Harnessing the Power of Cannabinoids to Reverse Cannabis-induced Toxicosis in Pets.

加拿大大麻合法化，加上对大麻态度的改变，导致宠物有意和无意接触大麻的情况有所增加。动物暴露于大麻的症状通常包括抑郁、共济失调、体弱多病、异常惊吓、声学过敏、心动过缓、体温过低、尿失禁，尽管罕见，甚至死亡。本提案旨在解决宠物中大麻相关毒性（通常是由于δ -9-四氢大麻酚[THC]的存在）的问题，并测试新的治疗途径，以减少有意和意外暴露的毒性相关伤害。目前的治疗方案包括监测和去污，因此强调需要新的药物治疗。此次合作的行业赞助商/合作伙伴是Avicanna Inc.，这是一家生物制药公司，自成立以来一直致力于开发基于大麻素的医药产品。与Khokhar博士合作，凭借他在行为药理学方面的广泛记录，此次合作旨在更深入地了解大麻诱导宠物中毒的神经基础，以及大麻衍生化合物和配方的潜在效用，以帮助治疗大麻诱导的宠物中毒。本系列实验的目的是首先在大鼠模型中建立大麻中毒的行为和神经相关性，然后测试大麻二酚和四氢大麻素（这两种药物都可以抵消四氢大麻酚的作用）单独或联合对四氢大麻酚诱导的中毒的影响。本研究的具体目的如下：

The legalization of cannabis in Canada, combined with the changing attitudes towards cannabis, have resulted in increases in both intentional and unintentional exposures to cannabis in pets. Signs that an animal has been exposed to cannabis generally include depression, ataxia, mydriasis, abnormal startle, acoustic hypersensitivity, bradycardia, hypothermia, urinary incontinence, and although rare, even death.This proposal aims to tackle the issue of cannabis-associated toxicity (usually due to the presence of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol [THC]) in pets and to test novel therapeutic avenues toward reducing toxicosis-related harms, from both intentional and accidental exposure. Current treatment options include monitoring and decontamination, therefore underscoring the need for novel pharmacological treatments. The industry sponsor/partner for this collaboration is Avicanna Inc., a biopharmaceutical company solely devoted to the development of cannabinoid-based medicinal products since its inception. In partnership with Dr. Khokhar, with his extensive track-record in behavioural pharmacology, this collaboration aims to provide a deeper understanding of the neural basis of cannabis-induced toxicosis in pets as well as the potential utility of cannabis-derived compounds and formulations for aiding the treatment of cannabis-induced toxicosis in pets. The goal of this series of experiments is to first establish the behavioural and neural correlates of cannabis-toxicosis in a rat model, and then test the effects of cannabidiol and tetrahydrocannabivarin (both agents can counteract the effect of THC), both alone and in combination on THC-induced toxicosis. The specific aims for this study are as follows: Aim 1: To determine the behavioural and neural correlates of acute high-dose THC exposure via edible and vapour routes of administration. Aim 2: To determine whether cannabidiol or THCV treatment, either alone or in combination, reduce the magnitude of the behavioural and neural correlates of acute high-dose THC toxicosis. The findings from these studies will be impactful since they will identify a potentially novel therapeutic avenue for reducing THC-induced toxicosis in pets, as well as establishing the neural correlates of THC-induced toxicosis.