Anticonvulsant activity of β-caryophyllene against pentylenetetrazol-induced seizures.

Posted on February 2, 2016 by David

“Increasing evidence suggests that plant-derived extracts and their isolated components are useful for treatment of seizures and, hence, constitute a valuable source of new antiepileptic drugs with improved efficacy and better adverse effect profile.

β-Caryophyllene is a natural bicyclic sesquiterpene that occurs in a wide range of plant species and displays a number of biological actions, including neuroprotective activity.

In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that β-caryophyllene displays anticonvulsant effects.

Altogether, the present data suggest that β-caryophyllene displays anticonvulsant activity against seizures induced by PTZ in mice.

Since no adverse effects were observed in the same dose range of the anticonvulsant effect, β-caryophyllene should be further evaluated in future development of new anticonvulsant drugs.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26827298

“β-caryophyllene (BCP) is a common constitute of the essential oils of numerous spice, food plants and major component in Cannabis.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23138934

CBD-enriched medical cannabis for intractable pediatric epilepsy: The current Israeli experience.

Posted on January 23, 2016 by David

“To describe the experience of five Israeli pediatric epilepsy clinics treating children and adolescents diagnosed as having intractable epilepsy with a regimen of medical cannabis oil.

A retrospective study describing the effect of cannabidiol (CBD)-enriched medical cannabis on children with epilepsy.

The cohort included 74 patients (age range 1-18 years) with intractable epilepsy resistant to >7 antiepileptic drugs. Forty-nine (66%) also failed a ketogenic diet, vagal nerve stimulator implantation, or both.

They all started medical cannabis oil treatment between 2-11/2014 and were treated for at least 3 months (average 6 months).

The selected formula contained CBD and tetrahydrocannabinol at a ratio of 20:1 dissolved in olive oil. The CBD dose ranged from 1 to 20mg/kg/d. Seizure frequency was assessed by parental report during clinical visits.

CBD treatment yielded a significant positive effect on seizure load.

Most of the children (66/74, 89%) reported reduction in seizure frequency: 13 (18%) reported 75-100% reduction, 25 (34%) reported 50-75% reduction, 9 (12%) reported 25-50% reduction, and 19 (26%) reported <25% reduction. Five (7%) patients reported aggravation of seizures which led to CBD withdrawal.

In addition, we observed improvement in behavior and alertness, language, communication, motor skills and sleep. Adverse reactions included somnolence, fatigue, gastrointestinal disturbances and irritability leading to withdrawal of cannabis use in 5 patients.

CONCLUSIONS:

The results of this multicenter study on CBD treatment for intractable epilepsy in a population of children and adolescents are highly promising. Further prospective, well-designed clinical trials using enriched CBD medical cannabis are warranted.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26800377

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/epilepsy-2/

The Pharmacological Basis of Cannabis Therapy for Epilepsy.

Posted on January 21, 2016 by David

“Recently, cannabis has been suggested as a potential alternative therapy for refractory epilepsy, which affects 30% of epilepsy patients including children who do not respond to current medications.

There is a large unmet medical need for new antiepileptics for refractory epilepsy and conditions associated with refractory seizures that would not interfere with normal function.

The two chief cannabinoids are delta-9-tetrahyrdrocannabinol, the major psychoactive component of marijuana, and cannabidiol (CBD), the major non-psychoactive component of marijuana.

There are claims of clinical efficacy of CBD-predominant cannabis or medical marijuana for epilepsy, mostly from limited studies, surveys or case reports.

However, the mechanisms underlying the antiepileptic efficacy of cannabis remain unclear. This article highlights the pharmacological basis of cannabis therapy, with an emphasis on the endocannabinoid mechanisms underlying the emerging neurotherapeutics of CBD in epilepsy.

CBD is anticonvulsant, but it has a low affinity for the cannabinoid CB1 and CB2 receptors; therefore the exact mechanism by which it affects seizures remains poorly understood.

A rigorous clinical evaluation of pharmaceutical CBD products is needed to establish the safety and efficacy for the treatment of epilepsy.

Identification of mechanisms underlying the anticonvulsant efficacy of CBD is additionally critical to identify other potential treatment options.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26787773

http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/early/2016/01/19/jpet.115.230151.long

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/epilepsy-2/

Cannabidiol Post-Treatment Alleviates Rat Epileptic-Related Behaviors and Activates Hippocampal Cell Autophagy Pathway Along with Antioxidant Defense in Chronic Phase of Pilocarpine-Induced Seizure.

Posted on January 8, 2016 by David

“Abnormal and sometimes severe behavioral and molecular symptoms are usually observed in epileptic humans and animals.

To address this issue, we examined the behavioral and molecular aspects of seizure evoked by pilocarpine. Autophagy can promote both cell survival and death, but there are controversial reports about the neuroprotective or neurodegenerative effects of autophagy in seizure.

Cannabidiol has anticonvulsant properties in some animal models when used as a pretreatment.

In this study, we investigated alteration of seizure scores, autophagy pathway proteins, and antioxidant status in hippocampal cells during the chronic phase of pilocarpine-induced epilepsy after treatment with cannabidiol.

Cannabidiol (100 ng, intracerebroventricular injection) delayed the chronic phase of epilepsy.

Single administration of cannabidiol during the chronic phase of seizure significantly diminished seizure scores such as mouth clonus, head nodding, monolateral and bilateral forelimb clonus and increased the activity of catalase enzyme and reduced glutathione content.

