“Aging is usually considered a key risk factor associated with multiple diseases, such as neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Furthermore, the burden of age-related diseases has become a global challenge. It is of great significance to search for drugs to extend lifespan and healthspan. Cannabidiol (CBD), a natural nontoxic phytocannabinoid, has been regarded as a potential candidate drug for antiaging. An increasing number of studies have suggested that CBD could benefit healthy longevity. Herein, we summarized the effect of CBD on aging and analyzed the possible mechanism. All these conclusions may provide a perspective for further study of CBD on aging.”
“CBD is a potential antiaging candidate. CBD possesses antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and autophagy-inducing properties. CBD has potentially beneficial therapeutic effects for several age-related diseases.”
“Background: Pain is common in Parkinson’s disease (PD), but effective therapies are limited.
Objectives: To determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and safety of formulations of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) for pain in PD.
Methods: In this phase 1b, double-blind, randomized, single-center study, participants were randomized to three formulations of THC/CBD (18:0, 10:10, and 1:20). The MTD, adverse events (AE), and tolerability are described for each formulation.
Results: Eight participants were randomized. The MTD was similar among groups (0.8-0.9 mL/daily), and there were no serious AE or study drop-outs. The most common AE were drowsiness and dizziness (three participants). Epworth sleepiness scale scores were higher in the high CBD formulation (1:20).
Conclusions: In patients with pain and PD, mixed formulations of THC/CBD were tolerated with no serious AE. Considering the safety profile, future phase II studies should be considered.”
“Background: Panic disorder (PD) is a disabling psychiatry condition that affects approximately 5% of the worldwide population. Currently, long-term selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the first-line treatment for PD; however, the common side-effect profiles and drug interactions may provoke patients to abandon the treatment, leading to PD symptoms relapse. Cannabidiol (CBD) is the major non-psychotomimetic constituent of the Cannabis sativa plant with antianxiety properties that has been suggested as an alternative for treating anxiety disorders. The aim of the present review was to discuss the effects and mechanisms involved in the putative anti-panic effects of CBD.
Methods: electronic database was used as source of the studies selected selected based on the studies found by crossing the following keywords: cannabidiol and panic disorder; canabidiol and anxiety, cannabidiol and 5-HT1A receptor).
Results: In the present review, we included both experimental laboratory animal and human studies that have investigated the putative anti-panic properties of CBD. Taken together, the studies assessed clearly suggest an anxiolytic-like effect of CBD in both animal models and healthy volunteers.
Conclusions: CBD seems to be a promising drug for the treatment of PD. However, novel clinical trials involving patients with the PD diagnosis are clearly needed to clarify the specific mechanism of action of CBD and the safe and ideal therapeutic doses of this compound.”
“Background: Nowadays, the majority of the population suffers from the problem of hair loss. It leads to disturbed mental health, lower self-confidence, and a lot more problems. A lot of the hair loss therapies available are not reliable and lead to recurrence and side effects after some time. Cannabinoids (CBD) have recently become quite popular for their benefits against hair loss. CBD oil preparations have been used both internally and externally for oral and topical use, respectively. Due to the presence of the endocannabinoid system (ECS) in the body, which naturally targets CB1 and CB2 receptors, the control of hair fall is possible. CBD is used topically for hair loss, whereas it is administered orally for the treatment and management of a medical condition, i.e., alopecia.
Aim/objective: The present review aimed to provide an in-depth study on hair loss and its management using CBD and its associated mechanisms.
Methods: Electronic databases, such as ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, PubMed, Wiley, Springer, and Scopus, were thoroughly searched for information about how CBD is used, how it works, and what role it plays in treating alopecia and hair loss.
Results: This review has highlighted the use of CBD-based hair loss therapy, and described various types of hair loss and their treatments. This review also details the phytocannabinoids and the potential mechanisms of CBD’s activity against hair loss and alopecia.
Conclusion: The data obtained from the literature regarding CBD and hair loss provide a scientific basis for CBD use in alopecia. Additionally, a more precise and comprehensive study concerning CBD needs to be carried out at the pre-clinical and clinical levels.”
“Introduction: The aim was to demonstrate the safety and tolerability of cannabidiol (CBD) with Δ9-THC in patients with moderate to severe chronic back or neck pain unresponsive to over-the-counter non-opioid analgesics.
