Tag Archives: cannabinoid

Antidote to cannabinoid intoxication: Inverse cannabinoid receptor one (CB1) agonism by N-(Piperidin-1-yl)-5-(4-iodophenyl)-1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-4-methyl-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxamidse (AM251) reverses the hypothermic effects of cannabinoid receptor one agonism by 1-Naphthalenyl [4-(pentyloxy)-1-naphthalenyl] methanone (CB13) in mice.

Posted on by
Reply

Image result for Br J Pharmacol

“Cannabis is a recreational drug leading to intoxication, due to cannabinoid receptor one (CB1 ) stimulation.

The aim of the study was to determine whether CB1 antagonism could reverse physical cannabimimetic effects.

In this study, the pre-existing, central nervous system-related cannabimimetic effects, measured via the hypothermic effect, induced by CB1 receptor agonism where therapeutically treated and were rapidly reversed by CB1 receptor antagonism/inverse agonism. There was also a subjective reversal of visually-evident sedation.

CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS:

Cannabinoid receptor antagonists have been used in thousands of people and so may provide a single-dose antidote to cannabinoid intoxication, which may save human life,”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28800377

Perioperative Patient Beliefs Regarding Potential Effectiveness of Marijuana (Cannabinoids) for Treatment of Pain: A Prospective Population Survey.

Posted on by
Reply

logo

“Cannabinoids have an expanding presence in medicine.

Perioperative patients’ perceptions of the effectiveness of these compounds, and acceptance if prescribed for pain, have not been previously described. Our primary objective was to describe patients’ beliefs regarding the potential effectiveness of cannabinoids for the treatment of acute and chronic pain, as well as gauge patient acceptance of these compounds if prescribed by a physician.

More than 80% of this cohort of preoperative patients believed that marijuana could be at least somewhat effective for the treatment of pain after surgery and would be willing to use cannabinoid compounds if prescribed by their physician.

Patients generally believe that marijuana could be at least somewhat effective for the management of pain and are willing to use cannabinoid compounds for this indication, if prescribed by a physician.”

 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28796754
https://insights.ovid.com/crossref?an=00115550-900000000-99321

Effects of Cannabidiol on Morphine Conditioned Place Preference in Mice.

Posted on by
Reply

“This study sought to determine whether the cannabis constituent cannabidiol attenuates the development of morphine reward in the conditioned place preference paradigm.

Separate groups of mice received either saline or morphine in combination with one of four doses of cannabidiol using three sets of drug/no-drug conditioning trials. After drug-place conditioning, morphine mice displayed robust place preference that was attenuated by 10 mg/kg cannabidiol. Further, when administered alone, this dose of cannabidiol was void of rewarding and aversive properties.

The finding that cannabidiol blocks opioid reward suggests that this compound may be useful in addiction treatment settings.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28793355

https://www.thieme-connect.de/DOI/DOI?10.1055/s-0043-117838

Modulation of Astrocyte Activity by Cannabidiol, a Nonpsychoactive Cannabinoid.

Posted on by
Reply

ijms-logo

“The astrocytes have gained in recent decades an enormous interest as a potential target for neurotherapies, due to their essential and pleiotropic roles in brain physiology and pathology. Their precise regulation is still far from understood, although several candidate molecules/systems arise as promising targets for astrocyte-mediated neuroregulation and/or neuroprotection.

The cannabinoid system and its ligands have been shown to interact and affect activities of astrocytes. Cannabidiol (CBD) is the main non-psychotomimetic cannabinoid derived from Cannabis. CBD is devoid of direct CB1 and CB2 receptor activity, but exerts a number of important effects in the brain. Here, we attempt to sum up the current findings on the effects of CBD on astrocyte activity, and in this way on central nervous system (CNS) functions, across various tested models and neuropathologies.

The collected data shows that increased astrocyte activity is suppressed in the presence of CBD in models of ischemia, Alzheimer-like and Multiple-Sclerosis-like neurodegenerations, sciatic nerve injury, epilepsy, and schizophrenia. Moreover, CBD has been shown to decrease proinflammatory functions and signaling in astrocytes.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28788104

http://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/18/8/1669

Could Cannabidiol be a Treatment Option for Intractable Childhood and Adolescent Epilepsy?

Posted on by
Reply

 “Epilepsy is an important disease that affects brain function, particularly in those under 3 years old. Uncontrolled seizures can affect cognitive function and quality of life. For these reasons, many trials have been conducted to investigate treatments for pediatric epilepsy. Currently, many antiepileptic drugs are available for the treatment of epilepsy, but cases of intractable epilepsy continue to exist.

In the past, cannabis has been tested as a potential treatment of intractable epilepsy.

Since 2013, 10 epilepsy centers in America have conducted research regarding the efficacy of cannabis to treat epilepsy. Cannabis has many components, including cannabidiol (CBD) and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). THC has psychoactive properties exerted through its binding of the cannabinoid receptor (CBR) whereas CBD is a CBR antagonist. The inhibition of epilepsy by CBD may therefore be caused by various mechanisms, although the detailed mechanisms of CBD actions have not yet been well defined. In most studies, trial doses of CBD were 2-5 mg/kg/day.

Several such studies have shown that CBD does have efficacy for treatment of epilepsy.

Reported adverse effects of CBD were mostly mild, including drowsiness, diarrhea, and decreased appetite. Severe adverse reactions requiring treatment, such as status epilepticus, have also been reported but it is not clear that this is related to CBD. Furthermore, many previous studies have been limited by an open-label or survey design. In future, double-blind, controlled trials are required and the use of CBD to treat other neurological problems should also be investigated.”  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28775950

“Most studies suggest anticonvulsant effects of CBD, and consider most adverse effects to be mild. It must be borne in mind that CBD is still illegal in many contexts. However, it has the potential to treat various neurological problems, including epilepsy.” http://www.j-epilepsy.org/journal/view.php?doi=10.14581/jer.17003

Single oral dose of cannabinoid derivate loaded PLGA nanocarriers relieves neuropathic pain for eleven days.

