A couple of years ago , a Swiss biochemist came across a content derived from a foreign moss-grown plant that was being sold online as a “ legal high ” ( manifestly , they were only searching this for research purposes ) . After carrying out some pharmaceutic inquiry on the moss , they fall upon that its active ingredient exerts a similar but superiorpain - cleanup and anti - inflammatory effectto tetrahydrocannabinol ( THC ) in cannabis .
It ’s early sidereal day , but the investigator say it has the potential to become a more effective medical alternative to cannabis .
Back in 1994 , Japanese phytochemist Yoshinori Asakawa find that the liverwort ( Radula perrottetii ) – a uncommon moss native to Japan , New Zealand , and Costa Rica – produced a natural substance know as perrottetinene ( PET ) . He find that PET is relate to THC in that case-by-case atoms are linked together in a similar way , although they disagree in their three - dimensional construction and they have an additional benzyl group group .
" It ’s astonishing that only two species of plants , separated by 300 million years of evolution , bring forth psychotropic cannabinoids , " confidential information writer Jürg Gertsch said in astatement
Researchers from the University of Bern in Switzerland have been exploring the effects of PET and how it compares to its hemp derive - cousin . As cover in the journalScience Advances , they dosed up a number of shiner – one group with an injection of PET and another with THC .
The PET quickly activated the cannabinoid sensory receptor in the mouse ’s brains . moreover , it appear to press out an even strong anti - inflammatory effect than THC . On the other hand , they do n’t believe the mice became too lapidate as it did n’t activate the cannabinoid receptor associated with the euphoric gamy as prolifically as THC .
" This natural substance has a weaker psychoactive outcome and , at the same time , is capable of inhibiting inflammatory processes in the brain , " Andrea Chicca , from the Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine at the University of Bern , added .
The research worker hope that their work paves the way for the sanative use of PET , similar to how THC is used to treat various chronic illness . However , regard PET has only been used on a small numeral of animal model , the researchers admonish there is a lot of workplace to be done before it ’s hailed as the next curiosity drug .
" Both solid cardinal inquiry in the field of honor of biochemical and pharmacologic mechanisms as well as controlled clinical bailiwick are required to carry out cannabinoid research , " added Gertsch .
