Liverworts Variety Produces Psychoactive Chemical that Mimics THC
[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]N[/dropcap]ew findings published Oct. 24 in the journal Science Advances suggest that a certain moss-like species commonly known as liverworts may be “more medically effective than cannabis.” The same non-vascular plant that the Maori people of New Zealand used traditionally as herbal medicine and that is sold as a legal high in Switzerland may turn out to be the next innovation in holistic healing.
The liverworts variety called Radula perrottetii contains the chemical perrottetinene (PET) which is structurally similar to ?9-trans-tetrahydrocannabinol. After discovering a number of striking similarities, it led doctors to posit that “the natural product PET is a psychoactive cannabinoid.”
The new study, “Uncovering the psychoactivity of a cannabinoid from liverworts associated with a legal high” defies the concept that only cannabis produces cannabinoids or cannabinoid-like chemicals. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) are merely molecules, but scientists have challenged the idea of whether or not any other plant other than cannabis contains CBD.
Investigators synthesized forms of PET and observed whether or not they bind to known cannabinoid receptors in the brain. The team was elated to learn that PET binds to the same receptors. “Perrottetinene has an effect on cannabinoid receptors which is similar to that of the endocannabinoids produced by our own bodies,” researchers wrote. “However, according to the researchers, more studies are necessary, for example in pre-clinical models of chronic and inflammatory pain.”
PET’s effects appear to be less psychoactive as THC, but in the study, PET was more effective at reducing molecules in the body associated with inflammation. That indicates PET may be more useful for inflammation than traditional medical cannabis products. PET also displayed other behavior that was slightly different from THC, providing evidence for other potential uses.
Radula perrottetii is native to areas in Japan, New Zealand and Costa Rica. Scientists have known about PET since 1994, but its striking similarity to THC hasn’t been identified until recently. The team of investigators said that the next step would be observing the chemical in animals with inflammatory diseases and other illnesses such as multiple sclerosis.
