A new study found that cannabis use in young adulthood is linked to higher levels of a certain inflammatory marker. The findings may provide insights into how cannabis affects the brain and impacts risk for mental disorders. The study was published in Psychological Medicine.
Research shows that cumulative stressful life events are linked to peripheral soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) in a dose-dependent manner. suPAR is a marker of systematic chronic inflammation and is known to have a key role in innate immune responses in the brain alongside neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative processes. While numerous studies have been carried out investigating cannabis use and biomarkers of inflammation, until now, none are reported to have investigated the link between cannabis use and suPAR.
In the present study, researchers investigated the link between cannabis use and various markers of inflammation, including suPAR. To do so, they analyzed data from 914 participants from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children.
Ultimately, they found a strong link between daily or near-daily cannabis use and suPAR. They did not, however, find a link between less frequent cannabis use and suPAR, nor did they find a link between other inflammatory markers: IL-6, TNFα or CRP and cannabis use.
“The relationship between cannabis use and elevated suPAR in particular raise intriguing questions about mechanisms that may underpin the relationship between cannabis exposure; psychotic disorder; and potential roles of frequent cannabis use in oxidative stress, and potential role in chronic diseases in multiple systems,” wrote the researchers in their paper.
They added that the study has some limitations. To begin, as they only included one measure of suPAR at a single time point, they were not able to track the link between cannabis use and suPAR over time. A further limitation may come as they did not analyze data on the quantity, chemical content, or method of consumption of cannabis.
Sources: Psychological Medicine