Posted on by
Reply

Nanomedicine Home

“Neuropathic pain, resistant to opiates and other drugs, is a chronic/persistent state with a complex treatment and often poor efficacy. In this scenario, cannabinoids are increasingly regarded as a genuine alternative. In this paper, and in an experimental animal model of neuropathic pain, we studied the efficacy of three kinds of PLGA nanoparticles containing synthetic cannabinoid CB13: (i) plain nanoparticles (PLGA); (ii) particles coated with PEG chains (PLGA+PEG) and (iii) particles possessing hydrophilic surfaces obtained by covalently binding PEG chains (PLGA-PEG). The optimized formulation, CB13-PLGA-PEG, showed high drug loading (13%) and small size (<300nm) with a narrow distribution and controlled surface properties (near-neutral zeta potential and stable PEG corona). Animal nociceptive behavioral studies were conducted by paw pressure and acetone tests. Versus the free CB13, CB13-PLGA-PEG nanoparticles showed a very noticeable analgesic efficacy with the longest sustained pain-relieving effect, lasting up to eleven days after one oral dose.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28756090

http://www.nanomedjournal.com/article/S1549-9634(17)30140-5/fulltext

Modeling Neurodegenerative Disorders for Developing Cannabinoid-Based Neuroprotective Therapies.

Posted on by
Reply

Methods in Enzymology

“The increase in lifespan during the last 50 years, mainly in developed countries, has originated a progressive elevation in the incidence of chronic neurodegenerative disorders, for which aging is the key risk factor. This fact will definitively become the major biomedical challenge during the present century, in part because the expectation of a persisting elevation in the population older than 65 years over the whole population and, on the other hand, because the current lack of efficacious therapies to control these disorders despite years of intense research.

This chapter will address this question and will stress the urgency of developing better neuroprotective and neurorepair strategies that may delay/arrest the progression of these disorders, reviewing the major needs to solve the causes proposed for the permanent failures experienced in recent years, e.g., to develop multitarget strategies, to use more predictive experimental models, and to identify early disease biomarkers.

This chapter will propose the cannabinoids and their classic (e.g., endocannabinoid receptors and enzymes) and nonclassic (e.g., peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors, transcription factors) targets as a useful strategy for developing novel therapies for these disorders, based on their broad-spectrum neuroprotective profile, their activity as an endogenous protective system, the location of the endocannabinoid targets in cell substrates critical for neuronal survival, and their ability to serve for preservation and rescue, but also for repair and/or replacement, of neurons and glial cells against cytotoxic insults.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28750802

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0076687917301787?via%3Dihub

Cannabidiol reduces seizure frequency in Dravet syndrome

Posted on by
Reply

Image result for nature reviews neurology

“Cannabidiol is effective in treating drug-resistant seizures in Dravet syndrome, according to a new clinical trial. For the first time, a multinational, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial has confirmed controversial anecdotal evidence supporting the efficacy of cannabinoids in epilepsy.” https://www.nature.com/nrneurol/journal/v13/n7/full/nrneurol.2017.86.html

“Trial of Cannabidiol for Drug-Resistant Seizures in the Dravet Syndrome”  http://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMoa1611618

“Cannabinoids for Epilepsy — Real Data, at Last”  http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMe1702205

Fewer Seizures With Cannabidiol in Catastrophic Epilepsy

Posted on by
Reply

Cannabidiol reduces frequency of seizures in patients with Dravet syndrome.

“Cannabidiol reduced the frequency of convulsive seizures compared with placebo in Dravet syndrome, a childhood epilepsy disorder with a high mortality rate and no approved treatment in the United States, reported a clinical trial in the New England Journal of Medicine.” http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2645099

“Trial of Cannabidiol for Drug-Resistant Seizures in the Dravet Syndrome”  http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1611618#t=abstract

“EPILEPSY AND MARIJUANA: CANNABIS DRUG REDUCES DRAVET SYNDROME SEIZURES IN LARGE-SCALE CLINICAL TRIAL” http://www.newsweek.com/cannabis-marijuana-dravet-syndrome-epilepsy-clinical-trial-614982

[Cannabidiol: its use in refractory epilepsies].

Posted on by
Reply

Image result for Rev Neurol

“Some epileptic syndromes are characterised by seizures that are difficult to control and are associated to delayed neuropsychomotor development, which results in a deterioration in the patient’s quality of life as well as in that of his or her family.

AIM:

To evaluate the use of cannabidiol as adjuvant therapy in patients with refractory epilepsies.

PATIENTS AND METHODS:

An observational study was conducted by means of a survey addressed to the patient’s caregiver. Data collected included information about the patient and the caregiver, changes observed in the seizures, neuropsychological effects, side effects and the family’s overall perception following the use of cannabidiol.

RESULTS:

The evaluation examined 15 patients with refractory epilepsies, who received cannabidiol over a period ranging from one month to one year. The frequency of seizures decreased in 40% of the patients, 60% of the patients were seen to have control over 50% of their seizures and in 27% of them the seizures disappeared completely. Neurocognitive changes were also reported: behaviour improved in 73%; 60% reported an improvement in language; in 50% sleep improved; 43% reported improvements in eating habits; and 100% said their mood had improved. The overall perception of the illness was that there had been improvements in 73% of respondents. The most common side effects were drowsiness and fatigue.

CONCLUSIONS:

These results suggest a possible beneficial effect of cannabidiol on the control of seizures and on the improvement of certain neurocognitive aspects in patients with refractory epilepsies.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28726233