Cannabis smoking is associated with persistent epigenome-wide disruptions despite smoking cessation
Abstract Background The use of cannabis has been associated with both therapeutic and harmful effects. As with cigarette smoking, cannabis smoking may affect the epigenetic regulation (e.g., DNA methylation) of gene expression which could result in long term health effects. The study of DNA methylat...
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BMC
2025-04-01
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| Series: | BMC Pulmonary Medicine |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12890-025-03634-9 |
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| author | Ana I. Hernandez Cordero Xuan Li Chen Xi Yang Amirtha Ambalavanan Julie L. MacIsaac Michael S. Kobor Dany Doiron Wan Tan Jean Bourbeau Don D. Sin Qingling Duan Janice M. Leung the CanCOLD Collaborative Research Group |
| author_facet | Ana I. Hernandez Cordero Xuan Li Chen Xi Yang Amirtha Ambalavanan Julie L. MacIsaac Michael S. Kobor Dany Doiron Wan Tan Jean Bourbeau Don D. Sin Qingling Duan Janice M. Leung the CanCOLD Collaborative Research Group |
| author_sort | Ana I. Hernandez Cordero |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background The use of cannabis has been associated with both therapeutic and harmful effects. As with cigarette smoking, cannabis smoking may affect the epigenetic regulation (e.g., DNA methylation) of gene expression which could result in long term health effects. The study of DNA methylation in cannabis smoking has to date been restricted to young adults and there remains yet no evaluation of whether cannabis smoking cessation can reverse epigenetic disturbances. Here, we aimed to investigate the relationship between genome-wide DNA methylation and cannabis smoking. Methods We used peripheral blood from a subset of older adults within the Canadian Cohort of Obstructive Lung Disease (CanCOLD) cohort (n = 93) to conduct an epigenome-wide DNA methylation analysis that identified differential methylated positions (DMPs) associated with cannabis smoking at a false discovery rate < 0.05. Using these DMPs, we then identified differentially methylated genes (DMGs) that enriched pathways associated with both former and current cannabis smoking status. Results We found DMPs corresponding to 12,115 DMGs and 10,806 DMGs that distinguished the current and former cannabis smoking groups, respectively, from the never cannabis smoking group. 5,915 of these DMGs were shared between the current and former cannabis smoking groups. 50 enriched pathways were also shared between the current and former cannabis smoking groups, which were heavily represented by multiple aging- and cancer-related pathways. Conclusions Our findings indicate that in older adults, cannabis smoking is linked with epigenome-wide disruptions, many of which persist despite cannabis smoking cessation. Epigenetic modulation of genes associated with aging and cancer that remains even after quitting cannabis should serve as a caution that there may be long-lasting epigenetic injury with cannabis smoking. Trial registration NCT00920348. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3f43adcab89740f8a93ac84b34daf0a2 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1471-2466 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Pulmonary Medicine |
| spelling | doaj-art-3f43adcab89740f8a93ac84b34daf0a22025-08-20T02:16:06ZengBMCBMC Pulmonary Medicine1471-24662025-04-0125111110.1186/s12890-025-03634-9Cannabis smoking is associated with persistent epigenome-wide disruptions despite smoking cessationAna I. Hernandez Cordero0Xuan Li1Chen Xi Yang2Amirtha Ambalavanan3Julie L. MacIsaac4Michael S. Kobor5Dany Doiron6Wan Tan7Jean Bourbeau8Don D. Sin9Qingling Duan10Janice M. Leung11the CanCOLD Collaborative Research GroupCentre for Heart Lung Innovation, St. Paul’S Hospital and University of British ColumbiaCentre for Heart Lung Innovation, St. Paul’S Hospital and University of British ColumbiaCentre for Heart Lung Innovation, St. Paul’S Hospital and University of British ColumbiaDepartment of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, School of Medicine, Queen’s UniversityEdwin S. H. Leong Healthy Aging Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of British ColumbiaEdwin S. H. Leong Healthy Aging Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of British ColumbiaMcGill University Health Centre, McGill UniversityCentre for Heart Lung Innovation, St. Paul’S Hospital and University of British ColumbiaMcGill University Health Centre, McGill UniversityCentre for Heart Lung Innovation, St. Paul’S Hospital and University of British ColumbiaDepartment of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, School of Medicine, Queen’s UniversityCentre for Heart Lung Innovation, St. Paul’S Hospital and University of British ColumbiaAbstract Background The use of cannabis has been associated with both therapeutic and harmful effects. As with cigarette smoking, cannabis smoking may affect the epigenetic regulation (e.g., DNA methylation) of gene expression which could result in long term health effects. The study of DNA methylation in cannabis smoking has to date been restricted to young adults and there remains yet no evaluation of whether cannabis smoking cessation can reverse epigenetic disturbances. Here, we aimed to investigate the relationship between genome-wide DNA methylation and cannabis smoking. Methods We used peripheral blood from a subset of older adults within the Canadian Cohort of Obstructive Lung Disease (CanCOLD) cohort (n = 93) to conduct an epigenome-wide DNA methylation analysis that identified differential methylated positions (DMPs) associated with cannabis smoking at a false discovery rate < 0.05. Using these DMPs, we then identified differentially methylated genes (DMGs) that enriched pathways associated with both former and current cannabis smoking status. Results We found DMPs corresponding to 12,115 DMGs and 10,806 DMGs that distinguished the current and former cannabis smoking groups, respectively, from the never cannabis smoking group. 5,915 of these DMGs were shared between the current and former cannabis smoking groups. 50 enriched pathways were also shared between the current and former cannabis smoking groups, which were heavily represented by multiple aging- and cancer-related pathways. Conclusions Our findings indicate that in older adults, cannabis smoking is linked with epigenome-wide disruptions, many of which persist despite cannabis smoking cessation. Epigenetic modulation of genes associated with aging and cancer that remains even after quitting cannabis should serve as a caution that there may be long-lasting epigenetic injury with cannabis smoking. Trial registration NCT00920348.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12890-025-03634-9CannabisMarijuanaEpigeneticsSmoking cessationMethylation |
| spellingShingle | Ana I. Hernandez Cordero Xuan Li Chen Xi Yang Amirtha Ambalavanan Julie L. MacIsaac Michael S. Kobor Dany Doiron Wan Tan Jean Bourbeau Don D. Sin Qingling Duan Janice M. Leung the CanCOLD Collaborative Research Group Cannabis smoking is associated with persistent epigenome-wide disruptions despite smoking cessation BMC Pulmonary Medicine Cannabis Marijuana Epigenetics Smoking cessation Methylation |
| title | Cannabis smoking is associated with persistent epigenome-wide disruptions despite smoking cessation |
| title_full | Cannabis smoking is associated with persistent epigenome-wide disruptions despite smoking cessation |
| title_fullStr | Cannabis smoking is associated with persistent epigenome-wide disruptions despite smoking cessation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Cannabis smoking is associated with persistent epigenome-wide disruptions despite smoking cessation |
| title_short | Cannabis smoking is associated with persistent epigenome-wide disruptions despite smoking cessation |
| title_sort | cannabis smoking is associated with persistent epigenome wide disruptions despite smoking cessation |
| topic | Cannabis Marijuana Epigenetics Smoking cessation Methylation |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12890-025-03634-9 |
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