European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

EFFECT OF N-ACETYL-PARA-AMINOPHENOL (PARACETAMOL) AND HEAVY CANNABIS USE ON EXERCISE PERFORMANCE, METABOLIC PARAMETERS AND NEURO-COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN HUMANS

*Stephen Oriaifo B.Sc (Med. Sci.), Ibadan MB, BS, Ibadan M.Sc.

ABSTRACT

The notion that N-acetyl-para-aminophenol may be a key player in the neurocognitive arena and enhances the actions of cannabinoids is very recent and still evolving. Paracetamol exhibits this effect through its metabolite, N-arachidonylphenolamine, an endogenous cannabinoid which blocks fatty acid amide hydrolase-(FAAH)-like anandamide transporter (FLAT) in the brain to inhibit anandamide uptake. A down-stream effect is that it may also target the cysteine proteases for algogenic cytokines. CB1 cannabinoid receptors are well represented in the dorsal striatum, a region of the brain that regulates memory, attention and executive functioning. Many workers have reported that there is increased inflammatory response during exercise, the inflammatory response of exercise (IRE), which may be responsive to the combined effects of paracetamol and cannabinoids. Both paracetamol and cannabinoids are involved in analgesia and dampening inflammation. Present study examined the effect of paracetamol and heavy cannabis use on neurocognitive function, pain, metabolic parameters and exercise performance in 20 volunteers compared to controls. The mini-mental status examination (MMSE), walking distance or time of onset of fatigue, BMI, cholesterol and fasting blood sugar of the test volunteers were compared to the controls. Chronic heavy cannabis use (more significantly) and paracetamol decreased sugar and cholesterol levels. The lowest MMSE score was in the test group on heavy cannabis (P < 0.05). This group also had the most significant increase in walking distance. The group on cannabis + paracetamol had less errors at work compared to the group on cannabis alone. This may be due to the previously documented reports that paracetamol may rescue the distorted upregulation of 5-HT2A serotonin receptor signalling by cannabinoid CBI receptor signalling responsible for neuropsychiatric disorders. Present evidence indicates that the nootropic, paracetamol, increases neurocognitive functioning and has salutary effect on glucose homeostasis.

Keywords: Cannabis, Paracetamol, Time-to-Fatigue, Neuro-Cognitive.