“Dementia includes a variety of neurodegenerative diseases that affect and target the brain’s fundamental cognitive functions. It is undoubtedly one of the diseases that affects people globally. The ameliorating the disease is still not known; the symptoms, however, can be prevented to an extent. Dementia encompasses Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, Lewy body dementia, mixed dementia, and various other diseases.
The aggregation of β-amyloid protein plaques and the formation of neurofibrillary tangles have been concluded as the foremost cause for the onset of the disease. As the cases climb, new neuroprotective methods are being developed in the form of new drug delivery systems that provide targeted delivery.
Herbal drugs like Ashwagandha, Brahmi, and Cannabis have shown satisfactory results by not only treating the symptoms but have also been shown to reduce and ameliorate the formation of amyloid plaque formation.
This article explores the intricate possibilities of drug delivery and the absolute use of herbal drugs to target neurodegenerative diseases. The various possibilities of nanotechnology currently available with new emerging techniques are also discussed.”
“Introduction: Cannabidiol (CBD) may alleviate Parkinson’s disease (PD) symptoms, but its cognitive and anti-inflammatory effects remain unclear due to limited randomized trials. This study evaluates CBD’s efficacy in PD patients.
Methods: Sixty PD patients were randomized into CBD (n = 30) or placebo (n = 30) groups. The CBD group received a sublingual CBD-enriched product (101.9 mg/ml CBD, 4.8 mg/ml tetrahydrocannabinol [THC]). The primary outcome was improvement in the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) delayed recall scores. Secondary outcome measures included other MoCA components, the total MoCA score, motor examination, anxiety/depression, inflammatory markers, renal/liver function, and adverse events. CBD and THC levels were measured at 12 weeks.
Results: Nine patients were lost to follow-up, leaving 51 participants (CBD: 27; placebo: 24) for analysis. The mean CBD dose was 26 mg/day, and THC was 1.2 mg/day. CBD was detected in 17 patients (mean: 2 ng/ml), with no THC found. Delayed recall scores showed no group differences. The CBD group improved naming scores (mean difference: 0.37, 95 % CI: 0.01 to 0.73). Language scores increased in the placebo group but remained unchanged in the CBD group. Inflammatory markers and other outcomes showed no differences, except for elevated alkaline phosphatase in the CBD group, with no serious side effects in either group.
Conclusions: In this 12-week trial, 26 mg/day of sublingual CBD was safe, with no adverse effects on motor, cognitive, or affective symptoms in PD patients, and improved MoCA naming scores. Future studies should investigate higher doses and use targeted naming tests.”
“Disorders of the metabolism, including obesity and type 2 diabetes, represent significant global health challenges due to their rising prevalence and associated complications. Despite existing therapeutic strategies, including lifestyle interventions, pharmacological treatments, and surgical options, limitations such as poor adherence, side effects, and accessibility issues call attention to the need for novel solutions.
Tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV), a non-psychoactive cannabinoid derived from Cannabis sativa, has emerged as a promising agent to manage metabolic disorders.
Unlike tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), THCV exhibits an antagonistic function on the CB1 receptor and a partial agonist function on the CB2 receptor, thus enabling appetite suppression, enhanced glucose regulation, and increased energy expenditure.
Preclinical studies demonstrated that THCV improves insulin sensitivity, promotes glucose uptake, and restores insulin signaling in metabolic tissues. Additionally, THCV reduces lipid accumulation and improves the mitochondrial activity in adipocytes and hepatocytes, shown through both cell-based and animal research. Animal models further revealed THCV’s potential to suppress appetite, prevent hepatosteatosis, and improve metabolic homeostasis.
Preliminary human trials support these findings, thereby showing that THCV may modulate appetite and glycemic control, though larger-scale studies are necessary to confirm its clinical efficacy and safety. THCV’s unique pharmacological profile positions it as a possible therapeutic candidate to address the multifaceted challenges of obesity and diabetes. Continued research should concentrate on optimizing formulations, undertaking well-designed clinical studies, and addressing regulatory hurdles to unlock its full potential”
“Neuropathic pain, a complex and often devastating condition, poses significant challenges for its effective management. Despite promising research on various cannabis formulations and delivery methods for neuropathic pain, significant gaps remain in our knowledge.
While inhaled cannabis shows analgesic effects and alternative delivery methods may improve bioavailability, oral formulations have yielded mixed results, often limited by small sample sizes and placebo effects. Therefore, further research is essential to optimize cannabis formulations, identify responder profiles to tailor treatments effectively, and, most critically, confirm the long-term safety and efficacy of cannabis-based therapies in managing NP.
This review article aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the therapeutic potential of cannabis-based medicines, with a particular focus on cannabinoids. This review, though not systematic, examines 11 clinical studies, specifically Randomised Clinical Trials) published from 2014 to 2024, highlighting the efficacy of numerous cannabis formulations, in alleviating neuropathic pain.
