![]() There is a paucity of studies showing a direct link between cannabinoids and blood viscosity, elasticity and RBC morphology. There has also been increased legalization of cannabis for medicinal and recreational purposes (Alshaarawy and Elbaz 2016). 2007).Ĭannabis is one of the most widely used illicit drugs worldwide (Goyal et al. Both viscosity and elasticity are directly affected by red blood cell deformability which is itself affected by the mechanical properties (integrity) of the red blood cell membrane (Baskurt et al. Increased blood viscosity has been linked to several disease conditions including sickle cell anaemia, cardiovascular disease, peripheral vascular disease, atherosclerosis, diabetes, stroke and other conditions (Baskurt et al. Viscosity refers to the energy dissipated during flow primarily due to sliding and deformation of red blood cells and red blood cell aggregates, while elasticity refers to the energy stored in the microstructure of blood during flow due to orientation and deformation of red blood cells (Thurston 1996). 2006).īlood behaves as a viscoelastic material and exhibits both viscosity and elasticity properties (Thurston 1996). Studies have shown that depending on the ratio in which they are administered, CBD may have either an antagonistic or potentiative effect on THC (Varvel et al. Lately, increasing attention has been focused on cannabidiol. THC has been found to be primarily responsible for the psychoactive properties of the cannabis plant (Hazekamp et al. The cannabinoids belong to ten main subclasses of which five are the most abundant namely, Δ 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD), cannabigerol (CBG), cannabichromene (CBC) and cannabinol (CBN). 2017) which are considered to be the main biologically active constituents of the cannabis plant (Hazekamp et al. Among these compounds, there are approximately one hundred and twenty C21 or C22 terpenophenolic compounds known as cannabinoids (Morales et al. Cannabis is one of the chemically most complex plants due to the presence of a large number of compounds which can exert individual effects and may also interact with each other. is widely distributed and grown throughout most of the temperate and tropical regions of the world. They also adversely affected membrane integrity.Ĭannabis sativa L. THC and CBD increased red blood cell viscosity and elasticity separately and in combination. THC and CBD affected red cell morphology resulting in complete disintegration at the highest concentrations. However, a significant increase in elasticity was observed in the extracts. There was no significant increase in elasticity for THC and CBD separately.
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