Link between personality and response to THC exposure.

The effects of cannabis reported by users range from experiences of euphoria and anxiolytic effects to paranoia, anxiety, and increased risk of depression. Attempts to reconcile the apparent contradictions in user response have not been conclusive. Here, we utilized selectively-bred stress-resilient socially dominant (Dom) and stress-sensitive socially submissive (Sub) mice to elucidate this contradiction. Following short-term, repeated treatment with delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) at two different doses (1.5 mg/kg and 15 mg/kg), Sub mice presented significant place-aversion in a Conditioned Place Preference paradigm at a high dose, whereas Dom mice displayed no place preference or aversion. Forced Swim test conducted after 6-week of washout period, revealed differential impact of the two THC doses depending upon behavioral pattern. Specifically, the low dose alleviated depressive-like behavior in Sub mice, while the high dose produced the opposite effect in Dom mice. Interestingly, corticosterone concentration in serum was elevated at the high dose regardless of the mice-population tested. We conclude here that differences in dominance behavior and stress vulnerability are involved in the regulation of cannabis response among users and should be considered when prescribing THC-containing medications to patients.

Novel synthetic cyclic integrin αvß3 binding peptide ALOS4: Antitumor activity in mouse melanoma models.

ALOS4, a unique synthetic cyclic peptide without resemblance to known integrin ligand sequences, was discovered through repeated biopanning with pIII phage expressing a disulfide-constrained nonapeptide library. Binding assays using a FITC-labeled analogue demonstrated selective binding to immobilized αvß3 and a lack of significant binding to other common proteins, such as bovine serum albumin and collagen. In B16F10 cell cultures, ALOS4 treatment at 72 h inhibited cell migration (30%) and adhesion (up to 67%). Immunofluorescent imaging an ALOS4-FITC analogue with B16F10 cells demonstrated rapid cell surface binding, and uptake and localization in the cytoplasm. Daily injections of ALOS4 (0.1, 0.3 or 0.5 mg/kg i.p.) to mice inoculated with B16F10 mouse melanoma cells in two different cancer models, metastatic and subcutaneous tumor, resulted in reduction of lung tumor count (metastatic) and tumor mass (subcutaneous) and increased survival of animals monitored to 45 and 60 days, respectively. Examination of cellular activity indicated that ALOS4 produces inhibition of cell migration and adhesion in a concentration-dependent manner. Collectively, these results suggest that ALOS4 is a structurally-unique selective αvß3 integrin ligand with potential anti-metastatic activity.