Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32852544›Full record

ArticleInvestigative ophthalmology & visual science2020

THC Regulates Tearing via Cannabinoid CB1 Receptors.

Amanda Thayer, Natalia Murataeva, Vanessa Delcroix, Jim Wager-Miller, Helen P Makarenkova, Alex Straiker

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Investigative ophthalmology & visual science, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
16citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.7field-weighted citation impact, top 16% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

16 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 21 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Don't Sweat It: Cannabinoid CB1 Receptors Reduce Sweating in a Mouse Model.FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology · 2026
    Article
  6. Article
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  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Observational
  11. Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Amanda ThayerThe Gill Center for Biomolecular Science, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, United States.
Natalia MurataevaThe Gill Center for Biomolecular Science, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, United States.
Vanessa DelcroixScripps Research Institute, Department of Molecular Medicine, La Jolla, California, United States.
Jim Wager-MillerThe Gill Center for Biomolecular Science, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, United States.
Helen P MakarenkovaScripps Research Institute, Department of Molecular Medicine, La Jolla, California, United States.
Alex StraikerThe Gill Center for Biomolecular Science, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, United States.
Indiana University Bloomington · USScripps Research Institute · US

Funding

Lacrimal Gland Repair Using Progenitor CellsR01EY026202 · NEI · SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE, THE · PI MAKARENKOVA, HELEN P. · 2016 to 2025
$5.2M
FGF signaling in lacrimal gland homeostasis, regeneration and diseaseR01EY028983 · NEI · SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE, THE · PI MAKARENKOVA, HELEN P. · 2018 to 2020
$1.4M
Harnessing endogenous cannabinoids for ocular healthR01EY024625 · NEI · TRUSTEES OF INDIANA UNIVERSITY · PI STRAIKER, ALEXANDER J · 2014 to 2017
$1.3M
NEI NIH HHS R01 EY024625NEI NIH HHS R01 EY026202NEI NIH HHS R01 EY028983
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Purpose: Aqueous deficiency dry eye (ADDE) is a chronic condition affecting millions, with symptoms ranging from a dry itchiness to blurred vision and accompanied by an increased risk of eye infections. ADDE typically arises from disorders of the lacrimal gland that produces tears necessary for eye lubrication. Cannabis users frequently report dry eye, but the basis for this is unknown. If the effects occur via the endogenous cannabinoid signaling system, then this may represent a novel mechanism for the regulation of tearing. Methods: We examined expression of cannabinoid CB1 receptors in the lacrimal gland using immunohistochemistry, Western blotting, and PCR and tested tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) regulation of tearing in wild-type and CB1-null mice. Results: We now report that CB1 receptors are expressed in the axons of cholinergic neurons innervating the lacrimal gland. Little if any staining is seen in lacrimal gland epithelial cells (acinar and ductal) or myoepithelial cells (MECs). Activation of CB1 receptors by THC or the cannabinoid agonist CP55940 reduces tearing in male mice. In female mice, THC has no effect, but CP55940 increases tearing. In both sexes, the effect of CP55940 is absent in CB1 knockout mice. CB1 mRNA and protein levels are approximately four- to fivefold higher in males than females. In male knockouts, THC increases tearing, suggesting that THC also acts through different receptors. Conclusions: Our results suggest a novel, albeit sex-dependent, physiologic basis for the dry eye symptoms experienced by cannabis users: activation of neuronal CB1 receptors in the lacrimal gland reduces tearing.

Indexed as

AnimalsBlotting, WesternCyclohexanolsDronabinolDry Eye SyndromesFemaleLacrimal ApparatusMaleMiceMice, KnockoutReceptor, Cannabinoid, CB1Sex FactorsTears3-(2-hydroxy-4-(1,1-dimethylheptyl)phenyl)-4-(3-hydroxypropyl)cyclohexanolCyclohexanolsDronabinolReceptor, Cannabinoid, CB1

Identifiers

PMID32852544
PMCPMC7452851
OpenAlexW3080128777

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.