Effects of acute THC challenge on behavior and neuroinflammation in HIV-1 Tg26 mice vary based on HIV status, chronic THC history, and sex.
Brain, behavior, and immunity May 1, 2026 Havilah P Ravula, Barkha J Yadav-Samudrala, Laith E Sawaqed et al.
In a mouse model of HIV (Tg26 transgenic mice), chronic daily treatment with the cannabinoid THC for 90 days reduced the effects of a later high-dose THC challenge, particularly in females. Female mice with a history of chronic THC showed less THC-induced drop in body temperature, less pain relief, and less reduced movement after the acute high dose, and they also displayed more anxiety-like behavior on the elevated plus maze. HIV genotype influenced some of these effects. In the brain, chronic THC lowered levels of both pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in several regions of female mice, and HIV-positive mice showed increased microglial CCL3/MIP-1α co-occurrence in a sex- and brain-region-specific pattern.