Key findings show that cannabinoids can reduce pain perception, improve patient quality of life, and mitigate other symptoms associated with neuropathic pain.
The synergistic effects of tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol are discussed, emphasizing their ability to enhance analgesic effects, while potentially reducing the psychoactive side effects of tetrahydrocannabinol.
This review emphasizes the importance of the personalized approach to improve therapeutic outcomes. Limitations of the existing research focusing on cannabis for neuropathic pain are limited by heterogeneity, lack of standardization, small sample sizes, and reliance on subjective outcomes, impacting the reliability and generalizability of findings. However, this exhaustive review aims to inform clinicians and researchers about the evolving role of cannabis in contemporary pain management strategies, illustrating the diverse pharmacological profiles of cannabinoids and their potential as adjunct therapies for neuropathic pain management.”
“Background: A third of epilepsy patients fail to enter seizure remission despite optimal therapeutic management. Cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs) have shown promise as a potential therapy. However, a paucity of high-quality literature regarding CBMPs’ efficacy and safety profile means further investigation is needed. The study aimed to examine changes in epilepsy-specific and general health-related quality of life (HRQoL) patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in individuals with treatment-resistant epilepsy.
Methods: A case series of patients with epilepsy from the UK Medical Cannabis Registry analyzed changes in Quality of Life in Epilpesy-31 (QOILE-31), Single-Item Sleep Quality Score (SQS), EQ-5D-5L, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) and Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC) between baseline, one, three, and six months. Adverse events (AEs) were collected and classified by severity. p < 0.050 was considered statistically significant.
Results: There were 134 patients included. Improvements were recorded from baseline to one, three, and six months in QOILE-31 and all HRQoL PROMs (p < 0.050). Forty patients (29.85%) reported a minimal clinically important difference in Quality of Life in Epilepsy-31 (QOLIE-31) at six months. There were 18 (13.43%) AEs reported by 5 (3.73%) patients, mainly mild and moderate.
Discussion: The proportion of patients achieving a clinically significant change is similar to existing CBMPs in epilepsy literature. AE incidence was lower than similar studies although this may be due to the large proportion (67.16%) of individuals who were not cannabis naïve.
Conclusion: Initiation of CBMPs was associated with an improvement across all PROMs. CBMPs were well tolerated across the cohort. However, randomized controlled trials are needed to help determine causality.”
“Treatment with CBMPs was associated with an improvement in both epilepsy-specific and general HRQoL outcomes at one, three, and six months. This study shows the promising potential of CBMPs as an adjunctive treatment option in the management of TRE.”
“Background: Cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs) are a potential treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but their long-term efficacy and safety need further investigation. This study assessed the changes in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and adverse events in PTSD patients prescribed CBMPs.
Research design and methods: This observational cohort study included PTSD patients enrolled on the UK Medical Cannabis Registry for 18 months or longer. Changes in PTSD-specific symptoms (IES-R), anxiety (GAD-7), sleep quality (SQS), and general HRQoL (EQ-5D-5 L) were assessed at 1, 3, 6, 12, and 18 months.
Results: In 269 patients, significant improvements in PTSD symptoms, anxiety, sleep quality, and HRQoL were observed at all follow-up points (p < 0.001). On multivariate logistic regression, male gender (OR = 0.51; 95% CI:0.28-0.94; p = 0.034) was associated with a reduced chance of reporting improvements in IES-R. Adverse events were reported by 70 (26.02%) patients, with insomnia (n = 42, 15.61%) and fatigue (n = 40, 14.87%) being the most common.
Conclusions: CBMPs were associated with improvements in PTSD symptoms, anxiety, sleep, and HRQoL at up to 18 months. Although the study’s observational nature limits causal conclusions, these findings support further assessment of medical cannabis.”
“Cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs) have emerged as novel treatments for PTSD. This analysis suggests that initiation of CBMP therapy for up to 18 months is associated with improvements in PTSD-specific, HRQoL, anxiety, and sleep symptoms in PTSD patients. Moreover, CBMPs are largely well tolerated across this short-term follow-up.”
“Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) lacks an established pharmacological treatment protocol, prompting interest in alternative therapeutic approaches, such as cannabidiol (CBD). This systematic review evaluates the potential efficacy and safety of CBD-rich formulations in managing ASD symptoms. A comprehensive search of PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library identified seven studies encompassing 494 patients from Brazil and Israel.
Preliminary findings suggest that CBD-rich formulations may provide modest benefits for sleep and social interaction, with a reduction in anxiety symptoms. Regarding core ASD symptoms and behavioral outcomes, cannabinoids demonstrated greater efficacy compared to placebo in some studies. However, adverse events varied, and response to treatment was inconsistent across individuals. While cannabinoids, particularly CBD-rich formulations, appear to be relatively safe and potentially beneficial, further large-scale, controlled trials comparing CBD to established ASD treatments are essential to clarify its role and long-term impact in ASD management.”
