“Cannabis sativa is a remarkable source of bioactive compounds, with over 150 distinct phytocannabinoids identified to date. Among these, cannabinoids are gaining attention as potential therapeutic agents for neurodegenerative diseases.
Previous research showed that cannabinol (CBN), a minor cannabinoid derived from Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, exhibits antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and anti-bacterial effects.
The objective of this study was to assess the protective potential of 24 h CBN pre-treatment, applied at different concentrations (5 µM, 10 µM, 20 µM, 50 µM, and 100 µM), in differentiated neuroblastoma × spinal cord (NSC-34) cells. Transcriptomic analysis was performed using next-generation sequencing techniques.
Our results reveal that CBN had no negative impact on cell viability at the tested concentrations. Instead, it showed a significant effect on stress response and neuroplasticity-related processes. Specifically, based on the Reactome database, the biological pathways mainly perturbed by CBN pre-treatment were investigated.
This analysis highlighted a significant enrichment in the Reactome pathway’s cellular response to stress, cellular response to stimuli, and axon guidance.
Overall, our results suggest that CBN holds promise as an adjuvant agent for neurodegenerative diseases by modulating genes involved in neuronal cell survival and axon guidance.”
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40563376/
“Aging and neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by a progressive decline in cellular functions, including genomic instability, epigenetic alterations, mitochondrial dysfunction, and chronic inflammation. Our study supports that CBN exerts pleiotropic effects by modulating key molecular pathways involved in oxidative stress response, DNA repair, and neuronal survival. These results suggest that CBN positively modulates the response to cellular damage, stimulating the antioxidant response through the Nrf2 pathway and reducing the sensitivity to programmed cell death, as demonstrated by the regulation of caspases and other genes related to neuronal survival. These effects indicate that CBN may be able to support neuronal health under conditions of chronic stress, a hallmark of neurodegenerative diseases. These findings pave the way for further research into CBN’s therapeutic potential, emphasizing the need for in vivo studies to validate its efficacy and safety profile in neurodegenerative disease models.”