Such a protective effect in the behavioral scores of epileptic rats was also observed after repeated administrations of cannabidiol at the onset of the silent phase.

Moreover, the amount of Atg7, conjugation of Atg5/12, Atg12, and LC3II/LC3I ratio increased significantly in epileptic rats treated with repeated injections of cannabidiol.

In short, our results suggest that post-treatment of Cannabidiol could enhance the induction of autophagy pathway and antioxidant defense in the chronic phase of epilepsy, which could be considered as the protective mechanisms of cannabidiol in a temporal lobe epilepsy model.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26738731

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/epilepsy-2/

Marijuana extract slashes pediatric seizures, landmark study confirms

Posted on January 4, 2016 by David

Cannabis extract Epidiolex slashes seizures, a new study confirms. (Photo by GW Pharmaceuticals)

“A batch of studies further confirms medical cannabis patients are right to try cannabidiol-rich marijuana products to treat intractable seizure disorders.

Three studies presented at the American Epilepsy Society’s 69th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia Dec. 7th found a marijuana-derived extract slashed pediatric seizures in half, and completely stopped seizures in nine percent of cases.” http://blog.sfgate.com/smellthetruth/2015/12/15/marijuana-extract-slashes-pediatric-seizures-landmark-study-confirms/

“Study: marijuana medicine is safe, very effective on epilepsy” http://blog.sfgate.com/smellthetruth/2015/05/12/study-marijuana-medicine-is-safe-very-effective-on-epilepsy/

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/epilepsy-2/

Cannabidiol Effective and Safe at 3 Months for Epilepsy

Posted on January 4, 2016 by David

“New open-label data from the expanded-access treatment program involving the cannabidiol Epidiolex(GW Pharma) show the median reduction in frequency of convulsive seizures after 3 months of treatment was 45% in all patients but higher in those with Dravet syndrome, among the most severe types of epilepsy.

The data are “very positive and promising,” said lead author Orrin Devinsky, MD, professor, neurology, neurosurgery and psychiatry, and director, New York University Comprehensive Epilepsy Center.” http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/855768

“More Positive Results With Cannabidiol in Epilepsy” http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/853781

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/epilepsy-2/

Study: Marijuana-derived drug reduces epileptic seizures

Posted on January 4, 2016 by David

“A new study involving 11 epilepsy centers across the United States shows that a drug made from a medical marijuana derivative can reduce seizures in children and young adults with epilepsy who don’t find relief from other treatments.

Almost a third of patients with epilepsy don’t respond to standard treatments, and marijuana-based medicines have drawn interest as having potential benefits, but scientific data on their effectiveness has been slim until now.

The new research involved 137 patients between the ages of one and 30 years old. It found that a medical marijuana derivative called cannabidiol (CBD) helped reduce seizure frequency in most children and young adults enrolled in the yearlong study.

Cannabidiol was also well-tolerated and safe, lead author Dr. Orrin Devinsky, professor of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry and director of the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center at NYU Langone Medical Center, told CBS News.”

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/marijuana-derived-drug-reduces-seizures-in-hard-to-treat-epilepsy/

“Cannabidiol in patients with treatment-resistant epilepsy: an open-label interventional trial.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26724101

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/epilepsy-2/

Cannabidiol in patients with treatment-resistant epilepsy: an open-label interventional trial.

Posted on January 4, 2016 by David

“Cannabis-based treatments for epilepsy have generated much interest…

We aimed to establish whether addition of cannabidiol to existing anti-epileptic regimens would be safe, tolerated, and efficacious in children and young adults with treatment-resistant epilepsy…

Our findings suggest that cannabidiol might reduce seizure frequency and might have an adequate safety profile in children and young adults with highly treatment-resistant epilepsy.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26724101

http://www.thelancet.com/journals/laneur/article/PIIS1474-4422(15)00379-8/fulltext

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/epilepsy-2/

Cannabidiol as potential treatment in refractory pediatric epilepsy.

Posted on November 17, 2015 by David

“In recent years there has been great scientific and public interest focused on the therapeutic potential of compounds derived from cannabis for the treatment of refractory epilepsy in children.

From in vitro and in vivo studies on animal models, cannabidiol (CBD) appears to be a promising anticonvulsant drug with a favorable side-effect profile.

In humans, CBD efficacy and safety is not supported by well designed trials and its use has been described by anecdotal reports.

It will be necessary to investigate CBD safety, pharmacokinetics and interaction with other antiepileptic drugs alongside performing double-blinded placebo-controlled trials in order to obtain conclusive data on its efficacy and safety in children.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26567560

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/epilepsy-2/

Polypharmacology Shakes Hands with Complex Aetiopathology.

Posted on October 7, 2015 by David

“Chronic diseases are due to deviations of fundamental physiological systems, with different pathologies being characterised by similar malfunctioning biological networks.

The ensuing compensatory mechanisms may weaken the body’s dynamic ability to respond to further insults and reduce the efficacy of conventional single target treatments.

The multitarget, systemic, and prohomeostatic actions emerging for plant cannabinoids exemplify what might be needed for future medicines.

Indeed, two combined cannabis extracts were approved as a single medicine (Sativex®), while pure cannabidiol, a multitarget cannabinoid, is emerging as a treatment for paediatric drug-resistant epilepsy.

Using emerging cannabinoid medicines as an example, we revisit the concept of polypharmacology and describe a new empirical model, the ‘therapeutic handshake’, to predict efficacy/safety of compound combinations of either natural or synthetic origin.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26434643