# The role of chronic cannabis and its two major psychoactive ingredients in papillomavirus-associated oropharyngeal disease

> **NIH NIH R21** · PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIV HERSHEY MED CTR · 2020 · $229,950

## Abstract

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the most common sexually transmitted disease. HPV causes
more than 5% of all human cancers and claims more than 270,000 women’s lives from cervical cancer
worldwide annually. Intriguingly, despite the development of three protective HPV vaccines to HPV related
cancers, HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancers are becoming increasingly prevalent in patients, particularly
in white men in developed countries. Marijuana (cannabis) usage has been linked to HPV-associated
oropharyngeal cancers in some studies. Currently, about 1 in 16 youths in the U.S. is reported to use cannabis
daily, and nine states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana for recreational use since April
2018. Whether cannabis use is associated with increasing HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancers remains
unclear and is difficult to study in humans due to the complexities associated with controlling variables in these
studies. Over the past five years, we and others have accumulated a significant published and unpublished
data set to support the relevance of our newly established mouse papillomavirus (MmuPV1) model to study
HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer. Our long term goal is to use this unique model to explore clinically
relevant questions regarding the biology of papillomavirus infections, and to elucidate the critical mechanisms
of HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer. We have developed in vitro and in vivo assays to conduct
virological, immunological and histological analyses, and have used our Toponome Imaging System (TIS), the
first robotic imaging machine in the US, to characterize innate immune cell landscapes in the MmuPV1-
infected vs non-infected tissues. These preliminary studies have positioned us well to accomplish the proposed
studies. We hypothesize that marijuana, via one or both of its two major psychoactive ingredients Δ9-
tetrahydocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), promotes viral persistence in the circumvallate papilla
(CVP) and adjacent Von Ebners (VE) glands in the oropharyngeal mucosae. In Specific Aim 1, we will define
the role of chronic marijuana smoke (up to 36 weeks post viral infection) in viral persistence at the
oropharyngeal mucosae. In Specific Aim 2, we will determine the role of the two major psychoactive
ingredients of marijuana (up to 36 weeks post viral infection) in viral persistence at the oropharyngeal
mucosae. These studies will allow us to establish whether the oropharyngeal mucosae are more susceptible to
papillomavirus infections when chronic marijuana smoke or its two major psychoactive ingredients (THC and/or
CBD) are administered. This represents a key knowledge gap in HPV-associated oropharyngeal disease and
cancer. Furthermore these studies will allow us to determine whether males are preferentially impacted, as has
been noted in humans.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9888363
- **Project number:** 5R21DE028650-02
- **Recipient organization:** PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIV HERSHEY MED CTR
- **Principal Investigator:** Jiafen Hu
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $229,950
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-04-01 → 2022-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9888363

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9888363, The role of chronic cannabis and its two major psychoactive ingredients in papillomavirus-associated oropharyngeal disease (5R21DE028650-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9888363. Licensed CC0.

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