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Inhalation of marijuana affects Drosophila heart function.

ABSTRACT: We investigated the effect of inhalation of vaporized marijuana on cardiac function in Drosophila melanogaster, a suitable genetic model for studying human diseases. Adult flies were exposed to marijuana for variable time periods and the effects on cardiac function were studied. Short treatment protocol incremented heart-rate variability. Contractility was augmented only under prolonged exposure to cannabis and it was associated with incremented calcium transient within cardiomyocytes. Neither the activity of the major proteins responsible for calcium handling nor the calcium load of the sarcoplasmic reticulum were affected by the cannabis treatment. The observed changes manifested in the cardiomyocytes even in the absence of the canonical cannabinoid receptors described in mammals. Our results are the first evidence of the in vivo impact of phytocannabinoids in D. melanogaster. By providing a simple and affordable platform prior to mammalian models, this characterization of cardiac function under marijuana exposure opens new paths for conducting genetic screenings using vaporized compounds.This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.

SUBMITTER: Gomez IM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6737967 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Inhalation of marijuana affects <i>Drosophila</i> heart function.

Gómez Ivana M IM Rodríguez Maia A MA Santalla Manuela M Kassis George G Colman Lerner Jorge E JE Aranda J Oswaldo JO Sedán Daniela D Andrinolo Dario D Valverde Carlos A CA Ferrero Paola P

Biology open 20190815 8

We investigated the effect of inhalation of vaporized marijuana on cardiac function in <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i>, a suitable genetic model for studying human diseases. Adult flies were exposed to marijuana for variable time periods and the effects on cardiac function were studied. Short treatment protocol incremented heart-rate variability. Contractility was augmented only under prolonged exposure to cannabis and it was associated with incremented calcium transient within cardiomyocytes. Ne ...[more]

PMID: 31324618

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Inhalation of marijuana affects Drosophila heart function.

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Inhalation of marijuana affects <i>Drosophila</i> heart function.

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