



Now, more than ever, this is a question that our elected officials must be forced to answer.





source: http://www.lewrockwe...entano-p36.html









Methicillin-resistant Staphyloccus aureus (MRSA)





Many bacterial infections possess multi-drug resistance. Arguably the most significant of these bacteria is methicillin-resistant Staphyloccus aureus, more commonly known as MRSA or the superbug. This bacterium is resistant to standard antibiotics, including penicillin. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, MRSA is responsible for nearly 20,000 hospital-stay related deaths annually in the United States.[1]



Published data demonstrates that cannabinoids possess strong antibacterial properties. In 2008, investigators at Italy's Universita del Piemonte Orientale and Britain's University of London, School of Pharmacy assessed the germ-fighting properties of five separate cannabinoids against various strains of multidrug-resistant bacteria, including MRSA. They reported that all of the compounds tested showed potent antibacterial activity, and that cannabinoids were exceptional at halting the spread of MRSA.[2]



A second study published that same year reported that non-cannabinoid constituents in the plant also possess antibacterial properties against MRSA and malaria.[3]



Clinical trials regarding the use of cannabinoids for MRSA have been recommended, with some experts stating, Cannabis sativa represents an interesting source of antibacterial agents to address the problem of multidrug resistance in MRSA and other pathogenic bacteria.[4]



REFERENCES



[1] Klevens et al. 2007. Invasive methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections in the United States. Journal of the American Medical Association 298: 1763-1771.



[2] Appendino et al. 2008. Antibacterial cannabinoids from cannabis sativa: a structure study. Journal of Natural Products 71: 1427-1430.



[3] Radwan et al. 2008. Non-cannabinoid constituents from a high potency cannabis sativa variety. Phytochemistry 69: 26727-2633.



[4]Appendino et al. 2008. op. cit.

source: http://norml.org/ind...m?Group_ID=7787









You can fight Bacteria withMarijuana ingredients !







Yes it is true, Marijuana may be something of a wonder drug but maybe not in the ways you might think. Some researchers from Italy and Britain ( on some wicked Bob Marley sounds ) have found that the main active ingredient in marijuana , the tetrahydrocannabinol or shortly THC, and related compounds may function as antibacterial agents, especially against microbial strains that are already resistant to several classes of drugs.



We knew ( well, some of us anyway) for decades that Cannabis sativa has antibacterial properties and experiments in the 1950s tested various marijuana preparations against skin and other infections, but now Giovanni Appendino of the University of the Eastern Piedmont, looked at the antibacterial activity of the five most common cannabinoids. All of these compounds were found very effective against a few common multi-resistant bacterial strains. Researchers suggested that the nonpsychotropic cannabinoids might prove more promising for eventual use. They dont know yet how the cannabinoids work, and if they would be effective as antibiotics then more research would have to be involved. But the compounds may prove useful sooner as a topical agent against MRSA ( is an infection caused by a strain of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) bacteria that is highly resistant to antibiotics) to prevent the microbes from colonizing on the skin.



source: http://www.techcurse...na-ingredients/







Cannabis plant extracts can effectively fight drug-resistant bacteria.

Scientists Say Substances Derived From Cannabis Could Outdo Conventional Antibiotics In Killing Some Bacteria



Substances harvested from cannabis plants could soon outshine conventional antibiotics in the escalating battle against drug-resistant bacteria. The compounds, called cannabinoids, appear to be unaffected by the mechanism that superbugs like MRSA use to evade existing antibiotics. Scientists from Italy and the United Kingdom, who published their research in the Journal of Natural Products last month, say that cannabis-based creams could also be developed to treat persistent skin infections.



Cannabis has long been known to have antibacterial properties and was studied in the 1950s as a treatment for tuberculosis and other diseases. But research into using cannabis as an antibiotic has been limited by poor knowledge of the plant's active ingredients and by the controversy surrounding its use as a recreational drug.



Now Giovanni Appendino of the Piemonte Orientale University, in Italy, and Simon Gibbons of the School of Pharmacy at the University of London, U.K., have revisited the antibiotic power of marijuana by systematically testing different cannabinoids' ability to kill MRSA.





