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. 1973 May;48(1):169–171. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1973.tb08236.x

Reduttion by Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol in the blood pressure of hypertensive rats bearing regenerated adrenal glands

M K Birmingham
PMCID: PMC1776093  PMID: 4724188

Abstract

A suspension of (−)-Δ9-trans-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) (3 mg/kg body wt) was administered daily for one week by i.p. injection to female rats showing the syndrome of adrenal regeneration hypertension (ARH). Other ARH rats received no injections or injections of vehicle only. On the first day, Δ9-THC decreased the average blood pressure by 38±6 mmHg 1 h, 31±5 mmHg 3 h, and 11±5 mmHg 5 h after injection (n=0). On subsequent days the acute effect disappeared, but statistically highly significant decreases were observed between the blood pressures of the Δ9-THC-treated group and those of the other two groups. Plasma corticosterone concentrations, measured on the eighth day of treatment, one hour after injection time, averaged 26·±2·7 μg/100 ml in the untreated animals, 26·6±2·0 μg/100 ml in the vehicle-injected animnals, and 21·3±2·4 μg/100 ml in the animals injected with Δ9-THC. The findings indicate that Δ9-THC, at a moderate dose for the rat, is capable of lowering the blood pressure in rats suffering from adrenal regeneration hypertension and that chronic administration of Δ9-THC does not appear to stimulate the pituitary-adrenal axis, in contrast to reported effects of acute administration (Barry, Perhach & Kubena, 1970).

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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