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The Non-Psychoactive Plant Cannabinoid, Cannabidiol Affects Cholesterol Metabolism-Related Genes in Microglial Cells

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Abstract

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-psychoactive plant cannabinoid that is clinically used in a 1:1 mixture with the psychoactive cannabinoid Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) for the treatment of neuropathic pain and spasticity in multiple sclerosis. Our group previously reported that CBD exerts anti-inflammatory effects on microglial cells. In addition, we found that CBD treatment increases the accumulation of the endocannabinoid N-arachidonoyl ethanolamine (AEA), thus enhancing endocannabinoid signaling. Here we proceeded to investigate the effects of CBD on the modulation of lipid-related genes in microglial cells. Cell viability was tested using FACS analysis, AEA levels were measured using LC/MS/MS, gene array analysis was validated with real-time qPCR, and cytokine release was measured using ELISA. We report that CBD significantly upregulated the mRNAs of the enzymes sterol-O-acyl transferase (Soat2), which synthesizes cholesteryl esters, and of sterol 27-hydroxylase (Cyp27a1). In addition, CBD increased the mRNA of the lipid droplet-associated protein, perilipin2 (Plin2). Moreover, we found that pretreatment of the cells with the cholesterol chelating agent, methyl-β-cyclodextrin (MBCD), reversed the CBD-induced increase in Soat2 mRNA but not in Plin2 mRNA. Incubation with AEA increased the level of Plin2, but not of Soat2 mRNA. Furthermore, MBCD treatment did not affect the reduction by CBD of the LPS-induced release of the proinflammatory cytokine IL-1β. CBD treatment modulates cholesterol homeostasis in microglial cells, and pretreatment with MBCD reverses this effect without interfering with CBD’s anti-inflammatory effects. The effects of the CBD-induced increase in AEA accumulation on lipid-gene expression are discussed.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Prof. Daniel Geschwind and Dr. Giovanni Coppola, from the Program in Neurogenetics, Department of Neurology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, for running the microarray analysis. NR and AJ were supported by the Israeli Ministry of Immigrant Absorption, The Center for Absorption in Science. This work was supported by The Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Center for the Biology of Addictive Disease.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

    Neta Rimmerman, Rivka Levy & Zvi Vogel

  2. The Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Center for the Biology of Addictive Diseases, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Neta Rimmerman, Ana Juknat, Ewa Kozela & Zvi Vogel

  3. The Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA

    Heather B. Bradshaw

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  1. Neta Rimmerman
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  2. Ana Juknat
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Correspondence to Neta Rimmerman.

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Rimmerman, N., Juknat, A., Kozela, E. et al. The Non-Psychoactive Plant Cannabinoid, Cannabidiol Affects Cholesterol Metabolism-Related Genes in Microglial Cells. Cell Mol Neurobiol 31, 921–930 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10571-011-9692-3

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