MRSA, short for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is a bacterium that can cause difficult-to-treat infections since it does not respond to many antibiotics. Many healthy people carry S. aureus on their skin, but problems arise when multi-drug-resistant strains infect people with weak immune systems through an open wound. In the worst cases, the bug spreads throughout the body, causing a life-threatening infection.





To make matters worse, resistance to antibiotics is rapidly increasing, and some strains are now even immune to vancomycin, a powerful antibiotic that is normally used only as a last resort when other drugs fail.



But when Appendino, Gibbons, and their colleagues applied extracts from five major cannabinoids to bacterial cultures of six strains of MRSA, they discovered that the cannabinoids were as effective at killing the bugs as vancomycin and other antibiotics.



"The cannabinoids even showed exceptional activity against the MRSA strain that makes extra amounts of the proteins that give the bugs resistance against many antibiotics," says Gibbons. These proteins, he explains, allow the bacteria to "hoover up unwanted things from inside the cell and spit them out again."



source: http://abcnews.go.co...=5787866&page=1









<strong>High ExpectationsResearch into medicinal marijuana grows up.</strong>

By Amanda Schaffer





This summer, British and Italian researchers found that in a laboratory plate, molecules in marijuana can slay the superbug methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, which recently infected seven babies and four employees in a Yonkers, N.Y., maternity ward, heightening fears of outbreaks in schools and locker rooms, as well as in its more familiar breeding grounds, hospitals and nursing homes. In theory, compounds derived from the cannabis plant could someday serve in topical creams for patients with MRSA or other antibiotic-resistant infections.

This isn't the first time marijuana has tantalized the world as a possible wonder drug. In recent years, compounds in cannabis or related molecules have been shown to slow the growth of lung tumors in mice, decrease hardening of the arteries in rats, and boost the egg-binding capability of tobacco smokers' sperm. Research on the receptors that THC and other cannabis compounds attach toand the nitty-gritty mechanisms by which they exert their effectshas been booming. So has work on native molecules, called endocannabinoids, that bind to the same sites. These molecular interactions affect a wide range of functions, from appetite to inflammation to the perception of pain.

The onslaught of basic science has helped to separate cannabis from an association with hippies and recreational pot smokers. It has also spurred hopes that these molecules (or similar ones) might prove therapeutic for traumatic brain injury, inflammatory bowel disease, allergic contact dermatitis, atherosclerosis, osteoporosis, and Alzheimer's disease, among others. For all the razzle-dazzle, though, potential treatments frequently seem stuck in perpetual adolescence. Research on traumatic brain injury seemed promising but got mixed results in human clinical trials, while most of the others simply haven't gotten very far in the experimental process.

Still, a few prospects show signs of inching toward adulthood. The most enticing are aimed at lessening pain associated with nerve damage and improving some symptoms of multiple sclerosis. Between 2007 and this summer, several randomized clinical trials have found that smoking marijuana can relieve pain in patients with nerve degeneration caused by HIV or other disorders. Compounds in cannabis also seem to reduce nerve pain and possibly decrease spastic movements in people with MS. A drug called Sativexwhich delivers two cannabis compounds in a spray under the tongueis now in late-stage clinical trials in Europe for MS patients. Much as we've heard the hype before, these findings deserve some notice even from the jaded.



Studying the upside of marijuana can be a bureaucratic nightmare. In 1970, Congress deemed it a Schedule 1 drug, meaning that it has a high potential for abuse and "no currently accepted medical use"making research on possible benefits a tough sell. In the 1980s, the Food and Drug Administration approved Marinol, an oral formulation of THC, the most psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, to treat nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy. Later, it also approved Marinol to boost the appetites of people with AIDS. But Marinol was never fully accepted by patients, says Donald Abrams, a professor of clinical medicine at the University of California-San Francisco. It took effect more slowly than smoked marijuana and was also more psychoactive. (When THC enters the bloodstream from the digestive tract, it is broken down by the liver into even more psychoactive molecules.) Nor has Marinol been approved in the United States to treat pain. Those who wished to push research furtherwhether by studying smoked marijuana, developing better formulations, or testing cannabis for other conditionsgot no love from the federal government.



