Author Archives: David Worrell

Successful cannabis derivatives oromucosal spray therapy for a seronegative stiff-person syndrome: a case report.

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“Stiff-person syndrome (SPS) is an uncommon and disabling disorder characterised by progressive rigidity and episodic painful spasms involving axial and limb musculature.

The authors report a patient with seronegative SPS successfully treated with THC-CBD oromucosal spray.

In conclusion cannabinoids can be a therapeutic option to treat spasticity associated with neurological diseases such as stiff-person syndrome.

Our patient’s quality of life has improved remarkably although more information is needed about this particular use.”

https://ejhp.bmj.com/content/19/2/219.2?fbclid=IwAR0PVg0GRQDmu_tXu_vYJmmKHo2MGnJ_EsnkdsR4HE7deFVUtqhAxziHQBc

http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/ejhpharm-2012-000074.352

A Review of Herbal Therapy in Multiple Sclerosis

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“Medicinal plants have opened a new horizon in curing neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, AD and MS. literature data review indicated that herbal medicines could be effective in the treatment of MS disease and itsʼ related symptoms, by reducing the demyelination, improving remyelination and suppressing the inflammation in the CNS. On the basis of the above mentioned review, it can be concluded that the anti-inflammatory effect is the main reason of medicinal plants therapeutic effects in MS disease, through which medicinal plants ameliorate the severity of disease and reduce neuropathological changes. In addition to neuroprotective effect, medicinal plants have other beneficial effects for MS patients, such as sedation, improving sleep quality, anti-depressant effects, relief muscle stiffness and reducing bladder disturbance. The medicinal plants and their derivatives; Ginkgo biloba, Zingiber officinale, Curcuma longa, Hypericum perforatum, Valeriana officinalis, Vaccinium macrocarpon, Nigella sativa,Piper methysticum, Crocus sativus, Panax ginseng, Boswellia papyrifera, Vitis vinifera, Gastrodia elata, Camellia sinensis, Oenothera biennis, MS14 and Cannabis sativa have been informed to have several therapeutic effects in MS patients.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6311642/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30607330

Adenosine A2A-Cannabinoid CB1 Receptor Heteromers in the Hippocampus: Cannabidiol Blunts Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol-Induced Cognitive Impairment

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“At present, clinical interest in the plant-derived cannabinoid compound cannabidiol (CBD) is rising exponentially, since it displays multiple therapeutic properties. In addition, CBD can counteract the undesirable effects of the psychoactive cannabinoid Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) that hinder clinical development of cannabis-based therapies. Here, by combining in vivo and complementary molecular techniques, we demonstrate for the first time that CBD blunts the Δ9-THC-induced cognitive impairment in an adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR)-dependent manner. Overall, these data provide new evidence regarding the mechanisms of action of CBD and the nature of A2AR-CB1R interactions in the brain.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30610611

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs12035-018-1456-3

The Cerebellum, THC, and Cannabis Addiction: Findings from Animal and Human Studies.

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“Despite being legally scheduled as a drug with high harm potential and no therapeutic utility in countries like the USA, evidence shows otherwise and legislative changes and reinterpretations of existing ambiguous laws make this drug increasingly available by legal means.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30610540

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs12311-018-0993-7

Cannabinoid Receptor Type 1 Agonist ACEA Improves Cognitive Deficit on STZ-Induced Neurotoxicity Through Apoptosis Pathway and NO Modulation.

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“The cannabinoid system has the ability to modulate cellular and molecular mechanisms, including excitotoxicity, oxidative stress, apoptosis, and inflammation, acting as a neuroprotective agent, by its relationship with signaling pathways associated to the control of cell proliferation, differentiation, and survival. Recent reports have raised new perspectives on the possible role of cannabinoid system in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer disease’s (AD).

Our study has demonstrated a participation of the cannabinoid system in cellular survival, involving the CB1 receptor, which occurs by positive regulation of the anti-apoptotic proteins, suggesting the participation of this system in neurodegenerative processes. Our data suggest that the cannabinoid system is an interesting therapeutic target for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30607903

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs12640-018-9991-2

Gender and the Politics of Marijuana

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“The objectives of this study were to understand why, even though women are more liberal than men on a broad range of issues, when it comes to the increasingly prominent issue of marijuana legalization, the direction of the gender gap is reversed, with women more conservative than men.

We find that women’s role as mothers cannot explain this gap, and that mothers are in fact no different from those without children in terms of their support for marijuana policy, as well as their reported use of marijuana. The greater religiosity of women does play a prominent role in the gender gap on marijuana policy, but does not account for the full difference of opinion between women and men. Our findings suggest that men’s greater propensity relative to women to use marijuana is a major driver behind the gender gap.

Conclusions

Not only are attitudes on marijuana legalization likely to continue to liberalize, but as marijuana legalization and marijuana use become normalized, rather than viewed as immoral and dangerous behavior, the existing gender gap should shrink.”

