Assessment of leukocyte telomere length as a cellular aging marker through a quantitative PCR-based technique in individuals with a chronic addiction to the psychoactive drug delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol. (Case control study).

BACKGROUND

Chronic cannabis (Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)) use has been implicated in premature biological ageing, yet its effect on leukocyte telomere length (LTL), a biomarker of cellular senescence, remains unclear.

AIM: To evaluate the relationships between THC addiction and LTL, studying the possible links between drug use and increased biological aging.

METHOD: A total of 60 individuals between the ages of 30 and 65 were recruited and split into two groups: 30 age-matched healthy controls and 30 chronic THC users. While leukocyte DNA was isolated from EDTA blood samples and telomere length was assessed by quantitative PCR (qPCR) as the T/S ratio, urinary THC metabolites were detected using a competitive enzyme immunoassay (EIA). In order to account for variability, each sample was examined three times using inter-plate calibrators. To reduce bias, laboratory personnel were blinded to group allocations. Intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation were used to verify assay repeatability.

RESULT: A statistically significant difference between the addicted patients and controls was found using an independent-samples t-test (t(58) = 22.75, p < 0.0001***), indicating that the addicted group had significantly higher THC levels. No significant correlations were observed between age and THC in each group (patients: Pearson r = 0.19, p = 0.32; Spearman ρ = 0.16, p = 0.40; controls: Pearson r = -0.19, p = 0.31; Spearman ρ = -0.21, ρ = 0.26). Cannabis-addicted patients showed significantly shorter LTL compared with controls (t(58) = -4.25, p < 0.001. No significant correlations were observed between age and LTL in either group (patients: Pearson r = -0.12, p = 0.54; Spearman ρ = -0.09, p = 0.63; controls: Pearson r = 0.08, p = 0.66; Spearman ρ = 0.10, p = 0.60).

CONCLUSION

These findings demonstrate that cannabis addiction is associated with shortened LTL, suggesting accelerated biological ageing. The absence of an age-LTL correlation within groups may indicate that cannabis use exerts an overriding effect independent of chronological age. LTL could serve as a potential biomarker for cellular ageing in substance use disorders.