“Cannabidiol has shown promising effects on reducing seizure frequency in children and adults with selected epilepsy syndromes. In this narrative brief review, we provide an update on the use of cannabidiol in pediatric epilepsy including the indications for its use, clinical efficacy, adverse effects, requirements for monitoring and regulations.”
“Background: Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Following the initial mechanical injury caused by hematoma expansion, a secondary injury occurs, characterized by the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by NOX-2 and neuroinflammation, which is exacerbated by the upregulation of the NLRP3 inflammasome. These conditions collectively aggravate brain damage.
The endocannabinoid system (ECS), through the activation of the cannabinoid receptors, has demonstrated neuroprotective properties in various models of brain injury. However, the role of the ECS during ICH remains poorly understood, particularly regarding the action of the CB1 receptor in the activation of NOX-2 and the inflammasome. The present study investigates the neuroprotective effects of the cannabinoid receptor agonist WIN55,212-2 in an ICH animal model, specifically examining the roles of NLRP3 and NOX-2.
Methods: Male C57BL/6 mice were subjected to ICH through an intracerebral injection of collagenase, followed by intraperitoneal administration of WIN55,212-2 and/or MCC950, a selective NLRP3 inhibitor. Various outcome measures were employed, including assessments of motor activity, hematoma volume, brain water content, and blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability, which was evaluated using Evans blue assay. Additionally, the activity of NOX and the protein levels of crucial markers such as CB1, gp91phox, NLRP3, AQP4, and caspase-1 were measured via western blot analysis.
Result: The findings demonstrate that ICH induced a significant brain lesion characterized by hematoma formation, edema, BBB disruption, and subsequent motor impairments in the affected mice. Notably, these detrimental effects were markedly reduced in animals treated with WIN55,212-2. The study also revealed an activation of both NOX-2 and NLRP3 in response to ICH, which was reduced by cannabinoid receptor activation. Furthermore, the pharmacological inhibition of NLRP3 using MCC950 also led to a reduction in hematoma size, edema, and motor impairment secondary to ICH.
Conclusions: These results support a neuroprotective role of the cannabinoid receptor activation during ICH and suggest the involvement of NOX-2 and NLRP3.”
“Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by the degeneration of cholinergic neurons, which is primarily driven by the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) enzyme and oxidative stress.
This study investigated the therapeutic potential of the cannabis-containing herbal remedy Suk-Saiyasna in alleviating amyloid β42 (Aβ42)-induced cytotoxicity in SH-SY5Y cells.
The DPPH radical-scavenging activity and inhibitory effects on AChE were evaluated in vitro. The AChE inhibitory potential of 167 ligands, including cannabinoids, flavonoids, terpenoids, and alkaloids derived from Suk-Saiyasna, was assessed using ADMET analysis and molecular docking techniques.
The results demonstrated that the Suk-Saiyasna extract exhibited a DPPH radical scavenging effect with an IC50 value of 27.40 ± 1.15 µg/mL and notable AChE inhibitory activity with an IC50 of 1.25 ± 0.35 mg/mL. Importantly, at a concentration of 1 µg/mL, the extract significantly protected cells from Aβ42-induced stress compared to controls.
Docking studies revealed that delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), mesuaferrone B, piperine, β-sitosterol, and chlorogenic acid exhibited substantial binding affinities to AChE, surpassing reference drugs like galantamine and rivastigmine. Furthermore, in silico ADMET predictions indicated that Δ9-THC and piperine possessed favorable pharmacokinetic profiles, including solubility, absorption, and blood-brain barrier permeability, with no neurotoxicity or carcinogenicity associated with Δ9-THC.”
“This study highlighted the potential of the Suk-Saiyasna herbal remedy in developing novel neuroprotective compounds for Alzheimer’s disease. The extracts of Suk-Saiyasna demonstrated significant antioxidant and acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activities, indicating their therapeutic applications. Molecular docking studies identified various active constituents with promising binding affinities, reinforcing their potential as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors.
Additionally, ADME predictions indicated favorable properties for Δ9-THC and piperine, underscoring their ability to cross the blood–brain barrier, which is crucial for neuroprotective effects. The safety evaluation of the extracts revealed moderate toxicity for piperine and Δ9-THC, while mesuaferrone B and chlorogenic acid displayed a safer profile. The inactivity of these compounds regarding hepatotoxicity and neurotoxicity further supported their potential use in therapeutic settings. However, concerns regarding carcinogenicity associated with piperine, donepezil, and galantamine necessitate rigorous safety assessments.
Overall, the findings from this research provide a foundation for the future exploration of Suk-Saiyasna as a promising source of natural antioxidants and neuroprotective agents.”
