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Volume 17
Issue 8
10.3390/v17081143
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Cannabis Use Moderates Methamphetamine- and HIV-Related Inflammation: Evidence from Human Plasma Markers

by
Jeffrey M. Rogers
1,*,
Victoria O. Chentsova
1,
Crystal X. Wang
2,
Maria Cecilia Garibaldi Marcondes
3,
Mariana Cherner
2,
Ronald J. Ellis
2,4,
Scott L. Letendre
2,5,
Robert K. Heaton
2,
Igor Grant
2 and
Jennifer E. Iudicello
2
1
San Diego State University/University of California San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, San Diego, CA 92120, USA
2
Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA 92093, USA
3
San Diego Biomedical Research Institute, San Diego, CA 92121, USA
4
Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, San Diego 92161, CA, USA
5
Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA 92161, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Viruses 2025, 17(8), 1143; https://doi.org/10.3390/v17081143
Submission received: 13 July 2025 / Revised: 12 August 2025 / Accepted: 18 August 2025 / Published: 20 August 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue HIV and Drugs of Abuse, 4th Edition)
Review Reports Versions Notes

Abstract

Background: Methamphetamine use, which is disproportionately prevalent among people with HIV, increases risk for cardio- and neurovascular pathology through persistent immune activation and inflammation. Preclinical studies indicate that cannabinoids may reduce markers of pro-inflammatory processes, but data from people with chronic inflammatory conditions are limited. We examined potentially interacting associations of lifetime methamphetamine use disorder (MUD), recent cannabis use, and HIV with four plasma markers of immune and inflammatory functions. Method: Participants with HIV (PWH, n = 86) and without HIV (PWoH, n = 148) provided urine and blood samples and completed neuromedical, psychiatric, and substance use assessments. Generalized linear models examined main and conditional associations of lifetime MUD, past-month cannabis use, and HIV with plasma concentrations of CXCL10/IP-10, CCL2/MCP-1, ICAM-1, and VCAM-1. Results: PWH displayed higher CXCL10/IP-10 than PWoH. Past-month cannabis use was independently associated with lower CXCL10/IP-10 levels and conditionally lower CCL2/MCP-1, ICAM-1, and VCAM-1 levels among people with lifetime MUD, but only PWoH displayed cannabis-associated lower VCAM-1 levels. Conclusions: Human plasma sample evidence suggests that cannabis use is associated with lower levels of immune and inflammatory molecules in the context of MUD or HIV. Cannabinoid pathways may be worthwhile clinical targets for treating sequelae of chronic inflammatory conditions.
Keywords: inflammatory signaling pathways; cannabinoids; methamphetamine; central nervous system stimulant; HIV; polysubstance use; substance use disorder inflammatory signaling pathways; cannabinoids; methamphetamine; central nervous system stimulant; HIV; polysubstance use; substance use disorder

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Rogers, J.M.; Chentsova, V.O.; Wang, C.X.; Marcondes, M.C.G.; Cherner, M.; Ellis, R.J.; Letendre, S.L.; Heaton, R.K.; Grant, I.; Iudicello, J.E. Cannabis Use Moderates Methamphetamine- and HIV-Related Inflammation: Evidence from Human Plasma Markers. Viruses 2025, 17, 1143. https://doi.org/10.3390/v17081143

AMA Style

Rogers JM, Chentsova VO, Wang CX, Marcondes MCG, Cherner M, Ellis RJ, Letendre SL, Heaton RK, Grant I, Iudicello JE. Cannabis Use Moderates Methamphetamine- and HIV-Related Inflammation: Evidence from Human Plasma Markers. Viruses. 2025; 17(8):1143. https://doi.org/10.3390/v17081143

Chicago/Turabian Style

Rogers, Jeffrey M., Victoria O. Chentsova, Crystal X. Wang, Maria Cecilia Garibaldi Marcondes, Mariana Cherner, Ronald J. Ellis, Scott L. Letendre, Robert K. Heaton, Igor Grant, and Jennifer E. Iudicello. 2025. "Cannabis Use Moderates Methamphetamine- and HIV-Related Inflammation: Evidence from Human Plasma Markers" Viruses 17, no. 8: 1143. https://doi.org/10.3390/v17081143

APA Style

Rogers, J. M., Chentsova, V. O., Wang, C. X., Marcondes, M. C. G., Cherner, M., Ellis, R. J., Letendre, S. L., Heaton, R. K., Grant, I., & Iudicello, J. E. (2025). Cannabis Use Moderates Methamphetamine- and HIV-Related Inflammation: Evidence from Human Plasma Markers. Viruses, 17(8), 1143. https://doi.org/10.3390/v17081143

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