Cannabis sativa L. is a medicinal plant with a long history. Phyto-cannabinoids are a class of compounds from C. sativa L. with varieties of structures. Endocannabinoids exist in the human body. This article provides an overview of natural cannabinoids (phyto-cannabinoids and endocannabinoids) with an emphasis on their pharmacology activities.
Patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) using marijuana have been reported to experience symptomatic benefit. Cannabidivarin (CBDV) is a safe non-psychoactive phytocannabinoid able to activate and desensitize TRPA1, a member of the TRP channels superfamily, which plays a pivotal role in intestinal inflammation. Here, we have investigated the potential intestinal anti-inflammatory effect of CBDV in mice and in biopsies from pediatric patients with active UC
Cannabis sativa L. is a medicinal plant with a long history. Phyto-cannabinoids are a class of compounds from C. sativa L. with varieties of structures. Endocannabinoids exist in the human body. This article provides an overview of natural cannabinoids (phyto-cannabinoids and endocannabinoids) with an emphasis on their pharmacology activities.
The current review evaluates the potential of cannabidiol (CBD) as a promising pharmacotherapy for social anxiety disorder (SAD). Although a number of evidence-based treatments for SAD are available, less than a third of affected individuals experience symptom remission after one year of treatment. Therefore, improved treatment options are urgently needed, and CBD is one candidate medication that may have certain benefits over current pharmacotherapies, including the absence of sedating side effects, reduced abuse liability, and rapid course of action. The current review provides a brief overview of CBD’s mechanisms of action, neuroimaging in SAD, and evidence for CBD’s effects on the neural substrates of SAD, as well as systematically reviewing literature directly examining the efficacy of CBD for improving social anxiety among healthy volunteers and individuals with SAD
Almost 90% of patients with dementia suffer from some type of neurobehavioral symptom, and there are no approved medications to address these symptoms. To evaluate the safety and efficacy of the medical cannabis oil “Avidekel” for the reduction of behavioral disturbances among patients with dementia.
Neurodevelopmental disorders have a multifactorial etiology that results from the interaction between biological and environmental factors. The biological basis of many of these disorders is only partially understood, which makes therapeutic interventions, especially pharmacological ones, particularly difficult. The impact of medical cannabis on neurological and psychiatric disorders has been studied for a long time. This study aimed to review the currently available clinical and pre-clinical studies regarding the use of cannabinoids in pediatric neurodevelopmental disorders and to draw attention to the potential therapeutic role of cannabidiol in this field.
For a long time since their discovery by Christian de Duve in the 1950s, lysosomes have been referred to almost exclusively as passive garbage bags; the endpoint in the degradation of intra- and extracellular cargo. The catabolic function of lysosomes is accomplished by an array of more than 60 acid hydrolases, which together break down a wide variety of biological macromolecules, including proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids, for reutilization in the metabolic processes of the cell. For their optimal function, these enzymes require an acidic intraluminal pH of ~4.5, which is maintained by the joint action of a proton pump, the vacuolar H+-ATPase, and several ion channels embedded in the lysosomal limiting membrane. Nowadays, lysosomes are envisioned as complex signaling hubs, integrating diverse stimuli about the cell’s metabolic status to coordinate different adaptive responses (Ballabio and Bonifacino, 2020). The lysosome can also induce cell death signals in response to certain conditions, such as infections and treatment with lysosomotropic drugs, which leads to lysosomal membrane permeabilization (LMP) and the release of cathepsins, resulting in lysosomal-mediated cell death.
The oxytosis/ferroptosis regulated cell death pathway recapitulates many features of mitochondrial dysfunction associated with the aging brain and has emerged as a potential key mediator of neurodegeneration. It has thus been proposed that the oxytosis/ferroptosis pathway can be
used to identify novel drug candidates for the treatment of age-associated neurodegenerative diseases that act by preserving mitochondrial function. Previously, we identified cannabinol (CBN) as a potent neuroprotector. Here, we demonstrate that not only does CBN protect nerve cells from oxytosis/ferroptosis in a manner that is dependent on mitochondria and it does so independently of cannabinoid receptors
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) patients may benefit from cannabinoid administration supplementary therapy; currently no consensus on its effect has been reached. A systematic review of RCTs on cannabinoid supplementation therapy in IBD has been conducted; data sources were MEDLINE, Scopus, ClinicalTrials.
Dementia is a major public health problem. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) accounts for 60% of dementia cases. However, AD is currently considered as an incurable disorder and the only few drugs available for its treatment are mostly symptomatic. In the quest for novel drugs for this devastating disease, cannabidiol (CBD) has been recently gaining attention due to its multiple properties, such as an ability to interact with various receptors, anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects and many more. The aim of this review article was to summarize findings on the effect of CBD on AD with a focus on molecular mechanisms of CBD’s action and therapeutic effects which it exerts.
There is substantial debate concerning the impact of cannabis decriminalization and legalization on road safety outcomes. Seven databases were systematically searched: Embase, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO through Ovid as well as Web of Science Core Collection, SafetyLit, Criminal Justice Database (ProQuest), and Transport Research International Documentation (from inception to June 16, 2021). Eligible primary studies examined group-level cannabis decriminalization or legalization and a road safety outcome in any population
Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer incidence and mortality in the United States. Cannabidiol (CBD), the second most abundant phytocannabinoid in Cannabis sativa, has potential use in cancer treatment on the basis of many studies showing its anti-cancer activity in diverse types of cancer, including colon cancer. However, its mechanism of action is not yet fully understood. In the current study, we observed CBD to repress viability of different human colorectal cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner. CBD treatment led to G1-phase cell cycle arrest and an increased sub-G1 population (apoptotic cells); it also downregulated protein expression of cyclin D1, cyclin D3, cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2), CDK4, and CDK6. CBD further increased caspase 3/7 activity and cleaved poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, and elevated expression of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress proteins including binding immunoglobulin protein (BiP), inositol-requiring enzyme 1α (IRE1α), phosphorylated eukaryotic initiation factor 2α (eIF2α), activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3), and ATF4.