Exploring the potential of cannabis in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases

• Grant number: 23/01800-2
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: May 01, 2023
• End date: April 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Analytical Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Alessandra Sussulini
• Grantee: Alessandra Sussulini
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• City of the host institution: Campinas
• Associated researchers: Alexandre Leite Rodrigues de Oliveira ; Helena Passarelli Giroud Joaquim ; Leda Leme Talib ; Luís Fernando Farah de Tófoli ; Renato Filev
• Associated scholarship(s): 25/12262-7 - Development and Validation of Methods for Quantification of Cannabinoids by GC-FID and LC-MS/MS in Commercial and Artisanal Cannabis Oils, BP.IC; 24/08564-5 - Development of protocols for data processing, statistical and chemometric analysis in global metabolomics by LC-MS/MS, BP.TT

Abstract

Neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), are becoming a major health concern, once the life expectancy of the worldwide population is increasing. Current available treatments do not prevent neurodegeneration or induce neuronal repair, but only control the symptoms. Cannabis extracts and their isolated active compounds are being explored in Neurosciences due to their potential to act as multi-target medicines with mild or zero side effects. Understanding the molecular mechanisms involved and which metabolic signaling pathways are activated when these compounds encounter neural cells may turn the key to the development of better and more efficient treatments for neurodegenerative diseases. In this context, metabolomics is a powerful analytical tool to study the effects caused by phytocompounds in neural cells. Therefore, the metabolic alterations in an AD cell model of human neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) produced by the treatment with cannabis full-spectrum extracts and isolated cannabinoids (cannabidiol - CBD - and tetrahydrocannabinol - THC) will be evaluated in this project. In parallel, a metabolomics study using plasma samples from AD patients will be performed, in order to establish the metabolic pathways directly affected by the disease. By integrating these results, it will be possible to evaluate the actual potential of the studied treatments for AD. (AU)

Scientific publications

(8)

(The scientific publications listed on this page originate from the Web of Science or SciELO databases. Their authors have cited FAPESP grant or fellowship project numbers awarded to Principal Investigators or Fellowship Recipients, whether or not they are among the authors. This information is collected automatically and retrieved directly from those bibliometric databases.)

OLIVEIRA, LUAN FELIPE CAMPOS; MELENDEZ-PEREZ, JOSE JAVIER; LUTZER, SERGIO EDUARDO BERNARDO MISTURA; SUSSULINI, ALESSANDRA; EBERLIN, MARCOS NOGUEIRA. Petroleomic by Mass Spectrometry of Geochemical Biomarkers of Polar and Nonvolatile Crude Oil Fractions: Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Versus High-Field Orbitrap. RAPID COMMUNICATIONS IN MASS SPECTROMETRY, v. 40, n. 6, p. 12-pg., 2026-01-05. (23/01800-2)

TEGA, DAVID ULISSES; OLIVEIRA, LUAN FELIPE CAMPOS; FERREIRA, PATRICK CESAR; SOLDERA, BRUNA BEATRIZ; NASCIMENTO, HELIARA DALVA LOPES; EBERLIN, MARCOS NOGUEIRA; SUSSULINI, ALESSANDRA. Caffeine quantification in dietary supplements using high-throughput on-line solid phase extraction coupled to Venturi easy ambient sonic-spray ionization mass spectrometry. ANALYTICAL METHODS, v. 16, n. 17, p. 6-pg., 2024-04-03. (14/50867-3, 23/01800-2)

MATOS, TAYNARA SIMAO; DOS SANTOS, CAMILA DIAS LOURENCO; TOFOLI, LUIS FERNANDO; MONTANARI JUNIOR, ILIO; BREITKREITZ, MARCIA CRISTINA; SUSSULINI, ALESSANDRA. Influence of environmental conditions and seasonality on the metabolome and lipidome of Psychotria viridis leaves. Plant Journal, v. 123, n. 2, p. 15-pg., 2025-07-22. (23/01800-2, 14/50867-3)

CHAVES, C. J. N.; CACOSSI, T. C.; MATOS, T. S.; BENTO, J. P. S. P.; GONCALVES, L. N.; SILVA, S. F.; DA SILVA-FERREIRA, M., V; BARBIN, D. F.; MAYER, J. L. S.; SUSSULINI, A.; et al. Bromeliad populations perform distinct ecological strategies across a tropical elevation gradient (vol 38, pg 910, 2024). FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY, v. 38, n. 6, p. 1-pg., 2024-04-21. (21/10639-5, 20/14805-4, 15/24351-2, 20/16696-8, 23/01800-2, 22/07480-7, 22/04148-1, 18/07596-0)

MATOS, TAYNARA SIMAO; ZANDONADI, FLAVIA DA SILVA; SILVA, ALEX APARECIDO ROSINI; SOARES, STEPHANIE DIAS; LIMA, ADRIANA DE SOUZA; PASTORE, GLAUCIA MARIA; PORCARI, ANDREIA DE MELO; SUSSULINI, ALESSANDRA. Differentiation of Ayahuasca Samples According to Preparation Mode and Botanical Varieties Using Metabolomics. JOURNAL OF PSYCHOACTIVE DRUGS, v. N/A, p. 10-pg., 2024-10-31. (14/50867-3, 23/01800-2)

RIBEIRO, HENRIQUE CARACHO; ZANDONADI, FLAVIA DA SILVA; SUSSULINI, ALESSANDRA. An overview of metabolomic and proteomic profiling in bipolar disorder and its clinical value. EXPERT REVIEW OF PROTEOMICS, v. 20, n. 11, p. 14-pg., 2023-10-18. (14/50867-3, 23/01800-2)

OLIVEIRA, LUAN FELIPE CAMPOS; PEREIRA, THALES FERNANDO DIAS; SAWAYA, ALEXANDRA CHRISTINE HELENA FRANKLAND; SUSSULINI, ALESSANDRA. Sustainable food metabolome: Discrimination of agroecological, organic, and conventional pinto beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) through the volatile organic compounds profile. Microchemical Journal, v. 200, p. 8-pg., 2024-03-22. (14/50867-3, 23/01800-2)

ROMANI, SACAIA ALVIM SANTOS; SILVA, MATHEUS LEONARDO DALLAQUA; RAVAGLIA, GABRIEL BORGES; FERREIRA, PATRICK CESAR; DOS ANJOS CARVALHO, CHARLES DANIEL; PEREIRA, THALES FERNANDO DIAS; SUSSULINI, ALESSANDRA. Mass spectrometry approaches for monitoring therapeutic response in major depressive disorder. BIOANALYSIS, v. N/A, p. 12-pg., 2025-12-28. (25/26623-1, 23/01800-2)