Methods: This was a non-randomized, single-arm, open-label study. Participants received escalating doses of an oromucosal-administered combination containing 10 mg/mL of Δ9-THC, 25 mg/mL of CBD. On day 1, patients received once-daily 0.5 mL Cybis® 10:25 (5 mg Δ9-THC plus 12.5 mg CBD daily), escalated at days 8, 15, and 22 to 0.5 mL twice-daily (bd) (10 mg Δ9-THC plus 25 mg CBD daily), 1.0 mL bd (20 mg Δ9-THC plus 50 mg CBD daily), and 1.5 mL bd (30 mg Δ9-THC plus 75 mg CBD daily), respectively. The primary outcome was safety and tolerability, with secondary objectives including pharmacokinetic and efficacy outcomes.
Results: 28 patients were enrolled in the study. Their median age was 63.3 years, and half were female. The median history of neck/back pain was 10 years. The pharmacokinetics following single doses of 0.5 mL were variable; however, there were dose-dependent increases in trough levels of CBD and Δ9-THC. Cybis® 10:25 was well tolerated, with the majority of adverse events of mild severity. The most common adverse events were nausea, vomiting, fatigue, dizziness, headache, paresthesia, and anxiety. There were dose-dependent improvements in numerical pain rating scores (p < 0.001), with clinically significant reductions in pain at 1.0 mL bd and 1.5 mL bd doses (28.8% and 34.1% reductions, respectively, p < 0.001). Depressive symptoms and stress had dose-dependent reductions (p = 0.0182, p < 0.01, respectively).
Conclusion: In patients with chronic neck/back pain, CBD and Δ9-THC are well tolerated and doses of 1.0 mL bd and 1.5 mL bd showed clinically significant reductions in pain compared to baseline pain scores.”
“Cannabinoids are compounds found in the cannabis sativa plant. Cannabinoids, such as delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), have potential therapeutic benefits in various medical conditions. Some can activate the cannabinoid receptors type-1 and -2 (CB1 and CB2), that are part of the endocannabinoid system (ECS), alongside the endocannabinoids and their metabolic enzymes.
The ECS regulates physiological and cognitive processes and is a potential therapeutic target for a wide range of health conditions like chronic pain, anxiety, and neurodegenerative diseases. Synthetic cannabinoids, are associated with serious health risks, including addiction, psychosis, and death. Nonetheless, some of these molecules are also being explored for pharmacological applications.
Angiogenesis is the process of forming new blood vessels from existing ones, crucial for growth, repair, and tissue maintenance. Dysregulation of this process is associated with several diseases, including cancer, diabetic retinopathy and reproductive pathologies, such as preeclampsia. Recent data suggests that cannabinoids may affect angiogenesis.
Here, we reviewed their impact on pro-angiogenic factors, extracellular matrix enzymes and inhibitors, immune-inflammatory responses, angiogenic pathways and functional assays, focusing on the main compounds for each cannabinoid class: THC and CBD for phytocannabinoids, anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) for endocannabinoids and WIN-55, JWH-133, XLR-11, LYR-7 and LYR-8, for the synthetic cannabinoids.
Despite conflicting reports about the actions of phytocannabinoids and endocannabinoids on angiogenesis, the ability to modulate the angiogenic process is undoubtedly confirmed. This may open a new therapeutical route for angiogenesis-related pathologies. In addition, synthetic cannabinoids present anti-angiogenic actions in several cell models, hinting their potential as anti-angiogenic drugs.”
“Cannabis may have therapeutic benefits to relieve symptoms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) thanks to its pleiotropic pharmacological activity. This study is the first to present a large questionnaire-based survey about the “real-life” situation regarding cannabis use in the medical context in ALS patients in France. There were 129 respondents and 28 reported the use of cannabis (21.7%) to relieve symptoms of ALS. Participants mostly reported the use of cannabidiol (CBD) oil and cannabis weed and declared benefits both on motor (rigidity, cramps, fasciculations) and non-motor (sleep quality, pain, emotional state, quality of life, depression) symptoms and only eight reported minor adverse reactions (drowsiness, euphoria and dry mouth). Even if cannabis is mostly used outside medical pathways and could expose patients to complications (street and uncontrolled drugs, drug-drug interactions, adverse effects…), most of the participants reported “rational” consumption (legal cannabinoids, with only few combustion and adverse reactions). Despite some limitations, this study highlights the need for further research on the potential benefits of cannabis use for the management of ALS motor and non-motor symptoms. Indeed, there is an urgent need and call for and from patients to know more about cannabis and secure its use in a medical context.”