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ssqu.12558

“Drug use, religion explain ‘reverse gender gap’ on marijuana”  https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/11/181126134251.htm?fbclid=IwAR072Y-SGz0PElUfNtQCTe56kzRC5ZBDoBMmlW2oTagAOy-IOcT_8UxVCEI

Anti-inflammatory mechanisms of cannabinoids: an immunometabolic perspective.

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“A number of studies have implicated cannabinoids as potent anti-inflammatory mediators. However, the exact mechanism by which cannabinoids exert these effects remains to be fully explained.

The recent resurgence in interest regarding the metabolic adaptations undergone by activated immune cells has highlighted the intricate connection between metabolism and an inflammatory phenotype.

In this regard, evidence suggests that cannabinoids may alter cell metabolism by increasing AMPK activity. In turn, emerging evidence suggests that the activation of AMPK by cannabinoids may mediate an anti-inflammatory effect through a range of processes.

First, AMPK may promote oxidative metabolism, which have been shown to play a central role in immune cell polarisation towards a tolerogenic phenotype. AMPK activation may also attenuate anabolic processes which in turn may antagonise immune cell function. Furthermore, AMPK activity promotes the induction of autophagy, which in turn may promote anti-inflammatory effects through various well-described processes.

Taken together, these observations implicate cannabinoids to mediate part of their anti-inflammatory effects through alterations in immune cell metabolism and the induction of autophagy.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30610735

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10787-018-00560-7

Production, digestibility and allergenicity of hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) protein isolates.

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Food Research International

“Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.), traditionally cultivated for industrial use and harvested for fibers and seeds, has raised much interest as a sustainable crop in the last years.

Recently, hemp seeds and derived oil have started to be used in a variety of food products. Hemp-based food products are considered less allergenic than those from other edible seeds, although this statement has never been experimentally verified.

In this study high purity grade hemp flour (HF) and hemp protein isolate (HPI) were obtained through a fast and cheap process starting from defatted hemp cakes, a residue of hempseed oil extraction.

HPI resulted enriched at nearly 86% protein, mainly constituted by the storage protein edestin (accounting for 70% total protein). In vitro protein digestibility was determined using a static model of gastrointestinal digestion (GID), which included a final step with purified brush border membrane (BBM) enzyme preparations. HF and HPI showed a high degree of digestibility. The survival of potential bioactive and/or allergenic peptide sequences in digests was investigated by peptidomic analysis. Only a limited number of sequences survived GID. Among them, fragments from 12 seed proteins. These fragments were precursors of sequences with potential bioactive peptides, which might justify the bioactivity of HPI hydrolysates, reported in previous studies.

More importantly, all known hemp allergens, including the major thaumatin-like protein and LTP, were entirely eliminated by the HPI production process, neither fragments of the proteins were present after GID.

These data support the use of HPI as an ingredient for hypoallergenic foods.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30599980

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0963996918307427?via%3Dihub

Cannabidiol.

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“Cannabidiol has not been studied in nursing women taking the pharmaceutical product.

Cannabidiol has been detected in the breastmilk of some mothers who used cannabis products recreationally.

If cannabidiol is required by the mother, it is not a reason to discontinue breastfeeding.

However, since no information is available on the use of cannabidiol during breastfeeding, an alternate drug may be preferred, especially while nursing a newborn or preterm infant.”

 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30601607
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK535598/

Cannabinoid-mediated retinal rescue correlates with improved circadian parameters in retinal dystrophic rats.

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 Experimental Eye Research“Ocular pathologies and blindness have been linked to circadian disorders. In previous studies, our group has demonstrated that retinitis pigmentosa is associated with degenerative changes in the melanopsin system and weaker circadian patterns.

We have also shown that cannabinoids preserve retinal structure and function in dystrophic P23H rats.

This study is consequently aimed at examining whether the morphologic and functional rescue of retinal degeneration by cannabinoids is associated with amelioration of circadian parameters.

The synthetic cannabinoid HU210 (100 μg/kg, i.p.) or vehicle were administered to transgenic P23H rats three times per week, from postnatal day 24-90. Sprague-Dawley rats were used as a healthy control group. Locomotor activity and scotopic electroretinograms were recorded, and the retinal structure was analyzed at the end of the experiment. The ERG a- and b-wave amplitudes and photoreceptor cell number were more deteriorated in vehicle-administered P23H rats as compared to P23H rats treated with HU210. In cannabinoid-administered P23H rats, the locomotor activity circadian rhythms showed less disturbance than that observed in vehicle-administered P23H rats, the latter showing lower values for mesor, amplitude, acrophase, percentage of variance and non-parametric variables. A positive linear correlation was found between retinal values and circadian parameters of locomotor activity from P23H rats.

This study thus provides evidence of a positive correlation between cannabinoid-mediated rescue of retinal structure and function and improvement of circadian rhythmicity.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30605663

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0014483518306511?via%3Dihub