Anandamide and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol directly inhibit cells of the immune system via CB2 receptors

This study shows that two cannabinoids, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and anandamide, induce dose-related immunosuppression in both the primary and secondary in vitro plaque-forming cell assays of antibody formation. The immunosuppression induced by both compounds could be blocked by SR144528, an antagonist specific for the CB2 receptor, but not by SR141716, a CB1 antagonist. These studies are novel in that they show that both anandamide and THC are active in the nanomolar to picomolar (for anandamide) range in these assays of immune function, and that both mediate their effects directly on cells of the immune system through the CB2 receptor.