Cannabigerol (CBG) attenuates mechanical hypersensitivity elicited by chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. - GreenMedInfo Summary
Cannabigerol (CBG) attenuates mechanical hypersensitivity elicited by chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.
Eur J Pain. 2022 10 ;26(9):1950-1966. Epub 2022 Aug 4. PMID: 35899583
Diana E Sepulveda
BACKGROUND: Cannabigerol (CBG) is a non-psychoactive phytocannabinoid produced by the plant Cannabis sativa with affinity to various receptors involved in nociception. As a result, CBG is marketed as an over-the-counter treatment for many forms of pain. However, there is very little research-based evidence for the efficacy of CBG as an anti-nociceptive agent.
METHODS: To begin to fill this knowledge gap, we assessed the anti-nociceptive effects of CBG in C57BL/6 mice using three different models of pain; cisplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy, the formalin test, and the tail-flick assay.
RESULTS: Using the von Frey test, we found that CBG-attenuated mechanical hypersensitivity evoked by cisplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy in both male and female mice. Additionally, we observed that this CBG-induced reduction in mechanical hypersensitivity was attenuated by theα-adrenergic receptor antagonist atipamezole (3 mg/kg, i.p.) and the CBR antagonist, AM4113 (3 mg/kg, i.p.), and blocked by the CBR antagonist/inverse agonist, SR144528 (10 mg/kg, i.p.). We found that the TRPV1 antagonist, SB705498 (20 mg/kg, i.p.) was unable to prevent CBG actions. Furthermore, we show that CBG:CBD oil (10 mg/kg, i.p.) was more effective than pure CBG (10 mg/kg) at reducing mechanical hypersensitivity in neuropathic mice. Lastly, we show that pure CBG and CBG:CBD oil were ineffective at reducing nociception in other models of pain, including the formalin and tail flick assays.
CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support the role of CBG in alleviating mechanical hypersensitivity evoked by cisplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy, but highlight that these effects may be limited to specific types of pain.
SIGNIFICANCE: There are few effective treatments for neuropathic pain and neuropathic pain is projected to increase with the aging population. We demonstrate that CBG (cannabigerol) and CBG:CBD oil attenuate neuropathy-induced mechanical hypersensitivity mice. Second, we identify receptor targets that mediate CBG-induced reduction in mechanical hypersensitivity in neuropathic mice. Third, we demonstrate that an acute injection of CBG is anti-nociceptive specifically for neuropathic pain rather than other forms of pain, including persistent pain and thermal pain.