# Effect on CBD on Exosome release from CNS infected cells

> **NIH NIH R21** · GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $236,054

## Abstract

HIV-1 remains an incurable disease and as of 2017 over 30 million people were estimated to be living with HIV-1
with an average of 1.8 million new infections occurring annually. Up to 50% of people with HIV (PWH) suffer from
HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) despite effective combination anti-retroviral therapy (cART).
HAND therefore represents a significant cause of morbidity in PWH. The inability of cART to prevent viral
transcription and neurocognitive dysfunction confirms the need for adjunct therapies that target underlying
mechanisms that contribute to HAND. In this context, mechanisms that may contribute to HAND include delivery of
selective cargo in extracellular vesicles (EVs) released from HIV-infected macrophages/microglia. The long-term
goal of this proposal is to mitigate virally-mediated pathogenesis within the CNS. The short term goals including
elucidating the role of the cannabinoids in the inhibition of viral transcription and the reduction in the release of
extracellular vesicles containing viral RNAs and proteins which cause CNS dysfunction. Our preliminary data
suggests that the cannabinoids, cannabidiol (CBD) and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), may be effective in
reducing HIV-1 transcription of both short, non-coding RNA such as trans-activating response (TAR) RNA and full-
length genomic RNA, thereby resulting in a decreased production of infectious virus. Additional data indicates that
the reduction in transcription results in a decreased incorporation of HIV-1 RNA into EVs released from infected
cells, which has been previously shown to contribute to dysfunction in recipient cells including activation of the NF-
kB pathway through TLR3 and increased susceptibility to infection. The data suggests this therapeutic effect is
further amplified as treatment with cannabinoids results in a significant reduction in the number of EVs released
from HIV-1 infected cells. We hypothesize that cannabinoid treatment may affect host cell pathways, including
autophagy and the endosomal sorting complexes required for transport (ESCRT) pathways, to alter EV release
which can potentially mitigate EV-related dysfunction during viral infection of the CNS. Our Aim include: 1) To
define the mechanisms of cannabinoid-mediated decreased EV production and release in HIV-1 infected cells, and
2) Effect of CBD and THC on HIV-1 expression using 3D neurospheres. The overall positive impact of these two
aims are to highlight the role of cannabinoids in EV release and dampening of the neuroinflammation.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10146330
- **Project number:** 5R21DA050176-02
- **Recipient organization:** GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Fatah Kashanchi
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $236,054
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-05-01 → 2023-10-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10146330

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10146330, Effect on CBD on Exosome release from CNS infected cells (5R21DA050176-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10146330. Licensed CC0.

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