Is Marijuana Beneficial for Prevention and Treatment of Diabetes?

Miaozi Gong⁵, Hong C. Lai⁶

¹Department of Pharmacology, Bioengineering and Food College, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430068, China

²Department of Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA

³Research Institute of Agricultural Products Processing and Nuclear-Agricultural Technology, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, China

⁴School of Physics and Technology, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China

⁵Department of Pathology, Peking University Shougang Hospital, Beijing 100144, China
⁶Department of Radiology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA

*These two authors contribute equally to this paper.

^#Corresponding Author

Jun Wang

Department of Pharmacology

Bioengineering and Food College

Hubei University of Technology

Wuhan, Hubei 430068

China

Email: 2491549178@qq.com

Abstract

Marijuana is classified as Cannabis saiva L, one type of hemp. Traditionally, Marijuana is considered as Schedule I drug due to its acute bad effects on human health. However, its medical use has been widely recognized today. Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (D⁹-THC) is a compound extracted from Marijuana, which has been used in several drugs approved by United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). D⁹-THC functions through cannabinoid receptor in neural system or peripheral tissues. For diabetes patients, D⁹-THC has been reported to have preventative or treatment effects. In this paper, we will review recent research progress in association between cannabis use and diabetes, as well as known mechanism of how D⁹-THC functions in human from the perspective of free radicals.

Keywords: cannabis, diabetes, Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, free radicals

Download the full article (PDF)