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Office: 803 733 3397
Fax: 803 733 1515
E-mail: meariza
@gw.med.sc.edu
Department of Pathology, Microbiology
and Immunology,
University
of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC 29208 |
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Recreational use of marijuana has been shown to alter defense mechanisms against
bacterial and viral infections. Smoking illicit drugs such as marijuana and
cocaine increases the risk of immunosuppression and consequent Pneumocystis
carinii-induced pneumonia in HIV-seropositive individuals. Much of the work on
delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a constituent of marijuana has suggested
that it may suppress the immune functions although the mechanisms remain
unclear. My lab is primarily interested in studying the effect of THC on on
dendritic cells (DCs), which are considered to be the most potent
antigen-presenting cells that trigger the primary immune response. In addition,
over the last few years, I have become very interested in the regulation of
apoptosis as well as inflammation signaling pathways, as it relates to drugs of
abuse and cancer.
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