Cannabidiol’s neuroprotective properties and potential treatment of traumatic brain injuries

Cannabidiol (CBD) has numerous pharmacological targets that initiate anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, and antiepileptic properties. These neuroprotective benefits have generated interest in CBD’s therapeutic potential against the secondary injury cascade from traumatic brain injury (TBI). There are currently no effective broad treatment strategies for combating the damaging mechanisms that follow the primary injury and lead to lasting neurological consequences or death. However, CBD’s effects on different neurotransmitter systems, the blood brain barrier, oxidative stress mechanisms, and the inflammatory response provides mechanistic support for CBD’s clinical utility in TBI. This review describes the cascades of damage caused by TBI and CBD’s neuroprotective mechanisms to counter them. We also present challenges in the clinical treatment of TBI and discuss important future clinical research directions for integrating CBD in treatment protocols. The mechanistic evidence provided by pre-clinical research shows great potential for CBD as a much-needed improvement in the clinical treatment of TBI. Upcoming clinical trials sponsored by major professional sport leagues are the first attempts to test the efficacy of CBD in head injury treatment protocols and highlight the need for further clinical research.

A focused review on CB2 receptor-selective pharmacological properties and therapeutic potential of β-caryophyllene, a dietary cannabinoid

The endocannabinoid system (ECS), a conserved physiological system emerged as a novel pharmacological target for its significant role and potential therapeutic benefits ranging from neurological diseases to cancer. Among both, CB1 and CB2R types, CB2R have received attention for its pharmacological effects as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory and antiapoptotic that can be achieved without causing psychotropic adverse effects through CB1R.

Cannabis Therapeutics and the Future of Neurology

Author: Ethan B. Russo Published in: Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience  October 2018 Abstract Introduction: Cannabis burst across the Western medicine horizon after its introduction by William O’Shaughnessy in 1838 (O’Shaughnessy, 1838–1840;…

Migraine Frequency Decrease Following Prolonged Medical Cannabis Treatment: A Cross-Sectional Study

Authors: Joshua Aviram, Yelena Vysotski, Paula Berman, Gil M Lewitus, Elon Eisenberg, David Meiri Published in MDPI June 2020 Background Medical cannabis (MC) treatment for migraine is practically emerging, although…

Acute and residual mood and cognitive performance of young adults following smoked cannabis

Authors: Justin Matheson, Robert E. Mann, Beth Sproule, Marilyn A. Huestis, Christine M. Wickens, Gina Stoduto, Tony P. George, Jürgen Rehm, Bernard Le Foll, Bruna Brands Published in Science Direct…

Novel interventions to reduce oxidative-stress related brain injury in neonatal asphyxia.

Authors: A.L. Solevåga, G.M. Schmölzer, P.-Y.Cheung
Free Radical Biology and Medicine, October 2019

Perinatal asphyxia-induced brain injury may present as hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy in the neonatal period, and disability including cerebral palsy in the long term. The brain injury is secondary to both the hypoxic-ischemic event and the reoxygenation-reperfusion following…

The endocannabinoid system and stroke: A focused review.

Authors: Bradley Kolb, Hamidreza Saber, Hassan Fadel, Gary Rajah
Brain Circulation, January-March 2019

Stroke is an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Development of novel neuroprotectants is of paramount importance. This review seeks to summarize the recent evidence for the role of the endocannabinoid signaling system in stroke pathophysiology, as well as th…

Therapeutic potential of cannabinoids as neuroprotective agents for damaged cells conducing to movement disorders.

Authors: Mario Antonazzo, María Botta, Harkaitz Bengoetxea, José Ángel Ruiz-Ortega, Teresa Morera-Herreras
International Review of Neurobiology, 2019

The basal ganglia (BG), an organized network of nuclei that integrates cortical information, play a crucial role in controlling motor function. In fact, movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Huntington’s disease (HD) are caused by the degeneration of specific…

Translational Investigation of the Therapeutic Potential of Cannabidiol (CBD): Toward a New Age.

Authors: José A. Crippa, Francisco S. Guimarães, Alline C. Campos, Antonio W. Zuardi
Frontiers in Immunology, 21 September 2018

Background: Among the many cannabinoids in the cannabis plant, cannabidiol (CBD) is a compound that does not produce the typical subjective effects of marijuana. Objectives: The aim of the present review is to describe the main advances in the development of the experimental a…

In vivo Evidence for Therapeutic Properties of Cannabidiol (CBD) for Alzheimer’s Disease

Authors: Georgia Watt, Tim Karl
Frontiers in Pharmacology, 3 February 2017

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a debilitating neurodegenerative disease that is affecting an increasing number of people. It is characterized by the accumulation of amyloid-β and tau hyperphosphorylation as well as neuroinflammation and oxidative stress. Current AD treatments do…

Modeling Neurodegenerative Disorders for Developing Cannabinoid-Based Neuroprotective Therapies.

Authors: Javier Fernández-Ruiz, María Gómez-Ruiz, Concepción García, Mariluz Hernández, José A. Ramos
Methods in Enzymology, 2017

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 cha…

Natural Phytochemicals in the Treatment and Prevention of Dementia: An Overview.

Authors: Rosaliana Libro, Sabrina Giacoppo, Thangavelu Soundara Rajan, Placido Bramanti, Emanuela Mazzon
Molecules, 21 April 2016

The word dementia describes a class of heterogeneous diseases which etiopathogenetic mechanisms are not well understood. There are different types of dementia, among which, Alzheimer’s disease (AD), vascular dementia (VaD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and frontotemporal de…