A huge barrier for medical doctors who want to deliver medications or drugs to the human brain is indeed a physical barrier.
Ask any neurologist, and they will definitely tell you that the blood-brain barrier is the biggest hurdle in designing the drugs, which are formed to be delivered to the brain.
Several brain diseases, including the life-threatening condition “cancer,” cannot be treated unless the medications cross the barrier.
But a study by My MMJ Doctor, an effective way to deliver the drugs or medications across the border. And the name of that effective way is Cannabidiol (CBD).
Yes, CBD is a helpful and effective way to deliver medications across the border!
What is the Blood-Brain Barrier?
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A Blood-Brain Barrier is the one that primarily functions to protect the brain. It protects most of the molecules in the bloodstreams from getting into an individual’s brain.
This not only includes the normal medications but even the life-saving drugs.
But, recent research suggests that CBD could sneak into the body’s natural defense systems. Let us see what research suggests.
What does the research have to say about it?
It has always been promising for doctors to treat the diseases of the central nervous system as the BBB has proven to be a pretty challenging barrier to be passed.
This barrier not only protects the brain from any harm but also deprives it of several other beneficial things.
Lipid nanocapsules help in the bioavailability and drug delivery to the brain by employing the nanotechnology principles that have also been gaining popularity in the marijuana [1] world.
Astonishingly, along with this, CBD [6] can also help treat neurodegenerative diseases!
Yes! Neurodegenerative diseases can severely impact the human brain leading to disorders that cannot be healed. However, medical cannabis can help control it and slow down its progression.
Due to the CBD’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, people with neurodegenerative diseases can seek relief from it.
As per a study [2] published in Molecular pharmaceutics Journals, the researchers discussed a process through which CBD is used to improve the ability of “trojan Horse” molecules to pass through the Blood-Brain Barrier.
This was recently published on 13th March 2019, demonstrating that attaching drug-carrying nanocapsules to CBD allowed them to slip past BBB.
Yes, this groundbreaking study suggested that lipid nanocapsules decorated with CBD can actually sneak past BBB.
The researchers from Open University in the UK and Complutense University of Madrid performed the experiments in the blood-brain barrier’s lab model and in real mice indicating the technique was pretty effective at penetrating the BBB compared to the several existing methods.
And the biggest surprising factor here was that the researchers noted this method is 6 times more effective as compared to the common G-Technology [3].
So what is the correlation?
It is known that the Endocannabinoid system is involved in the neuroprotection that is the protection of the Central Nervous System.
Both the Endocannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2 facilitate regulating the Brain Blood Barriers integrity. CB1 and CB2 are involved in keeping the Brain blood barrier tight, and the researchers often speculate that the CBD, whether Phyto-based or endo-based, may serve as the potential key to pass the BBB.
And probably by activating these receptors, the CBD may be permitted to slip through the barrier.
However, further research is ongoing to find the actual reason.
Does CBD cross the blood-brain barrier?
The potential therapeutic benefits of the cannabinoids namely, delta 9 tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol are not hidden. The CBD and THC [4] lipophilicity and their neurological actions, makes them perfectly new candidates to treat CNS.
The supporting potential and therapeutic benefits of CBD in the bloodstream can aid well in the ischemic and inflammatory diseases of the Central Nervous system.
Since CBD is highly lipophilic, they readily pass through the blood-brain barrier.
How fast does THC reach the brain?
When the cannabis [5] is vaporized or smoked, THC quickly passes from the lungs into the bloodstream and its effects generally begin immediately while lasting from 1 to 3 hours.
And if consumed in the form of beverages, the effects may start appearing in 30 minutes to 1 hour and may last for several hours.
Bottom Line!
The researchers are not pretty sure about exactly how CBD tricks the Brain Blood Barrier, but they somehow believe that it may do it through the endocannabinoid system as it plays an essential role in BBB.
These outcomes indeed hold a huge potential for the future, and this study can be a powerful hope for many when it is about treating the Central Nervous System’s conditions.
However, the research is ongoing and performing the essential studies associated with CBD.
References:
1. Huynh NT, et al. Lipid nanocapsules: a new platform for nanomedicine. Int J Pharm. 2009;379(2):201-209.
2. Aparicio-Blanco J, et al. Cannabidiol enhances the passage of lipid nanocapsules across the blood-brain barrier both in vitro and in vivo. Mol Pharmaceutics. 2019;16(5):1999-2010.
3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24524555/
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7150944/
5. https://teens.drugabuse.gov/what-happens-your-brain-when-you-use-marijuana
6. https://mymmjdoctor.com/does-marijuana-work-for-neurodegenerative-diseases/