Some did get a boost, however, from the state of California, which paid for the recent work on cannabis smoking and pain. In 2000, the state funded the University of California's Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research, which vets research proposals with an NIH-style review process, pays for projects, and helps scientists navigate state and federal regulations. The center helps researchers obtain cannabis cigarettes, for instance, and deal with federal rules for record-keeping and securitylike making sure the safe in which the drug is stored is properly bolted to the floor, says director Igor Grant.



The work has moved slowly, but it's finally paying off with a handful of publications. The first clinical-trial-based paper, which appeared in Neurology in 2007, was a randomized study of 50 patients with HIV-related nerve damage, which can cause discomfort often described as aching, painful numbness, or burning. Those who smoked cannabis each day reported a 34 percent decrease in chronic painan effect that's on par with medications often used for this condition, like anti-convulsants and antidepressants, says Abrams. Two other randomized clinical trials, published in June and August, found similarly clear benefits. The June study focused on patients with pain related to a range of neurological conditions, including spinal cord injury. The August paper focused again on HIV-related symptoms. Both found that patients who smoked cannabis reported significantly less pain than those who used dummy cigarettes. These studies were relatively small, but cumulatively they are persuasive.



Other recent research suggests that cannabis can relieve MS-related pain and may be able to help other symptoms, too. Sativex, which contains THC and cannabidiol, a nonpsychoactive compound, and is absorbed through the mouth, is already approved in Canada for cancer-related pain and nerve pain associated with MS. In 2007, this randomized clinical trial of 189 MS patients found that those who took Sativex self-reported a significant decrease in involuntary muscle spasms. (The study was funded by GW Pharmaceuticals, the British company that developed the drug.) Researchers are now conducting a late-stage clinical trial of Sativex in MS patients across five European countries. The company has also begun a Phase II/III clinical trial in the United States for patients with cancer-related pain. Sativex may offer particular advantages because it is neither smoked nor swallowed: It does not introduce toxins to the lungs, as smoking does. It enters the bloodstream rapidly but does not pass initially to the liver, as oral formulations do, which prevents it from getting broken down as quickly and may make it less psychoactive. (GW Pharmaceuticals says that patients who take Sativex tend not to experience psychoactive side effects at normal dosage levels.)



source: http://www.slate.com/id/2203922/









<strong>Study Says Cannabinoids Show Exceptional Antibacterial Activity Against MRSA </strong>





<strong>Video</strong> http://www.liveleak...._1241032173&c=1





Cannabis Science, Inc. (OTCBB: GFON).



Dr. Robert Melamede, PhD., Director and Chief Science Officer, reported to the Board on the current state of research into the use of natural plant cannabinoids to reduce the spread of drug-resistant bacteria, including methicillin-resistant Staphyloccus aureus (MRSA), and the prospects for development of topical whole-cannabis treatments.



Acco More..rding to studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and by the Center for Disease Control in 2007, MRSA is responsible for more than 18,500 hospital-stay related deaths each year, and increased direct healthcare costs of as much as $9.7 billion.



Dr. Melamede stated, Research into use of whole cannabis extracts and multi-cannabinoid compounds has provided the scientific rationale for medical marijuanas efficacy in treating some of the most troubling diseases mankind now faces, including infectious diseases such as the flu and HIV, autoimmune diseases such as ALS (Lou Gehrigs Disease), multiple sclerosis, arthritis, and diabetes, neurological conditions such as Alzheimers, stroke and brain injury, as well as numerous forms of cancer.



One common element of these diseases is that patients often suffer extended hospital stays, risking development of various Staphyloccus infections including MRSA.



Read the rest here:



http://govaporize.co...ant-infections/









<strong>Cannabis Compounds Reduce Multi-Drug Resistant Infections
</strong>



<strong>Study Says Cannabinoids Show "Exceptional" Antibacterial Activity Against MRSA</strong>



SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cannabis Science, Inc. (OTCBB: GFON). Dr. Robert Melamede, PhD., Director and Chief Science Officer, reported to the Board on the current state of research into the use of natural plant cannabinoids to reduce the spread of drug-resistant bacteria, including methicillin-resistant Staphyloccus aureus (MRSA), and the prospects for development of topical whole-cannabis treatments.



According to studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and by the Center for Disease Control in 2007, MRSA is responsible for more than 18,500 hospital-stay related deaths each year, and increased direct healthcare costs of as much as $9.7 billion.



