Cannabinoid Receptor 2 Functional Variant Contributes to the Risk for Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease

A study conducted by Strisciuglio C1, Bellini G, Miele E, Martinelli M, Cenni S, Tortora C, Tolone C, Miraglia Del Giudice E, Rossi F. in November 2016 looked into the connection between Cannabinoid Receptor 2 and Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease. The goal of the study was to establish the role of the cannabinoid receptor 2 functional variant Q63R in susceptibility to IBD.
The doctors genotyped 217 various pediatric IBD patients with diseases ranging from Chron’s disease to Colitis with a theory that endocannabinoids would limit intestinal inflammation through cannabinoid receptor 1 or 2. The results were significant and showed that CB2-W63R does contribute to the risk for pediatric IBD, specifically CD.