“Cannabinoids exert pleiotropic actions in the CNS, including the inhibition of inflammatory responses and the enhancement of neuronal survival after injury… cannabinoid receptors are distributed widely in brain… Cannabinoids Promote Oligodendrocyte Progenitor Survival: Involvement of Cannabinoid Receptors and Phosphatidylinositol-3 Kinase/Akt Signaling.
Limited clinical studies have suggested that cannabis might ameliorate the symptomatology in multiple sclerosis patients, and beneficial effects of synthetic cannabinoids have been reported in vivoin rodent models of multiple sclerosis.
Apart from their actions on motor and pain pathways, cannabinoids regulate the immune response by reducing the production of inflammatory mediators by leukocytes, astrocytes, and microglia, which may contribute to their beneficial effects.
The results of the present study also point to a direct role of cannabinoids in promoting the survival of oligodendrocyte progenitors, particularly in unfavorable conditions, as would be the case in demyelinating diseases. Studies in progress are aimed to evaluate the function of cannabinoids in other models affecting oligodendroglial survival.