Attenuation of Oxidative Stress by Cannabinoids and Cannabis Extracts in Differentiated Neuronal Cells

Abstract

In this proof-of-concept study, the antioxidant activity of phytocannabinoids, namely cannabidiol (CBD) and Δ9- tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), were investigated using an in vitro system of differentiated human neuronal SY-SH5Y cells. The oxidative stress was induced by hydrogen peroxide, as reactive oxygen species (ROS). Alzheimer’s disease (AD)-like pathological conditions were mimicked in vitro by treating the differentiated neuronal cells with amyloid-β1–42 (Aβ1–42) in the presence of Cu(II). We showed that THC had a high potency to combat oxidative stress in both in vitro models, while CBD did not show a remarkable antioxidant activity. The cannabis extracts also exhibited a significant antioxidant activity, which depended on the ratio of the THC and CBD. However, our results did not suggest any antagonist effect of the CBD on the antioxidant activity of THC. The effect of cannabis extracts on the cell viability of differentiated human neuronal SY-SH5Y cells was also investigated, which emphasized the differences between the bioactivity of cannabis extracts due to their composition. Our preliminary results demonstrated that cannabis extracts and phytocannabinoids have a promising potential as antioxidants, which can be further investigated to develop novel pharmaceuticals targeting oxidative stress therapy.

Different Cannabis sativa Extraction Methods Result in Different Biological Activities against a Colon Cancer Cell Line and Healthy Colon Cells

“…As already discussed in the literature, the high antioxidative properties of Cannabis sativa could be the reason for the protection of healthy cells from the cytotoxic effect of various chemotherapeutics. The same effect could also counterbalance the extracts' antiproliferative effects on healthy cells as observed in this study [62,63].…”

Serum Proteomic Analysis of Cannabis Use Disorder in Male Patients

“…Importantly, THC has been reported to induce oxidative stress, an effect associated with decreased antioxidant parameters [ 69 ]. However, CBD was found to produce antioxidant effect in neuronal cells [ 70 , 71 ]. Notably, exposure to C. sativa for 30 days resulted in a reduction in the total antioxidant capacity, an effect associated with an increase in the levels reactive oxygen species in male albino rats [ 72 ].…”

Inhibition of Mitochondria Permeability Transition Pore and Antioxidant Effect of Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol Reduces Aluminum Phosphide-Induced Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Cytotoxicity

“…Strong antioxidant effects of THC have demonstrated in previous study (Hampson et al, 2000, Raja et al, 2020. Hampson et al demonstrated that this cannabinoid can be considered more potent protective compounds than tocopherol and ascorbate (Hampson et al, 2000).…”

“…Hemp or cannabis sativa L. (C. sativa L.) is one of the oldest known medicinal plants for recreational and medicinal applications by human for over thousands of years (Raja et al, 2020). This plant contains more than 500 natural compounds including bers, metabolites, proteins and oils, of which, more than 200 are metabolites including phytocannabinoids, alkaloids and avonoids and terpenoids (Brenneisen, 2007).…”