Dr. Melamede stated, Research into use of whole cannabis extracts and multi-cannabinoid compounds has provided the scientific rationale for medical marijuanas efficacy in treating some of the most troubling diseases mankind now faces, including infectious diseases such as the flu and HIV, autoimmune diseases such as ALS (Lou Gehrigs Disease), multiple sclerosis, arthritis, and diabetes, neurological conditions such as Alzheimers, stroke and brain injury, as well as numerous forms of cancer. One common element of these diseases is that patients often suffer extended hospital stays, risking development of various Staphyloccus infections including MRSA. A topical, whole-cannabis treatment for these infections is a functional complement to our cannabis extract-based lozenge.



Investigators at Italy's Universita del Piemonte Orientale and Britain's University of London, School of Pharmacy reported in the Journal of Natural Products that five cannabinoids - THC, CBD, CBG, CBC, and CBN - "showed potent antibacterial activity" and "exceptional" antibacterial activity against two epidemic MRSA occurring in UK hospitals. The authors concluded: "Although the use of cannabinoids as systemic antibacterial agents awaits rigorous clinical trials, their topical application to reduce skin colonization by MRSA seems promising. Cannabis sativa represents an interesting source of antibacterial agents to address the problem of multidrug resistance in MRSA and other pathogenic bacteria."



<strong>About Cannabis Science, Inc.</strong>



Cannabis Science, Inc. is at the forefront of medical marijuana research and development. The Company works with world authorities on phytocannabinoid science targeting critical illnesses, and adheres to scientific methodologies to develop, produce, and commercialize phytocannabinoid-based pharmaceutical products. In sum, we are dedicated to the creation of cannabis-based medicines, both with and without psychoactive properties, to treat disease and the symptoms of disease, as well as for general health maintenance.



source: http://www.businessw...amp;newsLang=en















How Cannabis Could Save Your Life



The list of medical uses for marijuana (Cannabis Sativa) continues to grow. The Journal of Natural Products recently published a paper outlining the newly isolated antibiotic effects of the class of molecules known as cannabanoids. This group includes the non-psychoactive cannabichromene, cannabigerol, and cannabidiol but also includes the well-known and definitely psychotropic tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).



Researchers believe that the powerful antibiotic effects of cannabanoids can be enlisted in the increasingly difficult fight against MRSA (Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) and other superbugs that have evolved resistances to most modern antibiotics. MRSA is perhaps the best known of these superbugs, often running rampant in hospitals, with estimates of up to 1.2 million hospital patients becoming infected and possibly over 100,000 patients dying each year in the United States due to lack of effective medicines against them. The known effectiveness of cannabanoids and the fact that they have not been used before, and therefore no bacteria has yet developed a resistance to them, could prove to be a very valuable tool in the arms race against these constantly changing bacterial strains.



In some ways the notion of cannabis having antibiotic effects is counterintuitive. This is because it has been proven that the act of smoking marijuana actually increases vulnerability to infections. This vulnerability however seems to be a result of inhaling marijuana smoke or even smoke in general and likely has little to do with the presence or absence of cannabanoids.



Contrastingly, cannabis sativa itself, when not smoked, has been known since the 1950s to have strong antibacterial properties. However, as the technology of looking into how molecules are structured and how they interact was in its infancy at the time, the researchers were unable to determine which marijuana compounds were actually causing the antibacterial effects. As the social and research climates started to grow increasingly hostile to the investigation of black-listed substances in the US and around the world, antibiotic cannabis studies were soon shelved and ignored until they were finally picked up again fairly recently by modern science.



With all of the advances in chemical analysis made since the fifties, the new batch of scientists studying cannabis related antibiotics were now able to pinpoint the basic backbone structure that is common to all cannabanoids, to be the active component in killing off bacteria. Now that the bio-active section of the cannabanoid molecules has been identified, researchers and drug makers are busy developing and testing antibiotic drugs as well as considering potential uses for cannabanoids in various soaps and cleaning products. At present they are focusing their efforts on the derivatives of the non-psychoactive cannabanoids. This is presumably because the US FDA, and other governing bodies world-wide, might have a hard time with people getting high in order to cure a bacterial infection; not to mention getting high by just washing their hands.



source: http://www.environme...-save-life/2712