SECONDARY IMMUNITY TO LEGIONELLA-PNEUMOPHILA AND TH1 ACTIVITY ARE SUPPRESSED BY DELTA-9-TETRAHYDROCANNABINOL INJECTION

Resistance to infection with Legionella pneumophila is primarily depen dent upon cell mediated immunity rather than humoral immunity. Recent evidence suggests that activation of cell-mediated immunity depends on Th1 cells and activation of humoral immunity depends on Th2 cells. In this report, Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the major psychoact ive cannabinoid of marijuana and an immunomodulator, suppressed develo pment of secondary immunity to L. pneumophila, which correlated,vith a reduction in Th1 activity. BALB/c mice, infected with a primary suble thal dose of L. pneumophila, developed resistance to a larger challeng e infection 3 to 4 weeks later. However, intravenous injection of THC (4 mg/kg of body weight) 1 day prior to primary infection resulted in increased mortality after the challenge infection. The level of anti-L , pneumophila antibodies in serum increased in both THC-treated and co ntrol mice; however, in the THC group IgG1 antibodies which are stimul ated by Th2 cells were elevated while Th1-regulated, IgG2a antibodies were depressed. Furthermore, cultured splenocytes from THC-treated mic e had less L. pneumophila-specific lymphoproliferation, indicating a d eficiency in cell-mediated immunity. Normal mouse splenocytes treated in vitro with THC and pokeweed mitogen showed suppressed production of gamma interferon, a cytokine associated with Th1 cells, but increased production of interleukin 4, a cytokine produced by Th2 cells. Spleno cytes from THC-treated mice, stimulated in vitro with either pokeweed mitogen or anti-CD3 antibodies, also produced less gamma interferon, i ndicating less Th1 activity in these mice. These results suggest that THC decreases the development of anti-L. pneumophila immunity by causi ng a change in the balance of Th1 and Th2 activities.