Cannabidiol (CBD) Protects Lung Endothelial Cells from Irradiation-Induced Oxidative Stress and Inflammation In Vitro and In Vivo

Lisa Bauer, Bayan Alkotub, Markus Ballmann, Morteza Hasanzadeh Kafshgari, Gerhard Rammes, Gabriele Multhoff

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Objective: Radiotherapy, which is commonly used for the local control of thoracic cancers, also induces chronic inflammatory responses in the microvasculature of surrounding normal tissues such as the lung and heart that contribute to fatal radiation-induced lung diseases (RILDs) such as pneumonitis and fibrosis. In this study, we investigated the potential of cannabidiol (CBD) to attenuate the irradiation damage to the vasculature. Methods: We investigated the ability of CBD to protect a murine endothelial cell (EC) line (H5V) and primary lung ECs isolated from C57BL/6 mice from irradiation-induced damage in vitro and lung ECs (luECs) in vivo, by measuring the induction of oxidative stress, DNA damage, apoptosis (in vitro), and induction of inflammatory and pro-angiogenic markers (in vivo). Results: We demonstrated that a non-lethal dose of CBD reduces the irradiation-induced oxidative stress and early apoptosis of lung ECs by upregulating the expression of the cytoprotective mediator heme-oxygenase-1 (HO-1). The radiation-induced increased expression of inflammatory (ICAM-2, MCAM) and pro-angiogenic (VE-cadherin, Endoglin) markers was significantly reduced by a continuous daily treatment of C57BL/6 mice with CBD (i.p. 20 mg/kg body weight), 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after a partial irradiation of the lung (less than 20% of the lung volume) with 16 Gy. Conclusions: CBD has the potential to improve the clinical outcome of radiotherapy by reducing toxic side effects on the microvasculature of the lung.

Original languageEnglish
Article number3589
JournalCancers
Volume16
Issue number21
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2024

Keywords

  • cannabidiol (CBD)
  • inflammation
  • oxidative stress
  • radiation-induced lung disease
  • radiotherapy

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Cannabidiol (CBD) Protects Lung Endothelial Cells from Irradiation-Induced Oxidative Stress and Inflammation In Vitro and In Vivo'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this