Cannabidiol and Other Cannabinoids: From Toxicology and Pharmacology to the Development of a Regulatory Pathway

Abstract

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-psychotropic constituent of Cannabis sativa that has grown in popularity during the last decade. CBD is the active component of EPIDIOLEXV R , a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drug designed for the treatment of drug-resistant pediatric epileptic seizures associated with several rare syndromes. Furthermore, CBD has been proposed as a treatment for a number of other diseases for which clinical trials are now ongoing. Accumulating evidence indicates that the number of "CBD-containing" products, available mostly online, is growing exponentially. However, the U.S. FDA currently prohibits sales of CBD as a dietary supplement (DS) or ingredient in conventional food. Further, clear federal regulatory and quality oversight does not exist, which has led to an uncontrolled CBD market that, in turn, threatens to result in negative health effects experienced by a trusting public. Thus, there are open questions demanding answers in the very near future: For which medical purposes is CBD provably effective? Can it be used safely as a non-prescription product? At what level? Is a hemp extract that contains CBD a different ingredient than isolated CBD? Is CBD safe for everyone? What is a future path for hemp products with CBD as well as for other cannabinoids? Should CBD be allowed as a drug only, or is there a way for hemp extracts to be listed as a dietary supplement and food ingredient? This Special Issue, the first of its kind on CBD and other phytocannabinoids, is devoted to answering those and other questions by publishing articles in the fields of pharmacology, toxicology, and regulation.

Cannabidiol‐induced activation of the metallothionein pathway impedes anticancer effects of disulfiram and its metabolite CuET

“…Cannabidiol (CBD), the nonpsychotropic component of marijuana, was the strongest hit in our screen (Fig. 1A ), moreover a hit with high clinical relevance due to its rather common use among cancer patients [ 23 ].…”

Cannabidiol in Dentistry: A Scoping Review

“…The patents deposited with the application of CBD in dentistry were mostly related to products for oral care. This area seems to offer space for exploration of CBD due to the multiplicity of potential dentistry-related applications and the increasing interest in natural products [ 40 , 41 ]. The incentive to the industrial exploitation of CBD in dentistry through the consolidation of policies to stimulate scientific and technological projects could result in economic growth based on research [ 42 ].…”

“…A number of limitations relative to research and technological applications of CBD in dentistry can be cited. One limitation is the absence of clear regulations governing the supervision of the quality of CBD [ 40 ], which could lead to varied efficiency of CBD for dental applications across origins of its supply and manufacturers. The constituents of plant-derived natural products vary greatly, often due to variation in environmental conditions.…”

Cell death induction and intracellular vesicle formation in human colorectal cancer cells treated with Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol

“…Although some of the compounds has psychoactive activity, many concerns have been expressed regarding the effects of long-term therapeutic application (Sledzinski et al 2020 ). CBD is a typical non-psychotropic com-ponent of hemp species (Koturbash and MacKay 2020 ). This compound is commonly used for chronic pain management in patients with advanced cancer, chronic pelvic pain, multiple sclerosis spasticity, fibromyalgia, and sleep apnea, as well as for adjunctive traditional analgesic therapy (Atalay et al 2019 ; Britch et al 2020 ; Hameed et al 2023 ).…”