“Background: While cannabis-based medicine is being commonly used in patients with movement disorders, there is a scarcity of publications regarding the effect of cannabis on dystonia. We aimed to describe medical cannabis use in patients with dystonia and related pain.
Methods: We employed a structured interview to obtain data on the cannabis treatment regimen, perception of effectiveness and side effect profile. Eligible participants were patients diagnosed with dystonia from the movement disorders unit at the Tel-Aviv Medical Center who had used licensed medical cannabis between January 2019 and January 2021.
Results: Twenty-three subjects were interviewed (11 women, mean age 52.7). The most common way of administration was smoking (n = 11). Following an average of 2.5 ± 2.9 years of use, those with widespread dystonia (generalized, hemi and multifocal, n = 11) self-reported on a numeric rating scale an average 63% (range 0%-100%) reduction in symptoms of dystonia, while those with more focal dystonia patterns reported a significantly lower treatment effect of 32%. Participants reported a positive impact in related pain and quality of life, with an average rating of 3.8 out of 5 (SD = 1.2, median = 4) and 3.6 out of 5 (SD = 1.15, median = 4), respectively. Most common side effects were dry mouth (65%), sedation (43%), dizziness (39%) and psychiatric disorders (26%). Three patients (13%) discontinued therapy.
Conclusion: A subset of dystonia patients who use medical cannabis under clinical observation reported significant subjective improvement during 30 months of use in average. Further prospective randomized controlled trials are required to examine the effectiveness of cannabis in dystonia.”
“Introduction: Taste alteration is a common adverse effect of chemotherapy. This study aimed to investigate the effect of cannabidiol (CBD) on Lean Body Mass (LBM), and taste alterations during oxaliplatin- or paclitaxel-based chemotherapy.
Methods: LBM was estimated by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), and taste perception was evaluated by a randomized sensory test of six samples: sweet, salt, and umami, all in weak and strong concentrations. Taste perceptions were scored on visual analog scales. Patients in the intervention group received oral CBD 300 mg/day for 8 days; patients in the control group did not. Patients were followed for three cycles of chemotherapy.
Results: Twenty-two/ten patients (intervention/control group) were eligible. No effects on LBM were demonstrated. At baseline, the control group was able to differentiate between weak and strong saltiness and weak and strong sweetness but lost this ability after three cycles of chemotherapy. At baseline, the intervention group was unable to differentiate between the concentrations but gained the ability to significantly differentiate between weak and strong sweetness (p = 0.03) and weak and strong saltiness (p = 0.04) after three cycles of chemotherapy and treatment with CBD.
Conclusions: CBD may improve patients’ ability to differentiate taste strengths during chemotherapy.”
“Background: Recently, there has been increasing legalization of marijuana within the United States, however data are mixed with respect to its efficacy in treating acute pain. Our goal was to identify a difference in opioid utilization in patients with known cannabis use before anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) compared with those that report no cannabis use.
Methods: This study was a retrospective case-control design using PearlDiver. Patients who underwent a single level ACDF between January 2010 and October 2020, were included. Patients were placed in the study group if they had a previous diagnosis of cannabis use, dependence, or abuse. Patients were excluded if they were under the age of 18 or if they had filled an opioid prescription within 3 months of their procedure. A control group was then created using a propensity score match on age, gender, and Charleston comorbidity index (CCI), and had no diagnosis of cannabis use. The primary outcome was the number of morphine milliequivalents (MME) dispensed per prescription following surgery.
Results: A total of 1,339 patients were included in each group. The number of patients filling prescriptions was lower in the cannabis group than in the control group at 3 days postoperatively (p<.001). The average total MME per day as prescribed was lower in the cannabis group than the control group at 60 days post-op (48.5 vs. 59.4, respectively; p=.018).
Conclusions: Patients who had a previous diagnosis of cannabis use, dependence or abuse filled fewer opioid prescriptions postoperatively (at 3 days postoperatively) and required lower doses (reduced average daily MME, at 60 days postoperatively) when compared with the control group.”
“In summary, patients who were known to use cannabis filled fewer opioid prescriptions following ACDF procedures and were prescribed lower daily doses than the control group, suggesting that cannabis use may reduce opioid requirements in this population.”
