Cannabinoids: therapeutic potential for the management of brain inflammation

Basic research with brain cells shows that cannabinoids inhibit the generation of inflammatory mediators. A number of inflammatory mediators plays a role in brain damage, among them nitric oxide (a free radical), cytokines, and chemokines.
Researchers investigated the effect of a synthetic cannabinoid on the production of several key inflammatory mediators by astrocytes. Astrocytes are type of glia cells, that fill the space between the nerve cells of the brain.
The cannabinoid which works similar to THC inhibited the production of nitric oxide and of several chemokines (CXCL10, CCL2 and CCL5). Researchers concluded that "comparable agents may have therapeutic potential for the management of brain inflammation."