Low-dose THC may reduce side effects of HIV medication, study finds

SAN ANTONIO — Long-term, ultra-low doses of THC may reduce chronic inflammation and mitigate the harmful side effects of HIV treatments, according to a new study from the Texas Biomedical Research Institute.

The pre-clinical research focused on THC, the primary active compound in cannabis. Scientists administered extremely low doses that did not produce psychoactive effects, such as euphoria, while monitoring the impact on health.

Researchers observed several potential benefits, including reduced inflammation, lower cholesterol, and a decrease in toxic secondary bile acids. The study also recorded higher levels of serotonin.

One of the most significant findings was that viral suppression remained effective even with lower concentrations of antiretroviral therapy (ART) drugs in the blood. Researchers say this could potentially reduce the long-term burden on the liver for patients.

The study, published in the journal Science Advances, was conducted using non-human primate models that closely mimic humans living with HIV and undergoing ART.

While modern antiretroviral therapy effectively controls HIV, long-term use of the medication is known to cause secondary health issues. Researchers noted that further studies are required to determine if these results can be replicated in humans.

The core significance of this research lies not in the broad medicalization of cannabis, but in the specific application of ultra-low-dose THC at non-psychoactive levels. By isolating therapeutic benefits from the "high" associated with recreational use, the study outlines a commercially viable and politically less volatile pathway for pharmaceutical development.

The most critical finding involves the reduction of Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) concentrations in the body without compromising viral suppression. This addresses a major bottleneck in long-term HIV management: the cumulative toxicity of ART. For patients who have been on these regimens for decades, the resulting liver and organ damage remains a primary clinical challenge. If low-dose THC can indeed facilitate faster drug metabolism while maintaining efficacy, it would signal a paradigm shift in HIV care—moving the needle from mere survival to the long-term preservation of patient health and quality of life.

Furthermore, the data regarding serotonin modulation via the brain-gut axis suggests that the utility of low-dose THC may extend well beyond HIV. The mechanism points toward potential breakthroughs in treating chronic inflammation and neurological comorbidities, including clinical depression and the persistent symptoms of Long COVID. While these results stem from animal models, the methodological rigor and the breadth of positive outcomes provide a substantive foundation for the human clinical trials necessary to transition this from a laboratory finding to a regulatory reality.